Recycled oil increases in popularity at racetracks

Nov. 23, 2012
To meet their sustainability goals, more than 70 racetracks across North America, from Daytona to Indianapolis, have chosen EcoPower to help protect their track vehicles.

When racing facilities decide to make environmental sustainability a top priority, they are increasingly looking to one product almost never associated with protecting the planet: their motor oil. To meet their sustainability goals, more than 70 racetracks across North America, from Daytona to Indianapolis, have chosen EcoPower to help protect their track vehicles.

"The Raceway in Sonoma embraces sustainability as more than just social responsibility, but also as a core business driver to our Accelerating Sustainable Performance program," said Steve Page, president and general manager of the Sonoma Raceway. "The use of EcoPower in our track vehicles is a perfect example of our shared belief that you don't have to sacrifice performance in the name of sustainability."

EcoPower is re-refined engine oil from Safety-Kleen, the largest collector and re-refiner of used oil in North America. The oil is recycled and refined from reclaimed motor oil using a process that consumes up to 85 percent less energy than refining motor oil from crude oil. Plus, re-refined oil reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 81%, according to the American Petroleum Institute.

In fact, Safety-Kleen collects and re-refines over 200,000 gallons of used motor oil each year from racetracks. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions by over 1,555 metric tons. And that's equivalent to growing 40,305 trees for 10 years in an urban environment, according to calculations provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"We are proud that so many racetracks have trusted EcoPower to protect engines and the environment," said Curt Knapp, chief marketing officer for Safety-Kleen. "Choosing EcoPower for their vehicle and equipment fleets means choosing a product that requires no new crude oil to be produced, since it's recycled and refined from reclaimed motor oil. That's a major step in reducing the track's carbon footprint."

"While the ease of reducing a track's carbon footprint by switching to EcoPower may be a surprise, the large number of racing facilities focusing on environmental sustainability is not," said Drew Patey, Safety-Kleen director of motorsports. "Racing facilities want to be green and EcoPower helps the tracks show the racing community that they doing their part to protect the environment."

To learn more about how Safety-Kleen is helping to green motorsports, visit http://safety-kleenmotorsports.com.

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