STP is an American brand of
automotive aftermarket products, especially
lubricant
A lubricant (sometimes shortened to lube) is a substance that helps to reduce friction between surfaces in mutual contact, which ultimately reduces the heat generated when the surfaces move. It may also have the function of transmitting forces, t ...
s such as
motor oil and motor
oil additives. The name began as an abbreviation of ''Scientifically Treated Petroleum''. The brand has been owned by
Energizer Holdings
Energizer Holdings, Inc. is an American manufacturer and one of the world's largest manufacturers of batteries, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. It produces batteries under the Energizer, Ray-O-Vac, Varta, and Eveready brand names, and for ...
since November 2018.
History
Chemical Compounds was founded in 1953 by three businessmen, Charles Dwight (Doc) Liggett, Jim Hill and Robert De Hart, with $3,000 in start-up capital in
Saint Joseph
Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers of ...
,
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
. Their sole product was STP Oil Treatment; the name was derived from “Scientifically Treated Petroleum”.
In 1961, the company was acquired by the
Studebaker-Packard Corporation.
Studebaker briefly tied STP into its advertising as an abbreviation for “Studebaker Tested Products”. However, Studebaker-Packard CEO
Sherwood Egbert
Sherwood Harry Egbert (July 24, 1920 – 1969)''Seattle Daily Times'', July 31, 1969, Page 38. was an American businessman and marine. He served as president of the Studebaker-Packard Corporation and Studebaker Corporation from February 1, 1961'' ...
felt that STP could one day outpace its parent company and recruited
Andy Granatelli
Anthony "Andy" Granatelli (March 18, 1923 – December 29, 2013) was an American businessman, most prominent as the CEO of STP as well as a major figure in automobile racing events.
Granatelli was born in Dallas, Texas. Along with his brot ...
as the
CEO of STP to help raise the product’s image. At the same time, Granatelli became the public face of STP, often wearing a white suit emblazoned with the red oval STP logo to races, distributing thousands of all-weather STP stickers. Granatelli ran two
Novi specials at the
1964 Indianapolis 500.
Jim Hurtubise
James Hurtubise (December 5, 1932 – January 6, 1989) was an American race car driver who raced in USAC Champ Cars (including the Indianapolis 500), as well as sprint cars and stock cars (USAC and NASCAR). He was from the Buffalo suburb of No ...
and
Bobby Unser
Robert William Unser (February 20, 1934 – May 2, 2021) was an American automobile racer. At his induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1994, he had the fourth most IndyCar Series wins at 35 (behind his brother Al, A. J. F ...
were the drivers. There was a film made of the race centering on the Novis.
When
Studebaker
Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana, with a building at 1600 Broadway, Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers M ...
abandoned auto manufacturing in 1966 to become
Studebaker-Worthington
Studebaker-Worthington was a diversified American manufacturer created in 1967 through a merger of Studebaker-Packard Corporation, Wagner Electric and Worthington Corporation. The company was in turn acquired by McGraw-Edison in 1979.
Origins
F ...
, STP sales continued to climb to the point where it was spun off into a publicly traded company in 1969. In 1976, it was acquired by
Esmark Esmark is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Birgitte Esmark (1841–1897), Norwegian malacologist
*Jens Esmark (1763–1839), Danish-Norwegian mineralogist, study of glaciers
* Lars Mathias Hille Esmark (1908–1998), Norwegian ...
which itself was purchased by
Beatrice Foods
Beatrice Foods Company was a major American food processing company founded in 1894. In 1987, its international food operations were sold to Reginald Lewis, a corporate attorney, creating TLC Beatrice International, after which the majority of ...
in 1984. Beatrice sold STP to
Union Carbide
Union Carbide Corporation is an American chemical corporation wholly owned subsidiary (since February 6, 2001) by Dow Chemical Company. Union Carbide produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers befo ...
the next year. In 1986, Union Carbide's auto products, which included Prestone and
Simoniz
Simoniz USA, Inc. (Pronounced "Simon eyes") is an American manufacturer of automobile and janitorial cleaning products. The original Simoniz Company was founded in 1910, making it the oldest car care brand in the United States.
History
Founded i ...
, were subject to a leveraged buyout. The resulting company, First Brands, was purchased by
Clorox
The Clorox Company (formerly Clorox Chemical Company) is an American global manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products. As of 2020 the Oakland, California based company had approximately 8,800 employees worldwide. Net sales ...
in 1998.
In the fall of 2006, STP fuel additives began being used in
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
gasolines, likely to compete with
Chevron
Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to:
Science and technology
* Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines
* Chevron (anatomy), a bone
* '' Eulithis testata'', a moth
* Chevron (geology), a fold in rock ...
's
Techron
Techron is a patented fuel additive developed by Chevron Corporation and sold in its fuel operations (including Texaco and Caltex). It contains a polyether amine-based detergent, which is purported to dissolve deposits in automotive engines and pr ...
additive.
In 2010, Clorox sold
Armor All
Armor All is an American brand of car care products that is manufactured by American company Armored AutoGroup of Danbury, Connecticut, United States. The company markets the product line of sprays, gels, liquids, and wipes to clean, shine, and ...
and STP to
Avista Capital Partners
Avista Capital Partners is an American private equity firm headquartered in New York City focused on growth capital and leveraged buyout investments in middle-market companies in the domestic healthcare sector.
History
The firm was founded in 2 ...
. It named the business Armored AutoGroup. In April 2015, the Armored AutoGroup was acquired by
Spectrum Brands
Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. is an American diversified company. Headquartered in Middleton, Wisconsin, it was established in 2005 as the successor company to Rayovac Corporation. It is one of the Fortune 500 companies, and among the largest of ...
.
Energizer
Energizer Holdings, Inc. is an American manufacturer and one of the world's largest manufacturers of batteries, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. It produces batteries under the Energizer, Ray-O-Vac, Varta, and Eveready brand names, and for ...
bought the Spectrum's auto care brands (including
Armor All
Armor All is an American brand of car care products that is manufactured by American company Armored AutoGroup of Danbury, Connecticut, United States. The company markets the product line of sprays, gels, liquids, and wipes to clean, shine, and ...
, A/C Pro and STP) for $1.25 billion in cash and stock.
Legal issues
In 1976, STP faced a consumer protection order that required it to have scientific backing for certain statements and prohibited making false claims. In 1978, it paid a $500,000 civil penalty over claims. In 1995, STP paid $888,000 to settle
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...
charges of false advertising.
Oil treatment
STP Oil Treatment contains
zinc dithiophosphate
Zinc dialkyldithiophosphates (often referred to as ZDDP) are a family of coordination compounds developed in the 1940s that feature zinc bound to the anion of a dialkyldithiophosphoric salt (e.g., ammonium diethyl dithiophosphate). These uncharge ...
as an anti-wear additive.
Involvement in motor racing and sponsorships
![Bobby Hamilton 1997](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Bobby_Hamilton_1997.jpg)
In 1970, STP CEO
Andy Granatelli
Anthony "Andy" Granatelli (March 18, 1923 – December 29, 2013) was an American businessman, most prominent as the CEO of STP as well as a major figure in automobile racing events.
Granatelli was born in Dallas, Texas. Along with his brot ...
founded the STP Formula One Team.
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an Italian-born American former racing driver. One of the most successful drivers in the history of motorsports, Andretti is one of only two drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, t ...
was hired to drive. The team competed in a total of five races running a
March Engineering
March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better success in other categories ...
chassis, their best result being a third place at the
1970 Spanish Grand Prix. In 1972 Granatelli agreed to sponsor
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
champion
Richard Petty
Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "The King", is an American former stock car racing driver who raced from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notabl ...
, but their deal almost fell apart before their first race. Granatelli insisted the car be STP day-glo red. Petty held out for his iconic Petty blue, and neither would budge. The resulting two-tone red and blue scheme became more famous than either color alone.
STP sponsored Petty through the end of his driving career in 1992, then
Bobby Hamilton
Charles Robert Hamilton Sr. (May 29, 1957 – January 7, 2007) was an American stock car racing driver. A driver and owner in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series circuit and the winner of the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship, Hamil ...
, and
John Andretti
John Andrew Andretti (March 12, 1963January 30, 2020) was an American race car driver. He won individual races in CART, IMSA GTP, Rolex Sports Car Series, and NASCAR during his career. He was the son of Aldo Andretti, older brother of racer Ada ...
in
Petty Enterprises' famous #43. That partnership ended shortly after its acquisition by
Clorox
The Clorox Company (formerly Clorox Chemical Company) is an American global manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products. As of 2020 the Oakland, California based company had approximately 8,800 employees worldwide. Net sales ...
. STP and the Petty family hold the second-longest relationship in automobile racing history (1972–2000) (
Kenny Bernstein
Kenneth Dale Bernstein (born September 6, 1944) is an American drag racer and former NASCAR and IndyCar team owner. He is nicknamed the "Bud King" for his success in the Budweiser King funny car and dragster. He has also been nicknamed the ...
and his son Brandon were sponsored by
Budweiser
Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, part of AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States.
''Budweiser'' may also refer to an unrela ...
for two years longer (1979–2009)).
In August 2012, STP announced that it would be the title sponsor of the
World of Outlaws
The World of Outlaws (often abbreviated WoO) is an American motorsports sanctioning body. The body sanctions two major national touring series. It is best known for sanctioning the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late ...
Sprint Car Series in 2013.
On February 21, 2013, STP announced a return to NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971 ...
sponsorship in a multi-year deal for the
STP Gas Booster 500 starting April 7, 2013 at
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing short track in Ridgeway, Virginia, just south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in s ...
along with a return as primary sponsor of the
Richard Petty Motorsports
Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) was an American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded as a result of the merger between Gillett Evernham Motorsports (GEM) and Petty Enterprises, with ...
No. 43 for the
2013 STP Gas Booster 500.
STP also sponsored the
Xfinity Series
The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
race
STP 300
The Owens Corning AttiCat 300 was a NASCAR Xfinity Series standalone race held in the summer at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. It replaced the race at Gateway International Raceway as a part of the 2011 changes to the series schedule ...
from 2011 to 2013 at
Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and actively hosted NASCAR racing including the NASCAR Cup Series until 2019. Until 2010, the speedway has also hosted the IndyC ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stp (Motor Oil Company)
Oil companies of the United States
Automotive companies of the United States
Chemical companies of the United States
Companies based in Missouri
Energizer Holdings
American companies established in 1953
Energy companies established in 1953
Non-renewable resource companies established in 1953
Motor oils
Richard Petty
St. Joseph, Missouri