Homestead, FL November 22, 2010 - After his third Sprint Cup championship back in 2008, Jimmie Johnson wanted additional insurance that he could continue his winning ways. So his crew chief Chad Knaus, along with Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. turned to Purolator filters to protect their engines in NASCAR's flagship series. The result was Johnson's winning his fifth consecutive Sprint Cup championship, making him the first driver to achieve this milestone.
Jimmie Johnson finished second in the season-ending Ford 400 Sprint Cup race to clinch yet another series championship in NASCAR's Race for the Chase. For the second straight year, Johnson won his title running on Purolator oil and air filters. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have likewise been using Purolator oil and air filters for the last two seasons. The name Purolator comes from "Pure Oil Later," the name originally given to the industry's very first oil filter back in 1923.
Johnson's record-breaking fifth consecutive Sprint Cup championship is the first in the history of NASCAR racing. Only two other legendary drivers - Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. - have ever won more championships - seven each, but neither had the distinction of winning five in a row. In his second-place finish in the tenth and final "Race for the Chase," Johnson finished second in Homestead, capturing enough points to beat out Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick, who were both within striking distance of snatching the championship away from Johnson.
Having "Pure Oil Later" - at the end of the race, to be exact - was critical to Johnson's second-place race finish and fifth championship in a row. All racers know you can't win if you don't finish, and racers and engine builders alike know that oil - clean oil - is the lifeblood of any race engine.
Every drop of the several gallons of oil in the sump of Johnson's Hendrick Chevrolet engine passed through his Purolator oil filter thousands of times during the course of the 400 mile race. And Rick Hendrick and everyone in his engine shop know that even the smallest particles of debris can lead to engine failure when the crankshaft and other internal engine parts are turning in excess of 9,000 rpm for the hours-long races that typify Sprint Cup competition.
In addition, Jimmie Johnson and teammates Gordon, Martin, and Earnhardt Jr. all rely on Purolator air filters as well to protect critical internal engine parts from harmful dirt and debris. Any compromise in the integrity of one of these air filters would allow particulates to damage pistons, rings, and other internal engine parts, leading to the kind of catastrophic engine failure that's characterized by huge clouds of blue smoke followed by an unceremonious trip to the garages on the short end of a long wrecker.
"Race engine filters share the same basic needs as air and oil filters for everyday passenger cars," explains Frank Merrell, Sr. Product Manager for Purolator. "Filters must achieve the proper balance of efficiency and capacity, with minimal resistance to flow. And even though the filters used in the Hendrick cars have a lifespan measured in hours rather than months, they still must be able to capture nearly all tiny particles (efficiency), as well as having the ability to hold a substantial amount of those particles (capacity)."
"Because Purolator invented the very first automotive oil filter, the first full-flow oil filter, and the first spin-on oil filter, our engineers are the best-qualified in the industry to design and build the kind of filters that can help drivers like Jimmie Johnson achieve new heights in motorsports," adds Merrell. "That same engineering excellence is applied to the design and construction of the oil and air filters we build for everyday cars as well."
Johnson's 2010 Championship season included 23 top ten finishes (nine of them consecutive), two poles, six outright wins, and 17 top-five finishes.
Purolator is a proud supporter of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association's (AASA) Know Your Parts® education and awareness campaign. This initiative promotes the importance of quality brand name aftermarket parts backed by full service suppliers to preserve the industry's good reputation. For more information, visit: http://www.aasaknowyourparts.org/.
Jimmie Johnson finished second in the season-ending Ford 400 Sprint Cup race to clinch yet another series championship in NASCAR's Race for the Chase. For the second straight year, Johnson won his title running on Purolator oil and air filters. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have likewise been using Purolator oil and air filters for the last two seasons. The name Purolator comes from "Pure Oil Later," the name originally given to the industry's very first oil filter back in 1923.
Johnson's record-breaking fifth consecutive Sprint Cup championship is the first in the history of NASCAR racing. Only two other legendary drivers - Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. - have ever won more championships - seven each, but neither had the distinction of winning five in a row. In his second-place finish in the tenth and final "Race for the Chase," Johnson finished second in Homestead, capturing enough points to beat out Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick, who were both within striking distance of snatching the championship away from Johnson.
Having "Pure Oil Later" - at the end of the race, to be exact - was critical to Johnson's second-place race finish and fifth championship in a row. All racers know you can't win if you don't finish, and racers and engine builders alike know that oil - clean oil - is the lifeblood of any race engine.
Every drop of the several gallons of oil in the sump of Johnson's Hendrick Chevrolet engine passed through his Purolator oil filter thousands of times during the course of the 400 mile race. And Rick Hendrick and everyone in his engine shop know that even the smallest particles of debris can lead to engine failure when the crankshaft and other internal engine parts are turning in excess of 9,000 rpm for the hours-long races that typify Sprint Cup competition.
In addition, Jimmie Johnson and teammates Gordon, Martin, and Earnhardt Jr. all rely on Purolator air filters as well to protect critical internal engine parts from harmful dirt and debris. Any compromise in the integrity of one of these air filters would allow particulates to damage pistons, rings, and other internal engine parts, leading to the kind of catastrophic engine failure that's characterized by huge clouds of blue smoke followed by an unceremonious trip to the garages on the short end of a long wrecker.
"Race engine filters share the same basic needs as air and oil filters for everyday passenger cars," explains Frank Merrell, Sr. Product Manager for Purolator. "Filters must achieve the proper balance of efficiency and capacity, with minimal resistance to flow. And even though the filters used in the Hendrick cars have a lifespan measured in hours rather than months, they still must be able to capture nearly all tiny particles (efficiency), as well as having the ability to hold a substantial amount of those particles (capacity)."
"Because Purolator invented the very first automotive oil filter, the first full-flow oil filter, and the first spin-on oil filter, our engineers are the best-qualified in the industry to design and build the kind of filters that can help drivers like Jimmie Johnson achieve new heights in motorsports," adds Merrell. "That same engineering excellence is applied to the design and construction of the oil and air filters we build for everyday cars as well."
Johnson's 2010 Championship season included 23 top ten finishes (nine of them consecutive), two poles, six outright wins, and 17 top-five finishes.
Purolator is a proud supporter of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association's (AASA) Know Your Parts® education and awareness campaign. This initiative promotes the importance of quality brand name aftermarket parts backed by full service suppliers to preserve the industry's good reputation. For more information, visit: http://www.aasaknowyourparts.org/.
Purolator manufactures and supplies high quality automotive filters to the North American aftermarket and Original Equipment Manufacturers. Inventor of the automotive oil filter in 1923, Purolator has, since then, pioneered more than 40 'firsts' in the filtration industry. In fact, the first automotive oil filter was called a 'Purolator,' short for 'pure oil later.' Currently, the Purolator brand has more than 2,000 part numbers for automotive, light truck and heavy-duty applications. Now part of the Bosch umbrella of automotive aftermarket products within NAFTA, Purolator's advanced aftermarket filters include:
-PureONE and Purolator Classic oil filters
-PureONE and Purolator Classic air filters
-BreatheEasy cabin air filters
-The 'forgotten filters,' including transmission filters, fuel filters, breathers and PCV valves.
To learn more about Purolator filters and the filtration category, please visit http://www.purolatorautofilters.net/.
