Twenty-five years ago, Purolator filters and Hendrick Motorsports teamed up for the first time to go NASCAR racing. In 2009, the two industry leaders have partnered once again for the upcoming NASCAR racing season.
As a result of this partnership, Purolator will be the exclusive supplier of oil and air filters for the entire Hendrick Motorsports team, including NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and three-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson.
In 2009, Purolator will supply Hendrick Motorsports and JR Motorsports with oil and air filters for use in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series. Though engineered specifically for racing purposes, these filters share many features with those found in Purolator’s top-of-the-line PureOne oil and air filters for everyday cars.
"The role of filters is similar for race cars as for passenger cars," explains Ramon Nunez, director of filtration products for Purolator. "Oil and air filters must remove particulates and contaminants while affording minimal resistance to flow. But race cars have specific needs. Since tolerances are much tighter and pressures greater in racing engines, we must provide media that’s precision-engineered to remove as many particulates as possible, with as little resistance as possible and enhance the overall strength of the can. We’re able to trade off longevity in race filters since their useful life is measured in hours rather than months. Yet the technology is surprisingly similar since the basic role remains unchanged."
"We invented the very first automotive oil filter in 1923, and called it a Purolator for ‘Pure Oil Later.’ So we have 85 years of experience developing and producing filtration media and design – more than any other filter manufacturer. This experience, which led us to invent the spin-on automotive oil filter in 1955, allows us to produce filters that protect, very efficiently, Sprint Cup and other types of race engines. There’s a science to the chemistry of filtration media. And there’s also a very precise science to the size, shape and number of pleats in an air or oil filter. Our decades of experience allow us to tailor this science to the needs of race car engines as well as those of everyday passenger cars and trucks," adds Brian Yates, director, product engineering, filtration systems for Purolator.
"More important," said Yates, "Purolator’s experience on the race tracks plays a major role in product development and refinement. There is no sport like racing that will allow us the opportunity to see how Purolator filters measure up to the highest level of performance and reliability that racers and motorists demand. A race car engine is a hostile environment that requires premium products. That makes motorsports the best venue for us to test how our filters will stand up to the rigors of everyday driving."
Purolator manufactures and supplies high quality automotive filters to the North American aftermarket. Inventor of the automotive oil filter in 1923, Purolator has, since then, pioneered more than 40 ‘firsts’ in the filtration industry. In fact, the first automotive oil filter was called a ‘Purolator,’ short for ‘pure oil later.’ Currently, the Purolator brand has more than 2,000 part numbers for automotive, light truck and heavy-duty applications. Now part of the Bosch umbrella of automotive aftermarket products within NAFTA, Purolator’s advanced aftermarket filters include:
- PureONE and Purolator oil filters
- PureONE and Purolator air filters
- BreatheEASY cabin air filters
- The ‘forgotten filters,’ including transmission filters, fuel filters, breathers and PCV valves.
To learn more about Purolator filters and the filtration category, visit www.purolatorautofilters.net.
