Valvoline a healthy partner for several NASCAR teams

If you put together a list of iconic sponsors in NASCAR history, Valvoline has to be on that list. After all, Valvoline was involved in the very first auto race in the United States, in 1895, and has remained a part of the motorsports landscape through the Great Depression, two world wars and all the years since.

It's still involved, and according to Valvoline director of brand management John Stotz, it'll be that way for a long, long time.

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"Since America's first race in 1895, we were in that winning car, and since then, we've continued to progress," Stotz said.. "It's one of the ways we have fun with engines, getting better, developing new technology, and also developing a relationship with the fans."

Valvoline users are, as Stotz says, "car guys," who like to tune their own engines and pay attention to what their favorite racers use to lubricate their high-performance racing engines. That includes the teams of NASCAR.

"We call it the white lab-coat effect," Stotz said. "We're not the official series sponsor, but if you look at the majority of NASCAR teams, you're going to find that more of them use Valvoline than any other motor oil. That brings a relevance and authenticity that some of our other competitors don't have. Our competitors have a different system, it's not bad ... just different."

Valvoline has been different, as well, in the recent past, actually taking the step to become a team owner in NASCAR. That program ended with the 2007 season, for a number of reasons.

"We love to help a lot of teams win, and we've been involved with a lot of teams over time," Stotz said. "What we found as a team owner, helping other teams win became a bit of a problem. This opportunity to make the transition [from team ownership] really helps us do what we do best, which is helping teams perform.

"We were a little concerned about the conflict of interest," he continued. "We were trying to help our team win and we're technical partners with so many ... this has really given us the opportunity to focus on what we do best, which is helping teams win."

Existing partnerships with Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing, Bill Davis Racing, Petty Enterprises and more have allowed Valvoline to step back into its traditional role as a technical partner, and when Canadian businessman George Gillett Jr. stepped in with Evernham, it was a logical shift point.

"We have partnerships with Gillett Evernham, Roush Fenway, Bill Davis, Petty and others, and we are doing what we want to do, which is help them win races," Stotz said. "When George Gillett came in and got involved with Evernham, it was a really good opportunity for us to re-evaluate our position and get back to what the employees and technicians at Valvoline really love to do, which is help a whole lot of teams."

Stotz said that the company "loves to spend time under the hood with crew chiefs and engine builders and technicians," which is what a technical partner does.

While the B2B opportunities in NASCAR are tremendous, Valvoline places more emphasis on using the track as a test bed for its products, Stotz said.

"The B2B opportunities are there and are important to us, but when it comes to racing, it's about the car on the track, and the car being our laboratory," Stotz said. "The vast number of teams we are working with, some are concerned about horsepower, some are concerned about heat, and we use that as an opportunity to help teams get to where they want to be. A lot of that technology filters its way from the racetrack into the products that you and I use every day."

That simple philosophy, Stotz said, aims directly at the "car guy" customer that Valvoline has always cultivated.

"It helps car guys, the guys that love to keep their engines running their best, makes them feel good that they have something in common with NASCAR or NHRA racers. That's what's under their hoods, too."

That doesn't mean that Valvoline doesn't spend time and money taking its products to the masses via an interactive Web site (www.valvoline.com) and a strong presence in the midway at most tracks.

"We're a big believer that at the end of the day, it's about people and relationships," Stotz said. "We want to bring race fans closer to driving. NASCAR's research and ours says that race fans want to be more involved. Mobile marketing is one way we do that, and we do a lot of things on our Web site that helps accomplish those goals."

Valvoline, a business of Ashland Inc., has been serving American motorists longer than any other motor oil marketer and is a leading innovator and supplier of quality, high-performing automotive and industrial products in more than 100 countries. Best known for its lubricants, Valvoline also markets Eagle One appearance products, Car Brite car restoration products, Zerex antifreeze, SynPower performance products, Pyroil automotive chemicals and MaxLife products created for higher-mileage engines. Valvoline also has a stake in the quick-lube market with its Valvoline Instant Oil Change unit.