Sunoco, the official fuel of the Verizon IndyCar Series, also has been named official fuel of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Sunoco’s relationship with Indy car racing dates to 1968 when Mark Donohue drove the No. 12 Sunoco Eagle for Penske Racing. Four years later, that same team of Penske, Donohue and Sunoco won its first Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.
Sunoco will continue as title sponsor of both the Sunoco Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year and the Verizon IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year awards. The Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Award will be presented May 25 during the Indianapolis 500 Victory Awards Celebration at IMS. The 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500 is May 24.
The Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award will be presented to the first-year driver who records the most points through the 16-race Verizon IndyCar Series schedule that begins March 29 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Carlos Munoz of Andretti Autosport earned the 2013 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year award and also topped the Verizon IndyCar Series points for 2014 Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
The Chevrolet and Honda 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged, direct-injected V6 engines utilized by Verizon IndyCar Series teams are fueled with E85 (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline).
“We’re pleased to be able to strengthen our partnership with Sunoco by announcing the brand as the official fuel of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Co., the parent of INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “Sunoco is a natural fit with INDYCAR and IMS, as they not only provide a world-class product to our competitors, but they also have a strong heritage in motorsports as well.”
Sunoco, Inc., wholly owned by Energy Transfer Partners, markets more than 4.7 billion gallons of fuel a year through more than 4,500 Sunoco-branded locations in 26 states.
“IndyCar is one of the most demanding and competitive racing series in the world, and we are proud that these drivers and teams trust the quality and performance of our race fuels to take them to the checkered flag,” said Cynthia Archer, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Sunoco, Inc.