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For Immediate Release – May 22, 2004
Lucas Oil Products Makes Its Indy 500 Debut with Sam Schmidt Motorsports
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Lucas Oil Products today announced they have formed a partnership with Sam Schmidt Motorsports as the primary sponsor of the IndyCar driven by Richie Hearn in the 88th running of the Indianapolis 500 held Sunday, May 30 and slated to air live on ABC at noon eastern.
A native of Glendale, Calif., Hearn has been involved with motorsports at the age of eight and will return to the Indy Racing League for the first time since earning the pole position in Chicago last season. Hearn’s best performances at the Indianapolis 500 were in 1996 when he qualified 15th and finished third and in 2002 he qualified 22nd and finished sixth. Among his many credits, Hearn won the Toyota Atlantics Championship in 1995 and has been successful in IKF, SCCA, PPG CART, and the Indy Racing League.
The Indianapolis 500 has long been considered the most prestigious and anticipated race of the year in all of motorsports. It is every racer’s dream to take the checkered flag at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and every businessman’s dream of being a corporate sponsor in one of the largest and most widely viewed sports in the world. That dream came true for Forrest and Charlotte Lucas, owners and founders of Lucas Oil Products, Inc., when they signed on with Sam Schmidt Motorsports to sponsor the #33 Lucas Oil IndyCar.
Born and raised in Indiana, Forrest has been a life-long fan of the Indianapolis 500; never envisioning he would have the means to have his name on the side of and IndyCar.
“Growing up in Indiana and actually racing a few times myself, I never would have dreamed I would be able to sponsor a team for the Indianapolis 500,” said Forrest. “We focus a great deal of our marketing and advertising efforts towards motorsports. This avenue has proven highly successful for our company and with the new involvement with Sam Schmidt, Richie Hearn and the Indianapolis 500, Lucas Oil Products will be brought to a whole new level of accomplishments.”
“We are so excited to begin this relationship with Forrest and Charlotte Lucas and are proud to carry the Lucas Oil Products name in this year’s 500 entry,” stated Schmidt, “the company is known worldwide for its line of additives and we are proud to represent their first sponsorship at the INDY 500. I am confident that Richie will get up to speed quickly just as he did last year and that we will be competitive on race day. We will work very hard to make it productive for them both on the track and off the track through new business relationships.”
RAGS TO RICHES -- Forrest began his career as a long-haul truck driver and eventually owned his own fleet of trucks. As the price of repairs and replacement parts began to steadily increase, they saw the need for better lubricants and greases to maintain their fleet. The Lucas’ began formulating problem solving products that really worked and eventually they formed Lucas Oil Products in 1989.
It wasn’t long before the trucking industry embraced the Lucas Oil product line. “They were using it to patch up their old equipment,” said Forrest. “But eventually they were finding it also helped new engines and gear boxes last longer. I then thought it would be a good idea to sponsor some local race cars as a way to help advertise our products. If our product could help the truck industry; it would be a great benefit to racers.”
Based in Southern California, Lucas Oil Products is one of the fastest growing additive lines in the consumer automotive industry. Lucas Oil offers a top selling, premium line of oils, greases and problem solving additives that have firmly established them as a prominent figure in the heavy duty, agricultural, marine, automotive and racing industries.
Through innovative product research and development, along with aggressive marketing programs, Lucas Oil Products has established itself as the top selling additive line in the auto part retailers and American truck stop industries.
Lucas Oil has long been involved in the American motorsports industry through multiple vehicle sponsorships and racing event promotions, at all levels. Including series sponsorships of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series; the Lucas Oil Championship Off Road Racing Series; the IHBA Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series and the ATPA Lucas Oil Power Pulling Series.
In addition to series sponsorships, Lucas Oil is also the official lubricant for the Xtreme DirtCar Series, the USAR Hooters ProCup Series, the NHRA Sport Compact Series and the NOPI Drag Racing Series. All of this combined is proof that Lucas Oil has been tested and approved as a superior lubricant in all forms of motorsports.
What started out as a small company unable to obtain the necessary funding from the bank, Forrest relied on hard work and sheer determination to bring his company where it is today. With a corporate office in Corona, California, a main manufacturing facility located in Southern Indiana and offices in New Orleans and Florida, as well as Australia, Europe and Canada, Lucas Oil has grown into a worldwide company and is a remarkable example of a self-made success story.
For More Information:
Michele Davis
Sam Schmidt Motorsports
Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation
C: 602-741-1915
F: 805-926-4052
E: mdavis@samschmidt.org
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