NASCAR's official motor oil hopes to strike it rich on 77

When Sam Hornish Jr. begins his rookie season as a Sprint Cup driver at Daytona, he'll have one of the most visible and longest-running sponsors in the field as a partner.

Mobil 1 motor oil, which is the Official Motor Oil of NASCAR, makes its return to primary sponsorship this season with Hornish, who made the jump from Indy cars to stock cars with team owner Roger Penske.

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According to Dermott Ryan, Americas Communications Manager, ExxonMobil Lubricants, the marriage came about neatly when three-time IRL champion Hornish committed to moving up to NASCAR and Mobil 1 was looking to expand its role with Penske Racing.

"We were excited to get back to a primary," Ryan said. "We think it compliments our Official Motor Oil of NASCAR sponsorship and builds on our 17-year relationship with Penske Racing. When Sam Hornish was interested in making the move to NASCAR, we were interested in stepping up, so the timing worked out great."

In a day and age where NASCAR sponsorship runs the gamut of packaged-goods, consumer-based and technical companies, Mobil 1 has been with Penske for a long time and NASCAR for even longer. Aside from some select races as a primary on Ryan Newman's Dodge in recent years, Mobil 1 hasn't been a primary sponsor since the late 1990s.

The sport's demographic base made the decision to bring back the dark blue, red and white paint scheme for 2008, and Mobil 1 is launching its marketing around converting drivers from standard motor oils to the power of synthetic blends.

"We have our own research, which dovetails nicely with some of the work that NASCAR has done, and we looked at how they [NASCAR fans] divided out in terms of level of interest and their motor-oil involvement," Ryan said. "It's a very prime target for us. These folks tend to be automotive enthusiasts; are interested in knowing more about their products.

"We think this is a venue that can be a catalyst that can make Mobil 1 an everyday application. As you know, Mobil 1 is viewed as the ultimate motor oil and used in high-end cars. There's a real opportunity for us to make this an everyday application and have people who use it in their high-end cars use it in all their cars. People who know it's a great product but don't think it's appropriate can use it in their everyday driving, which can be very extreme."

That's not all Mobil 1 is after, either.

"We have a fairly extensive B2B customer hospitality program with our dealer network," Ryan said. "With some of our key customers, we have a platform to talk about new products, programs and initiatives. Lubes and specialties are not just passenger-car related, we also have commercial applications. We have the leading over-the-road Class 8 Truck motor oil, Mobil Delvec. We have a very large and important business for us in industrial lubricants, where we're going after plant machinery and equipment and to provide a full suite of lubrication products for them."

NASCAR provides that platform for Mobil 1 and every other sponsor in the paddock.

One of the basic questions that Ryan hears on a daily basis concerns exactly what synthetic motor oil is and how it differs from the other cans on the shelf.

"Motor oil in its composition is made up of base stocks, a by-product of the refining process, and additives," he explained. "The synthetic products are made with a different and higher-quality base-stock composition, so you start out with a much higher quality base stock than conventional motor oils, and you add in a custom additive package. Mobil 1 has a unique, custom-blended, proprietary to ExxonMobil additive package, whereas some other synthetic products have more of a standard additive package."

It's that composition -- and constant research and development -- that makes Mobil 1 popular among automotive engineers, Ryan said.

"It's been around for more than 30 years and is the world's leading brand of synthetic motor oil," he said. "It's chosen by more automotive manufacturers than any other brand of motor oil. It's used as factory fill in more than 45 cars. The people who make that selection do it because their engine specs demand an oil that can handle extremes. Porsche, Mercedes AMG, certain Cadillac models, Corvette ... some really high-performance cars, and their engineers have gone out to select the best motor oil in the world and they've chosen Mobil 1."

To bolster its return among NASCAR's fan base, Mobil 1 and parent ExxonMobil have developed a wide-ranging marketing package aimed at the consumer, including promotions, print, online, TV and radio spots, a new microsite and more.

The ads carry the theme, "Put Some NASCAR in Your Car," and show that Mobil 1 is designed to withstand both everyday and extreme driving conditions, whether it be a trip to the grocery store, wintertime commutes, or high-speed laps around a NASCAR track. The new print and broadcast spots will run in select NASCAR races and on NASCAR-themed media.

One of the promotions, the Mobil 1 Extreme Lift Game, will see one lucky fan win a helicopter ride to and from a Sprint Cup race, VIP tickets and a private tour of the Penske Racing shops. Fans can obtain game pieces on specially marked bottles of Mobil 1 and Mobil 1 Extended Performance motor oils.

The interactive microsite, www.mobil1racing.com, will give race fans an up-close look at the Mobil 1 racing team, as well as provide interactive content. That site will go live later this month.

Mobil 1's lengthy relationship with Penske is not only about competition, though that's a big part, Ryan said.

"The Penske Corp. is a huge, multi-billion-dollar business, with Penske Truck Leasing and car dealerships around the world. We have a business relationship with the Penske organization that extends beyond our NASCAR sponsorship. It's an element of their business and it's an element of their relationship, but that relationship is much broader and deeper than that," he said. "When we announced Sam as the driver in the fall, we did that in Phoenix at the museum Roger has at his group of car dealerships there."

Mobil 1 plans on making a big splash of its return to full-time NASCAR sponsorship with Hornish and Penske, and hope NASCAR fans come along for the ride.