it was reported earlier that ExxonMobil had won the bid to become the official fuel supplier for NASCAR next season, however, there was some changes [not sure what], and being told that now that ExxonMobil has NOT signed with NASCAR, and remains one of three companies vying for the fuel deal.(8-11-2003) UPDATE: hearing it will be Sunoco and there will be an announcement at MIS this weekend.(8-12-2003) some NOTES: the Exxon post was removed from the Sporting News article on their site, but the old one is still posted at Fox. MSNBC and Yahoo. What I posted is an update to that. ALSO, some folks are getting confused over the Mobil ads that proclaim them as the “Official Lubricant of NASCAR”, it has been the case since the beginning of 2003 [see Exxon PR or my NASCAR Sponsors page dates 11-7-2002] and has nothing to do with the Fuel deal, which is currently supplied by Unocal 76. Like I said, been told it is Sunoco and will be announced at MIS this weekend.(8-12-2003) UPDATE 2: Sunoco has emerged as the favorite to replace Unocal 76 as NASCAR’s fuel supplier. Unocal, which has one of racing’s longest-running sponsorships, is leaving.( Tampa Tribune )(8-13-2003) UPDATE 3 hmm…heard this someplace before: …..Sunoco will replace Union 76 as the official fuel of NASCAR’s top three series, beginning in 2004. An industry source, who spoke Thursday to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said Sunoco will supply all the fuel used in NASCAR’s Winston Cup – which will become the Nextel Cup next year – Busch and Craftsman Truck Series. NASCAR planned [planned? or plans?] to make the announcement at a news conference Friday at Michigan International Speedway. ConocoPhillips, owner of longtime fuel supplier 76, informed NASCAR it would not be continuing the relationship because of a shift in its marketing strategy and focus after the merger of the two companies last year. The 76 brand, which had several different owners during the period, was the official fuel of NASCAR for more than 40 years. The source said several other companies were interested in replacing 76, but NASCAR chose the Sunoco brand “because of its longtime racing involvement, supplying fuel for about 30 different racing series.” The deal with Sunoco is “long-term,” but details were not immediately available.( ThatsRacin.com/AP – only posting this to stop all the email about it)(8-14-2003)
