Valvoline to honor Inman, crew chiefs at Darlington

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Valvoline will pay tribute to legendary crew chief Dale Inman, and all crew chiefs, with a special paint scheme on the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Dodge for Saturday night's race at Darlington Raceway.

The Valvoline Dodge, driven by Reed Sorenson, will feature the names of Valvoline crew chiefs from both NASCAR and NHRA, and a crew chief tribute logo on the hood. The decklid will feature Inman, who was a crew chief for eight Cup championships -- seven with Richard Petty and one with Terry Labonte.

"We love our drivers, but crew chiefs are the true celebrities for Valvoline," said Rob Clendening, Valvoline brand manager.

"This paint scheme is a small way to salute Dale Inman and crew chiefs everywhere," Clendening added. "Dale's stats are nothing short of amazing, but it's his passion, discipline and knowledge that essentially established the crew chief's modern role."

Inman, 72, who continues to be involved at Richard Petty Motorsports, said he was proud of the crew chief recognition on the famed No. 43 car.

"I am biased, but in my opinion crew chiefs are the backbone of a racing operation and I salute Valvoline for not only being a great technological partner but also for this special tribute," Inman said.

Valvoline captured 60 professional victories with its sponsored NASCAR and NHRA teams in 2008, and already has notched 13 wins in 2009 including Matt Kenseth's Daytona 500 victory.

Valvoline is used by about one-third of the Sprint Cup field. In addition to the Richard Petty Motorsports' No. 43, some of the other teams include the rest of the Richard Petty Motorsports stable, Roush Fenway Racing and Robby Gordon Motorsports.