High Horsepower Racing Oil

AMSOIL Gives Sprint Car a Winning Edge

Motor oil keeps this race car going fast The deafening roar of engines and the smell of methanol ﬁll the air as fans scream for their favorite drivers during a quarter-mile flat out sprint to the ﬁnish line.

That’s what makes sprint car racing one of the most exciting sports out there.

JR Ray, of JR Ray Sprint Car Racing, has been running full-bore since 1975 racing one-quarter midgets on race tracks in the Paciﬁc Northwest.

These cars are equipped with Chevy V-8 short block, 800-horsepower engines, revving at 6,000 rpms, flying around the track at speeds in excess of 150mph. They’re open-wheeled cars that battle every inch of the way around the track – sliding sideways around the turns, weaving in and out on the straight-aways, searching for the fastest spot on the track. Sometimes, the lead changes two or three times in a single lap.

These are the conditions that put engine oils and lubes to the test and, according to Ray, AMSOIL synthetic motor oils are up to the task.

Since meeting AMSOIL Dealer Reginald Chavis of Bellevue, Washington a couple of years ago, Ray has seen the results he and team owner Chuck Sherwood sought for the midget.

“With the will and determination to be the best, you have to use the best,” Ray said.

In the past, oil was changed after every race using conventional motor oil. Now, the AMSOIL 10W-40 High Performance Motor Oil gets changed after every fourth race. And that’s only because the methanol – a high octane fuel similar to jet fuel – mixes with the oil in this type of engine and could potentially dilute the oil too much. However, oil analysis after four races shows the AMSOIL synthetic is still good for continued use.

AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oil resists oil breakdown better than any other oil Ray has ever seen. That alone has Ray sold on AMSOIL products.

Ray also uses AMSOIL Series 2000 Racing Grease on the suspension and AMSOIL Series 2000 75W-90 Gear Lube in the differentials. In last year’s race season, Ray brought victory home seven times. “The engine never even worked up a sweat,” said Ray.

Crew Chief Brad Jensen, who was accustomed to routinely working on the car, now ﬁnds time on his hands.

“I don’t know what to do with myself,” Jensen said. “The car is performing remarkably. I have nothing to ﬁx.”

More than his years as a race car driver make it clear Ray is no rookie. He boasts more than 100 career wins, including the Furondy Grand Prix in Anchorage, Alaska; five Columbia River Sprint Car Association (CRSCA) wins; and seven wins in the Washington Econo Sprint Car Association (WESCA). He also has set four track records and taken third place in the WestCoast nationals.

Chavis sponsors the race team with product for the racing season. He has a booth at the race track and has found the events to be a big help to growing his AMSOIL Dealership. “At the Western Washington Fair I signed up eight Dealers in one day,” Chavis said.

The exposure he is able to get for AMSOIL at every event has helped increase his proﬁtability through bringing in new Dealers and Preferred Customers, as well as giving him a unique opportunity to spread the news of the quality and performance of AMSOI Lproducts.

“AMSOIL has really been an improvement by keeping expenses down and protection up,” Ray said. “You just can’t ask for a better product.”