Last year, Valvoline Global, the official motor oil partner of Hendrick Motorsports, renewed and expanded its alliance with the 14-time NASCAR Cup Series champions team through 2029. Their relationship, first forged in 1993 during Jeff Gordon’s rise to his inaugural championship in 1995 and rekindled in 2014, has now entered its second decade of collaboration.
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The expanded deal is ready to strengthen not only marketing and technical synergy but also drive engineering innovation and the creation of specialized solutions tailored to meet the unforgiving demands of competition in NASCAR.
While on one side, NASCAR gives the company enough exposure through championship and race wins, on the other side, as based in Lexington, Kentucky, Valvoline’s racing division employs 11 full-time engineers focused solely on performance.
HMS powertrain director Scott Maxim calls the exclusivity of this partnership a “secret weapon” for a team that already boasts a record 14 Cup Series titles.
NASCAR’s rules allow teams to choose their own oils and lubricants while standardizing Sunoco Green E15 98-octane fuel, a loophole that HMS and Valvoline have expertly leveraged to stay ahead of the curve.
Although some might call it cheating, given NASCAR’s tight regulations since the introduction of the Next Gen cars and the heightened parity that often makes passing nearly impossible on tracks for the drivers, Valvoline chief technical officer Roger England draws a clear line.
In his view, creatively interpreting the rules is part of winning, while using anything illegal crosses into cheating. He fully supports innovation within the rulebook but stands firmly against outright violations.
As part of its expanding presence, Valvoline continued as the primary sponsor for William Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in eight Cup Series races in 2024 and six annually from 2025 to 2029.
It will also retain its role as the primary sponsor for three races on Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet through 2029, while maintaining full-season associate sponsorship across HMS’s four-car fleet, which includes 2020 champion and No. 9 driver Chase Elliott as well as No. 48 driver Alex Bowman.
With five wins in 21 starts this season, HMS continues to deliver results, leaving partners like Valvoline Global with every reason to trust in their winning formula.
