NASCAR's Jeremy Mayfield Honors Another Professional Driver
6 July 1998
NASCAR's Jeremy Mayfield Honors Another Professional Driver
FAIRFAX, Va.--(AutomotiveWire)--July 6, 1998--The Two Professional Drivers Deliver for Mobil On the NASCAR
Track and on the Highway
NASCAR's 1998 title contender Jeremy Mayfield who drives the Penske-Kranefuss No. 12 Mobil 1 Ford Taurus recently paid tribute to another professional driver who has set his own driving records.
Mayfield hosted Danny Miller, a professional driver for Mobil Corp. -- the primary sponsor on Mayfield's #12 car, who recently passed two-and-a-quarter million miles of safe driving. The two professional drivers met at the Penske-Kranefuss Racing complex in Mooresville, N.C., where they traded stories about the differences and similarities of their professions.
Mobil arranged the meeting to celebrate Miller's two-and-a-quarter million mile accomplishment and to pay tribute to the professionalism of its entire transportation fleet. Mobil drivers around the world routinely deliver the energy that keeps modern society moving.
The company's corps of professional drivers and mechanics place public safety and environmental protection at the top of their duties.
"Both Danny Miller and Jeremy Mayfield have demonstrated a high level of professional skill under the challenges of very different yet equally demanding driving situations," said Brian Baker, Mobil's chief operating officer, North America Marketing and Refining.
"Danny has safely and professionally delivered millions of gallons of Mobil gasoline to our stations, while Jeremy is delivering an exciting Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil message to millions of people. We're proud to have dedicated professionals like Danny and Jeremy in the Mobil family."
At first glance, the only similarities between the two drivers is Mobil's Flying Red Horse symbol that is displayed on Mayfield's No. 12 Mobil 1 Ford Taurus and Miller's 57-foot aluminum gasoline tanker.
But they quickly began talking about the amount of concentration their jobs require whether racing around a super speedway at 175 miles per hour or negotiating stop-and-go rush hour traffic around the Washington D.C. Beltway.
They also inspected each other's vehicles -- Danny's 9,000 gallon tanker truck, a high performance truck engineered to deliver gasoline safely over congested public highways, and Mayfield's No. 12 Ford Taurus, engineered for speed and maneuverability.
Miller, a class A HNT driver from Bealeton, Virginia, has worked out of Mobil's Manassas, Va., distribution complex since 1986, delivering gasoline and diesel fuel throughout Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. With over 2,225,000 miles on the road, he could have driven to the moon nine times or around the world almost 89 times.
He has been driving professionally for 25 years, averaging over 86,000 miles a year and has never had an accident. His Mobil delivery route regularly includes some of the nation's most congested highways including Interstate 95 between Springfield, Va., and Greenbelt, Md.
Safe driving is Miller's number one priority. "I've learned that a professional driver must lead by example, even if it means backing off and being delayed in order to make a safe delivery," said Miller, who serves as a driver trainer for Mobil and is a member of the Mobil Safety Team.
"Aggressive driving is on the increase, along with an increase in distracting activities some drivers engage in, such as eating, talking on a cellular phone or even reading in heavy traffic."
Courtesy also comes in high on Miller's priority list. "Mobil emphasizes the importance of courtesy in creating and maintaining good relationships with our customers and partners," said Miller.
"Whether it's on the road where drivers see my Mobil truck or at customer locations delivering gasoline, it pays to show consideration and politeness to those around you. I'm usually taking a very large truck into the crowded areas of gasoline stations, where customers are in a hurry. There's a skill to making those deliveries without inconveniencing customers."
Despite many hours and miles behind a wheel, Miller enjoys spending some of his personal time around cars and trucks. He is completing the restoration of a 1931 Model A Ford and is re- proportioning a cut down Peterbuilt into a pick-up size truck.
During snowstorms he jumps into his truck and clears snow from his neighbors' driveways, a good Samaritan gesture that community members appreciate.
Miller calls the meeting with Jeremy Mayfield a career high point. "I've been a fan of Jeremy's since he started NASCAR racing, and was thrilled when he became the Mobil 1 driver this year. I'm proud to drive on the same Mobil team with Jeremy."
Of course, their vehicles are a little different in size, but they are both professionally maintained, high performance vehicles. "Just like Danny, I owe all of my success to the great crew that keeps my vehicle in peak condition week after week," noted Mayfield.
"At the speeds I drive on the track and with the size and nature of Danny's load, neither one of us can afford anything but absolutely perfect brakes, proper tires and dependable engines, to help us prevent accidents."
That's one reason Jeremy uses his sponsor's products -- Mobil 1 fully synthetic motor oil -- both in his private vehicles and in his No. 12 Mobil 1 Ford Taurus. "I could never circle a track at 180 miles per hour if I didn't trust my equipment," said Mayfield. "Mobil 1 has been a key factor in my success and it is great to be able to use this technology in my everyday vehicle."
Likewise, Miller's high-mileage truce uses a technically advanced, fully synthetic motor oil -- Mobil Delvac 1, which delivers the same protection as Mobil 1 does in Mayfield's No. 12 Ford Taurus.
"Dependability is a key in our business," says Miller. "Mobil's customers depend on me to deliver gasoline. If my truck is down, we're in trouble. That's why we're committed to using our own quality products like Delvac 1 and Mobil 1 in our company trucks."
As a racing teammate with Rusty Wallace and the Penske Racing team, Mayfield, an early points leader through the beginning of the 1998 season, boasts a first place finish at the Pocono 500, a 2nd place finish at the California 500, and an impressive third place finish at the Daytona 500.
As a NASCAR newcomer, Mayfield quickly earned the respect of his peers and qualified for the 20th and final position at The Winston at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.
Mobil 1 Fully Synthetic Motor Oils -- Mayfield's primary sponsor and motor oil of choice, differ from conventional motor oils in that their base fluid molecules -- or basic building blocks -- are purposely "engineered" to be of ideal size. Being designed, or built from basic chemical components, synthetic lubricants are more stable and free-flowing in hot and cold extremes.
Conventional mineral oil contains undesirable properties, such as waxes, that do not exist in Mobil 1 Fully Synthetic Motor Oil.
Photos are available on BW PhotoWire/AP PhotoExpress, PressLink and Mobil's web site.
Mobil and Mobil Products
Extensive information about Mobil 1 Fully Synthetic Oil, Mobil 1 Racing and Mobil automotive lubricants and gasoline products can be found on the Mobil Internet site at http://www.mobil.com. Mobil is a leading oil, natural gas and petrochemical company with operations in more than 140 countries.
In the U.S. the company markets gasoline in 28 states and the District of Columbia through more than 7,700 branded retail outlets. Mobil and its predecessor companies have manufactured and marketed high quality lubricants for industrial and automotive applications for more than 130 years.