Can’t you just smell the burgers and bratwurst cooking on portable grills throughout the Phoenix International Raceway campground?
There is no danger of those grills running short on propane when NASCAR visits PIR this week for the semifinal race of The Chase for the Sprint Cup.
U-Haul, the Official Trailer and Propane at Phoenix International Raceway, will be dispensing propane from a 1,000-gallon tank in its activation area (next to Safeway grocery) at a discounted rate of $1.99 per gallon from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. every day from Nov. 9-16.
Two golf carts will be circling through the campground with U-Haul Team Members offering to take fans’ cylinders and return them to their trailers filled with propane. Customers can even call (888) 867-2800 to alert a U-Haul Team Member of their location for a propane fill-up.
“It’s all about trying to create awareness,” U-Haul propane program manager John Barnett said. “A lot of customers do know us for selling propane, but some do not. We are the industry leader when it comes to selling propane. We are the largest retail company for propane in the U.S., and we are the fifth largest propane company in the U.S. – the (top four) are all propane suppliers.”
U-Haul also will be promoting safe trailering and propane use at its display on the Fan Midway and through the campground.
U-Haul Company’s 1,000-gallon propane tank is located just north of the Safeway grocery on the Fan Midway at PIR.
U-Haul got into the propane business in 1984 to complement its venture into RV sales. Though U-Haul later retreated from the RV arm of its business to focus on its core services, it continued dispensing propane since customers had come to rely on it as a staple at U-Haul stores. By 1987, U-Haul had claimed the title of the largest U.S. retailer of propane.
Reminding fans of U-Haul Company’s propane service is only part of the race-week initiative. Barnett will have 16 customer service representatives on hand at some point during the week, each equipped to teach the safety measures associated with propane.
“The two major things are how to transport a cylinder home and how to check for leaks,” Barnett said. “It’s important to transport a cylinder upright and not in the backseat of vehicle. If you transfer a cylinder on its side, the pressure relief valve can freeze. Liquid propane is minus-44 degrees at its boiling point. And never leave a propane tank locked in your vehicle. The pressure relief valve can heat up causing propane vapor to release into your car.
“Because of the hazards of propane, you don’t want to go far away from your house to get a cylinder filled and you don’t want to take a tank to work and then get it filled on the way home.”
View of a double rainbow over Phoenix Raceway from the U-Haul safe trailering and propane site.
Barnett noted that customers should check for leaks in their propane hoses every time they get their cylinders refilled and hook them up to their barbecues.
“We’ll be telling customers to use this special soap and show them how the soap foams if there is a leak,” he said.
U-Haul will be distributing propane safety brochures and will have a limited number of coloring books to hand out to our younger patrons. Be sure to visit us at the racetrack all week long – and have your steaks ready to sizzle!
Click here to read more about U-Haul Company’s partnership with Phoenix Raceway.
