Pennzoil History

A car doesn't run by itself - it needs to be fueled and it needs motor oil. But where does that come from? Well, basically from oil fields, but then there's the dealers - and here it gets interesting. In our attempt to cover everything connected to automobile history, Elomnibus now starts presenting some of the leading oil companies of the world. We start with Pennzoil from Pennsylvania, a company that has been leaving its mark on the history of virtually every class of motorsports.



The history of Pennzoil dates back to 1889 when the South Penn Oil Company was organized as a unit of Standard Oil Company. 26 years later, the Pennsylvania Refining Company trademarked the name "Pennzoil". The company under this name however was only legally formed in 1963 when South Penn Oil Company merged with the Zapata Offshore Oil Company which had been created by George H.W. Bush, the man who would later become 41. president of the United States.



In the early parts of the company's history, the gas stations were branded as "Pennzip", though they were later changed to "Pennzoil". For decades, Pennzoil gas stations were mostly marketed in western Pennsylvania, western New York, northern and eastern Ohio, and northern West Virginia. The company however never never placed much emphasis on gasoline but on motor oil.



Pennzoil's engagement in motorsports began in the 1930's when the company appeared at Indianapolis as a sponsor of Russell Snowberger. In the years following, Russell finished every Indy race he entered in the top ten. Within five years, 27 other race drivers voluntarily selected to use Pennzoil for their racing cars, and Pennzoil became the lubrication of choice for drivers in all forms of racing. In 1958 for example, Pennzoil officially sponsored the fastest rising star on the NHRA circuit, Don 'Big Daddy" Garlits.



As the first major oil company to develop a racing oil exclusively for cars running on exotic fuels, Pennzoil was a principal contributor to the racing speed increase in thr 1960's. Throughout the following decades, Pennzoil-lubricated machines dominated top fuel, funny car and pro-stock categories. Pennzoil was used by some of the top names in drag racing like Connie Kalitta, Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, Don "The Snake" Prudhomme or Jack Roush.




In the late 1970's, Pennzoil developed a special motor oil blend specifically for two-and four-stroke engines, and sponsored Team Honda, Team Yamaha and Team Husqvarna. During the '70s and '80s, Pennzoil-lubricated bikes won every Baja event in every racing class. Pennzoil was then chosen by more off-road racertrucks, motorcycles and single-seaters than any other motor oil. In 1982 it was multi-talented speedster Eddie Hill who set the record for the fastest speed ever reached in a propeller-driven boat with unmatched 229 miles per hour.



USAC Triple Crown winners, Jim Hall and Al Unser blew the crowd away with the revolutionary "ground effects" Chaparral at the brickyard. Painted bright Pennzoil -yellow and with Pennzoil in its veins, it lead the race for 100 laps before retiring with a broken water pump. In 1983, Pennzoil joined forces with Roger Penske and premiered Indy car driver Rick Mears who captured victory at the Indy 500 only one year later - with a record-winning speed of 163.512 mph in the Pennzoil Z-7 Special. In the four years following, Pennzoil cars won the Indianapolis 500 three more times.



Later it was once again Eddie Hill who, in the Pennzoil Top Fuel Dragster, made drag racing history when he clocked 4.990 at the Texas Motorplex and became the world's first driver to cover the quarter mile in less than five seconds from a standing start.

Pennzoil merged with onetime rival Quaker State to form "Pennzoil-Quaker State" in 1998. Four years later, the Royal Dutch/Shell Group purchased Pennzoil-Quaker State to form SOPUS (Shell Oil Products United States). Both Pennzoil and Quaker State are now marketed together as a result.



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