INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI ­– Using Performance Plus Motor Oil, a one-of-a-kind off-road driving duo will make their way out to the annual SEMA Show the old fashioned way today – by traversing the historic Oregon Trail. It won’t be quite like traveling the trail in a covered wagon, but Aaron Brown and Ed Goff’s 3,800 mile off-road journey over 20 days in their fully rebuilt 1970 Toyota FJ-40 Land Cruiser will be nonetheless arduous.

The two leave the Independence, Missouri, branch of Performance Plus parent company, Safety-Kleen, today bound for the SEMA Show in Las Vegas – the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world – beginning Oct. 31. 
Nearly 200 years ago, emigrants left the same town in search of a better life on the West Coast. Protected by Performance Plus Motor Oil in the engine of their Land Cruiser, nicknamed “The Trail Rat,” Brown and Goff will retrace the route. Now mostly dirt trails and abandoned roads, they’ll traverse the same mountain passes, river crossings and desolate deserts.

“Performance Plus holds up no matter the conditions or the terrain,” said Leigh Harrington, Safety-Kleen’s Vice President of Corporate Marketing and Motorsports. “As treacherous as the Oregon Trail was in the 1830s, it’ll be no match for our team.” 
Both experienced racers and fabricators, Brown and Goff will go it alone on the epic adventure. No backup or chase crew, all they’ll have are a set of tools, the supplies they’ll need to survive and each other.

Brown and Goff own shops that repair and restore race cars – The Garage Shop in North Carolina and Goff Metal Fab in Idaho, respectively. They’ll be on hand today at 3 p.m. CDT at Safety-Kleen Independence, Missouri, for a kickoff event to talk about their journey.

The duo will follow the Oregon Trail from Missouri up to Utah where they’ll take the Hastings cutoff – the infamous supposed shortcut that waylaid the Donner Party – on their way to the famous Bonneville Salt Flats. There, they’ll celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Brown breaking the stock car speed world record at 244.9 mph before heading on to the end of the trail in Oregon City and finally down to Las Vegas.

The Specialty Equipment Market Association’s (SEMA) annual trade event runs from Oct. 31 through Nov. 3 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The “Trail Rat” will be on display at the Performance Plus booth following its long trek. 
Interested readers can follow the journey on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by using the hashtag #ExpeditionSEMA. Starting Oct. 10, the team will be posting daily trip logs on the Garage Shop Facebook page.

About Performance Plus 
Performance Plus is the high quality brand of motor oils and lubricants that perform better even under the most extreme conditions. The brand uses conventionally refined oils and proprietary, twice-refined oils, blended with industry-leading additives, to meet or exceed all industry certifications, licenses, approvals and OEM warranty requirements. With more than 30 years of innovation, research and testing, the formulations outperform under the demanding conditions of U.S. military combat vehicles and racing engines from Daytona to Indianapolis and the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Contact:
Leigh Harrington 
Vice President, Marketing 
Performance Plus / Safety-Kleen 
972.265.2585
leigh.harrington@safety-kleen.com