$10,000 SCHOLARSHIP DRIVES AUTO TECH PROGRAM HONORING CASTROL SYNTEC DRIVER ERIC MEDLEN

WAYNE, N.J. – Castrol SYNTEC announced today added value and a new name for the popular Outperformers program it created to recognize and encourage young people interested in pursuing careers in the automotive industry.

In 2008, the Eric Medlen Outperformers Scholarship Program powered by Castrol SYNTEC will award not one, but three separate scholarships to aspiring auto techs, increasing the value of the Grand Prize scholarship to $10,000 and adding first and second prizes scholarships valued at $5,000 and $2,500, respectively.

The program invites young men and women between the ages of 16 and 25 who have demonstrated an interest in auto mechanics to respond, in 500 words or less, to the question “why should you win a 2008 Eric Medlen Outperformers scholarship powered by Castrol SYNTEC?”

Medlen was one of the rising stars of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series before losing his life in a 2007 testing accident at Gainesville, Fla.  In three seasons at the wheel of the Castrol SYNTEC Ford Mustang, he won six POWERade tour events and never finished outside the Top 5 in the Funny Car driver standings.

“Eric epitomized the Outperformers program,” said Matt McHale, Associate Brand Manager for Castrol SYNTEC, “and we believe this is a wonderful way to preserve his memory for generations of auto techs to come.”

Not everyone knows that Eric was an auto tech before he became a driving champion.  He grew up around his dad’s machine shop in Oakdale, California, and studied automotive engineering at Terra Technical Institute in Ohio before he began his career as a mechanic at John Force Racing.

“After working for eight seasons as a crewman on John’s championship-winning Castrol GTX Funny Cars, he was offered the chance of a lifetime to drive the Castrol SYNTEX Ford Mustang with his dad, John Medlen, as his crew chief.  He was a wonderful representative for the Castrol SYNTEC brand and we are honored to be able to enhance the Outperformers program in his name.”

BP Lubricants USA, Inc. will begin accepting entries for the 2008 contest on Oct. 1, 2007.  Respondents can enter on-line by accessing the contest link at www.syntecoutperformers.com.

The Grand Prize winner, announced after July 1, 2008, will receive the aforementioned $10,000 scholarship to attend an automotive education program, technical institute or other school approved by BP Lubricants USA.  He or she also will receive a five-day, four-night trip for two to attend the Auto Club Finals, an 11-drawer Mac Tools toolbox valued at $3,500, a year’s supply of Castrol SYNTEC motor oil and a one-year subscription to an automotive magazine published by PRIMEDIA, Inc.

The overall winner also will visit the John Force Racing, Inc., shop facility in Yorba Linda, Calif., and have dinner with John Force, the 14-time NHRA Funny Car Champion and driver of the Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang; Ashley Force, the champion’s 24-year-old driver, who drives the Castrol GTX Mustang; and Robert Hight, driver of the Team Castrol/Auto Club Ford.

First prize winner will receive the $5,000 scholarship, a 5-drawer Mac Tools top box with tools, a one year supply of Castrol SYNTEC and a PRIMEDIA subscription.  Second prize winner will get the $2,500 scholarship, a $700 Mac Tools package, a year’s supply of SYNTEC and a one-year subscription to a PRIMEDIA automotive magazine.  Seven singled out for Honorable Mention will receive the oil and the 12-month PRIMEDIA subscription.

The Castrol SYNTEC Outperformers initiative grew out of research that showed a disturbing downward trend in the number of individuals opting for careers in the automotive field.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has indicated that there are currently is a shortage of approximately 60,000 auto technicians nationwide, a number that is projected to increase by 15 percent over the next 10 years.

BP Lubricants USA Inc. will accept entries for the 2008 Eric Medlen Outperformers program powered by Castrol SYNTEC through April 2008.  So, if you’re between the ages of 16 and 25, Castrol invites you to “Unlock Your Power”
by submitting your entry at www.syntecoutperformers.com.   A complete set of program rules also is available at the site.

BP Lubricants USA Inc. markets premium lubricants and business-building programs directly to independent lube operators, service providers, new car dealers and leading retailers.  Our leadership brands include Castrol GTX – a premium conventional motor oil; Castrol GTX High-Mileage – designed for vehicles with over 75,000 miles; Castrol SYNTEC BLEND – with an added level of synthetic protection; Castrol SYNTEC – a  full-synthetic, super-premium motor oil; as well as our range of commercial transport lubricants.  To find out more about Castrol products and programs, please call 1-888-CASTROL or log on to www.castrol.com/us.