The most advanced piece of technology in a Nascar vehicle these days isn’t its engine, its suspension or anything made of carbon fiber. It’s the motor oil.

Joe Gibbs Racing, a team that owns three top-level Sprint Cup cars, has spent about $1 million a year over the past decade to perfect its motor oil. As a result, its engines have squeezed out an extra 10 horsepower, a roughly 2% increase that can be a serious advantage in Nascar races, where the typical margin of victory is about one second.

WSJ