Kevin Harvick completed the Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway sweep in 2017 by winning the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race on Saturday before following it up with a dominant performance on Sunday in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race. Harvick wheeled his No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing across the finish line first ahead of teammate Clint Bowyer after leading twice for 24 laps.
Harvick is aiming for a second straight NASCAR Cup Series win at Sonoma when he returns for this weekend’s Save Mart 350k on the 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course nestled in California wine country.
The demands on both man and machine throughout a road-course race can test even the most talented drivers and sophisticated mechanical equipment. Thankfully, Harvick has an equally impressive partner in Mobil 1, an entity known for standing up to the toughest challenges.
Mobil 1 is the “Official Motor Oil of NASCAR” and the Mobil brand of lubricant products are the “Official Lubricants of NASCAR.” Mobil 1 engine oils have long been the lubricant of choice for race teams competing in the most demanding and popular motorsports series around the globe.
The history of Mobil 1 in motorsports dates back to rally competition during the early 1970s. However, its involvement in racing became more official in 1978 through sponsorship of the Williams Formula One team and the 1987 sponsorship of Rusty Wallace’s No. 27 car in NASCAR.
From that time, the presence of Mobil 1 on racetracks and circuits has grown by global proportions. Today, Mobil 1 is relied upon for its ability to deliver exceptional engine performance and protection even under some of the most extreme conditions. Automotive technicians, racecar drivers, team owners and the world’s leading automotive manufacturers can all testify to the advanced technology delivered by Mobil 1 lubricants.
In addition to its high performance on the racetrack, ExxonMobil will highlight its newest synthetic motor oil, Mobil 1 Annual Protection, which allows drivers to go one full year – or up to 20,000 miles (whichever comes first) – between oil changes for all vehicle types. Guaranteed.
On Friday, June 22, Harvick and comedian Casey Webb of Man vs. Food, both stars of the latest Mobil 1 television commercials, are teaming up for the Mobil 1 Annual Protection “20K Road Trip” event at the first 5,000 mile “pit stop” at Sonoma Raceway, which marks the first of four legs of the cross-country journey.
The Mobil 1 20K Road Trip features two cars, including a 2014 Ford Fusion Titanium, which will drive 20,000 miles across 48 states experiencing a variety of climates, altitudes, elevations and driving styles over the next four months. The first pit stop at Sonoma marks the end of the road trip’s first 5,000 miles.
Harvick will be available to speak about the 20K Road Trip, the motor oil testing involved in this endeavor, and his NASCAR season. In addition, some lucky onsite fans will be selected to have their vehicle’s motor oil changed with Mobil 1 Annual Protection, completed by Harvick and Webb with help from ExxonMobil partner, Yoshi.
Harvick, the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion who is currently ranked second in points, knows how to stand up to the demands of road-course racing. His win last year came from 12th in the 38-car field, and it enabled Harvick to become one of only three active Cup Series drivers who have won at both, purpose-built road courses on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule – Sonoma and Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. are the other two drivers.
A second Sonoma victory would be on top of Harvick’s series-leading five wins already this season, which has allowed him to earn 26 playoff points in his quest for a second NASCAR Cup Series title. As Mobil 1 kicks off its 20K Road Trip, Harvick will kick it into gear, literally and figuratively, on the twists and turns of Sonoma.
KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:
What is the first thing that comes to mind of when you think of Sonoma?
“The first thing I think of when we are going to Sonoma is that we are going road racing. It’s definitely the first road race of the year and Sonoma is a very technical, slower-type road course. I’ve been fortunate to race there for a long time and look forward to going there every year.”
Sonoma is widely regarded as the more technical of the two road courses that have been mainstays on the Cup Series schedule. What are the big differences between Sonoma and Watkins Glen?
“I think the biggest difference between Sonoma and Watkins Glen is that the speeds are drastically different. Sonoma is a much tighter course with sharper corners and a lot less speed, where you don’t really even use fourth gear, unless you’re saving gas. It’s a much slower track than Watkins Glen and the tires fall off a lot more than they do at The Glen. So, you’ve got to get your car to technically be very good as it turns the corner, but also keep track of the forward grip as you go through a run.”
You have an added advantage with Mobil 1 as a sponsor. It’s more than a sponsor, with its technology directly benefiting how you perform on the racetrack. How advantageous has this relationship with Mobil 1 been since you joined SHR in 2014?
“It was really mind-blowing when I first came to Stewart-Haas Racing. Every time we went to qualify, we really didn’t do anything different from the driver’s seat, but we’d always pick up a tenth-and-a-half or two-tenths of a second, and it literally came down to the oils in the engine, the oil in the transmission, the oil in the rear gear and the things they did from a lubricant standpoint – those were the biggest changes we made to the car before we would go and qualify. So, when you see that level of technology and commitment to the things that go in your car, every piece of it adds up to a pretty big chunk of speed. It’s pretty remarkable.”
