HOUSTON, Texas (Dec. 2, 2010) – Tonight Shell Oil Company (Shell) and Penske Corporation unveiled their 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and IZOD IndyCar Series car line-up along with important driver details for the 2011 season. Officials from both companies met with members of the media at the Penske-Wynn Ferrari dealership at the Wynn Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nev., to unveil both the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge that Kurt Busch will pilot throughout the 2011 season and the No. 3 Shell V-Power®-Pennzoil Ultra™ Dallara/Honda that three-time Indianapolis 500® champion Helio Castroneves will pilot at the Indianapolis 500 in May 2011.
As announced in April, Shell and Penske Corporation announced a multi-year cross-business alliance to begin with the 2011 racing season. As leaders in fuel and lubricant technology, the alliance allows Shell and Pennzoil to expand their motorsports presence to include primary sponsorship of 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Kurt Busch and the No. 22 Dodge, as well as associate sponsorships promoting Shell V-Power® and Pennzoil Ultra™ with IZOD IndyCar Series drivers Helio Castroneves, Will Power and Ryan Briscoe.
As announced in April, Shell and Penske Corporation announced a multi-year cross-business alliance to begin with the 2011 racing season. As leaders in fuel and lubricant technology, the alliance allows Shell and Pennzoil to expand their motorsports presence to include primary sponsorship of 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Kurt Busch and the No. 22 Dodge, as well as associate sponsorships promoting Shell V-Power® and Pennzoil Ultra™ with IZOD IndyCar Series drivers Helio Castroneves, Will Power and Ryan Briscoe.
“I am honored to represent the Shell and Pennzoil brands in the NASCAR Cup Series starting in 2011,” said Busch. “I look forward to building on the success of our storied past at Penske Racing with our new sponsors at Shell and Pennzoil.”
Shell and Pennzoil also announced their return to the Indianapolis 500 this evening as they unveiled the No. 3 Shell V-Power®-Pennzoil Ultra™ Dallara/Honda that three-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves will drive in the centennial celebration of the Memorial Day weekend classic.
“I am very excited to be working with Shell and Pennzoil this season and I’m proud to have the opportunity to drive the beautiful Shell V-Power®-Pennzoil Ultra™ car in the 2011 Indianapolis 500 representing the No. 1 premium gasoline and Pennzoil’s most advanced motor oil in the U.S.,” said Helio Castroneves, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske IndyCar. “Shell and Pennzoil have such a great history in IndyCar racing and they have certainly had some special moments with Penske Racing at the Indy 500. I hope we can create a little bit more history together this May at Indianapolis!”
“Shell has more than a half-century of motorsports expertise and alliances allowing our organization to bring quality fuels and lubricants technology from the track to the road,” said Lisa Davis, President, Shell Lubricants, Americas. “Strategic alliances are very important to our organization and the new relationship with a winning team like Penske provides us with additional opportunities to continue furthering our technological leadership and product development through the invaluable knowledge gained both on and off the track.”
Penske Corporation is one of the world’s most successful and recognized transportation-based business enterprises and provides unique activation opportunities. While Shell and Pennzoil will be the “Official Fuel and Motor Oil Supplier” to the Penske organization in the U.S., the relationship goes far beyond a typical sponsorship. Beginning in 2011, Penske will work with Shell and Pennzoil to embark on a technical alliance that will offer insights into motor oil and fuel technology.
The renewed alliance will provide Penske’s IndyCar and NASCAR teams with cutting edge Pennzoil Ultra racing oil technology for all their racecars. Additionally, this alliance will enable further product development for Shell and Pennzoil through the invaluable knowledge gained surrounding fuels, lubricants and engine technologies. Like Shell and Pennzoil, Penske Corporation has a close relationship with Chrysler and Ferrari, both part of the Fiat Group.
“Shell and Pennzoil are two established and winning brands and they will be strategic business providers for our Penske Automotive Group and Penske Truck Leasing businesses,” said Roger Penske. “This is a very important global relationship for our organization and we look forward to producing many victories for Shell and Pennzoil in NASCAR, in the IZOD IndyCar Series and across our businesses.”
Winning is a tradition for Penske Racing. Competing in a variety of disciplines, cars owned and prepared by Penske Racing have produced 332 major race wins, 396 pole positions and 23 National Championships. The team has also earned 15 Indianapolis 500 victories and won the 2008 Daytona 500. For more information about Penske Racing, please visit http://www.penskeracing.com/.
Pennzoil and Penske Racing already have a dynamic history at the Indianapolis 500 as two Penske Racing entries have raced to victory lane decorated with the traditional black and yellow colors. The new alliance will try and add another trophy to their collection as Helio Castroneves races for his record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 title in the No. 3 Shell V-Power®-Pennzoil Ultra™ Dallara/Honda in May 2011.
Shell is the no. 1 lubricants supplier in the U.S. and the nation’s best-selling gasoline brand with more than 14,000 branded stations. Shell has a strong motorsports history aligning with race teams since the 1920’s. In addition to the alliance with Penske Racing, Shell affiliates currently have several motorsport technical co-operation programs in place, including Ferrari in Formula 1, Ducati in MotoGP, and with Hendrick Motorsports in NASCAR. Shell uses the knowledge gained from the extreme conditions on the track in the development of fuels and lubricants. These learnings transfer directly to the products available to customers, such as Shell V-Power® premium gasoline and the ultra-class synthetic motor oil, Pennzoil Ultra™. Shell V-Power® was developed to meet the needs of customers who want to help maintain optimum performance achieved through the benefits of a clean, gunk-free engine. Similarly, the advanced proprietary synthetic formula of Pennzoil Ultra™ far exceeds the most stringent car manufacturer’s engine cleanliness standards[1].
For additional information, please visit www.shell.us/racing.
