Mobil 1 extends NASCAR partnership through 2017

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Mobil 1 will remain the “Official Motor Oil of NASCAR” through 2017 under a contract extension announced Monday with parent company ExxonMobil.

Mobil 1 is entering its 11th year as an official NASCAR partner, a relationship that began in 2003 when it replaced Unocal 76 as the sport’s official lubricant. Mobil 1 will now be a contingency partner across all NASCAR national and touring series, the presenting sponsor of the Mobil 1 Driver of the Race Award, and the presenting sponsor of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.

Mobil 1 motor oil is used by more than half of the teams in NASCAR’s three national series, and the brand also sponsors three-time Cup champion Tony Stewart.

The new deal takes ExxonMobil digital with the launch of the “NASCAR Automotive Technology Center Engineered by Mobil 1.” The technology-driven content will be on NASCAR.com, and Mobil 1 global brand manager Rebecca Aldred said it was key to this contract renewal.

“What’s appealing to us is the ability to be able to tell our technology story, and we know how engaged fans are involved from a digital standpoint,” she said. “We wanted a way to reach and engage the fans with the technology story and explain why half the NASCAR teams choose Mobil 1.”

According to Mobil 1 research, NASCAR fans are nearly twice as likely to prefer, try and recommend the brand because it is the “Official Motor Oil of NASCAR.” The company last year used Stewart and Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton in a popular commercial that showcased the brand but not the technology.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.