Thursday, Feb. 1, 2001 | 11:23 a.m.
SUN STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
WASHINGTON -- The Federal Trade Commission sued Speedway Motorsports Inc.'s Oil-Chem unit to halt what the agency called false and misleading advertising for auto additives.
Oil-Chem has run infomercials since May 1999 about its zMax additives, a $39 package of three products to be used in engines, fuel lines and transmissions, the FTC said. The ads say the products lower fuel consumption, reduce blow-by leakage and slow wear on valve stems.
The FTC said the enhanced performance claims are false and that the additives actually are tinted mineral oil. The agency filed the lawsuit Wednesday in federal court in Greensboro, N.C.
Oil-Chem is a wholly owned subsidiary of Speedway Motorsports, based in Concord, N.C., owner of several speedways including the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Speedway today denied the government's claims. "Speedway Motorsports stands behind the zMax product 100 percent," the company said.
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