ExxonMobil Lubricants and Specialties announced recently that it is broadening its support for the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing, with an agreement that makes Mobil the circuits official lubricant. Mobil is already a sponsor of the Penske Racing South team, an arrangement it has maintained for the past 12 years. In its new role as the circuits lubricants sponsor, Mobil replaces 76 Lubricants, which was involved in the recent merger of Conoco Inc. and Phillips Petroleum Co. Philli...

Kmarts blue-light specials may be popular with shoppers, but a recent sale apparently did not sit well with one of its motor oil suppliers. Shell Oil Products stopped shipping Pennzoil and Quaker State products to the Troy, Michigan-based retailer last month. Shell spokesman Carole Lieber said the decision was in line with Kmarts current marketing and positioning strategies for these brands. Lieber declined to elaborate, but the Detroit Free Press reported in a Nov. 9 article that the decision f...

Conglomerate SK Corp. has announced plans to build a second Group III base oil plant at its oil refinery in Ulsan, South Korea. The $100 million facility, designed to have capacity of 6,000 barrels per day, is scheduled to open during the second half of 2004. East Asia is renowned for having a glut of base oil capacity and little demand for premium products. But the companys existing Group III supply is selling well in foreign markets, and SK expects demand to grow further by 2005, according to ...