Valvoline

• 1. Introduction

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  Valvoline began not in a garage or a factory, but in a doctor's bag. In the early 1860s, Dr. John Ellis, a Massachusetts-born physician, traveled to Titusville, Pennsylvania, to investigate whether crude oil might have medical uses. What he found instead changed the direction of American industry. The crude oil he examined turned out to be a remarkable lubricant for machinery, and Ellis devoted himself to refining it. The questions that journey raises are still worth asking: how does a medical experiment become one of the most recognized names in motorsport? How does a company born in the petroleum fields of Pennsylvania end up sponsoring a Spanish football club and a Formula One team?

• 2. From Doctor to Refiner

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  Titusville, Pennsylvania, was the epicenter of America's nascent petroleum industry when Ellis arrived, and he threw himself into the work of improving the crude's lubricating qualities by building his own equipment. In 1866, he partnered with a relative of his wife who operated an oil refinery in Binghamton, New York. Together they founded the Continuous Oil Refining Company, producing petroleum lubricant for steam engines. Ellis called his lubricant Binghamton Cylinder Oil at first, but two years later settled on the simpler name Valvoline. By 1869, he had moved the company to Brooklyn and then, working alongside his son and son-in-law, relocated again to Shadyside, New Jersey under the name Ellis and Leonard. The brand's reputation grew quickly enough that it received commendations from Charles F. Chandler and others at the Paris Exhibition of 1878.

• 3. Racing Heritage

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  By the 1890s, Valvoline oil had become associated with winning race cars, giving the brand an early identity tied to performance. During the early twentieth century, it was the recommended motor oil for the Ford Model T, connecting it to the era's most transformative vehicle. In NASCAR, Valvoline entered with driver Cale Yarborough in 1981, working with M. C. Anderson Racing. Their sponsorship moved through Wood Brothers Racing, Curb Racing, and Dingman Brothers Racing over the following years. The 1988 season ended with a win in Australia with Neil Bonnett and RahMoc Enterprises, which was NASCAR's first event held outside of North America. The brand also sponsored Janet Guthrie, the first woman to compete in both the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500, and supported CART driver Al Unser Jr. from 1988 to 1993.

• 4. The Roush Years and Car Ownership

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  In 1992, Valvoline began a partnership with Roush Racing and driver Mark Martin that produced 27 wins together, a record that made it one of the winningest combinations in NASCAR history. After the year 2000, Valvoline executive James Rocco pursued something unprecedented: rather than just sponsoring a car, Valvoline would own one. They bought into the number 10 team that MB2 Motorsports had acquired from Tyler Jet Motorsports during the 2000 season, running it as MBV Motorsports with Johnny Benson as driver. Benson won once in three seasons before Scott Riggs took the seat. After the 2005 season, Valvoline moved its stake to Evernham Motorsports, bringing along its sponsorship, car number, and driver. Riggs finished 20th in the series points standings in 2006 before struggling in 2007, and the team brought in Canadian Patrick Carpentier that same year. By 2014, the oil brand had rejoined Hendrick Motorsports, where it currently sponsors Kyle Larson and William Byron.

• 5. Corporate Transformation

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  Ashland Inc. purchased the Freedom-Valvoline Company in 1949, beginning a long period of corporate parentage that would last for decades. By 2016, Valvoline accounted for about 37% of Ashland's annual revenue, a figure that reflected both how dependent the parent had become on its subsidiary and how valuable the brand had grown. Valvoline completed an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange on the 22nd of September 2016, and Ashland spun it off as a fully independent company on the 5th of May 2017. Then on the 1st of August 2022, Saudi Aramco announced the acquisition of Valvoline's lubricant unit for 2.65 billion US dollars. That sale set up a significant downstream partnership: beginning in the 2025-26 season, Valvoline will supply lubricants to the Mahindra Formula E Team, and from 2026, its role with the Aston Martin Formula One team will be upgraded to lubricant supply tied to that team's Honda engine partnership.

• 6. Beyond Oil Changes

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  Valvoline today is described as a retail automotive services company, and it holds roughly 10% market share as the second largest oil change service provider in the United States, operating over 1,650 locations under brands including Valvoline Instant Oil Change, Great Canadian Oil Change, and Valvoline Express Care. The company licenses its name for a range of oils, additives, and lubricants, and it holds official recommended status for all General Motors marquees including Chevrolet, Buick, and Cadillac, as well as all Honda Motor Company group brands for automobiles and Honda motorcycles. In Australia, Valvoline owns naming rights to Sydney Speedway and has sponsored the Australian Sprintcar Grand Prix, with ties to the 1994 Australian Manufacturers' Championship. Since June 2020, the brand has appeared on the sleeve of match kits for Spanish La Liga club Sevilla FC as a global partner, a relationship that extended the name far outside its traditional mechanical context.