Valvoline™ to partner with Hendrick Motorsports

Lexington, Ky. - Valvoline™, a leading marketer, distributor and producer of quality branded automotive and industrial products and services, will be reunited with Hendrick Motorsports after finalizing a multi-year sponsorship agreement that will kick off next season.

The Official Lubricants Partner of Hendrick Motorsports beginning in 2014, the Valvoline brand will be featured as a major associate sponsor of the team's full stable of Chevrolet SS race cars through the 2017 NASCAR campaign. The company will utilize Sprint Cup Series drivers Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. as spokespeople to promote Valvoline premium motor oil products and services.

In addition, Valvoline will be the preferred oil poured by Hendrick Motorsports' sister company, Hendrick Automotive Group, which operates 87 auto dealerships across the United States. The dealerships also will use Valvoline professional series, a line of fuel system preventive maintenance products that increase fuel economy and drivability, and Valvoline antifreeze. Both product lines contain patented technology that provides exceptional performance.

"The Valvoline team is thrilled to partner with Hendrick Motorsports and continue the long history of winning on the track for both organizations," said Sam Mitchell, president of Ashland Consumer Markets. "Both companies have a strong heritage and similar values with employees driven by hard work, commitment to innovation and passion for cars. This is going to be an exciting and great relationship."

Beginning in 2014, Hendrick Motorsports will use Valvoline products in its Chevrolet R-07 racing engines in the elite Sprint Cup Series. Valvoline was a partner of the team from 1993-95, supplying lubricant technology that contributed to the organization's first Cup championship with Gordon.

"When I was 14 years old, I won my first drag race with Valvoline in the car," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group. "It's an innovative American brand that has great racing heritage and a winning history with our organization. This is the company that basically invented motor oil, and we're excited about having them as a corporate sponsor and hands-on technology partner.

"Our dealerships are proud to offer a trusted product like Valvoline as our preferred oil. Hendrick Automotive Group stores serviced nearly 2 million vehicles last year, and we know our customers can rely on Valvoline's performance in the same way our racing engineers will."

ABOUT VALVOLINE:
Valvoline, a brand of Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH), has been serving American motorists longer than any other motor oil. In addition to commercial and industrial lubricants, the Valvoline family of products includes Eagle One™ appearance products, Car Brite™ car restoration products, Zerex™ antifreeze, SynPower™ performance products, MaxLife™ products created for higher-mileage engines and NextGen™ a re-refined motor oil that is better for the environment. With approximately 900 locations throughout the United States, Valvoline Instant Oil Change^SM service centers are a leader in serving the quick lube market. For more information, please visit valvoline.com.

ABOUT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS:
Founded by Rick Hendrick in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports has earned more than 200 race victories and a record 10 car owner championships in NASCAR's premier division, the Sprint Cup Series. The organization fields four full-time Chevrolet teams on the Sprint Cup circuit with drivers Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Headquartered in Concord, N.C., Hendrick Motorsports employs more than 500 people. For more information, please visit www.HendrickMotorsports.com or interact on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

ABOUT HENDRICK AUTOMOTIVE GROUP:
Encompassing 87 dealerships from the Carolinas to California, Hendrick Automotive Group is one of the largest automotive retail organizations in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., the company employs more than 9,000 people in its dealerships, collision centers and accessories distributor installers in 13 states. For more information, please visit www.HendrickAuto.com.

™Trademark, Ashland or its subsidiaries, registered in various countries
^SMService mark, Ashland or its subsidiaries, registered in various countries

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Kendra Overbeck, Ashland Consumer Markets
859-815-3056
koverbeck@ashland.com

Jesse Essex, Hendrick Motorsports
704-455-3400
jessex@hmsracing.com

Kendra Jacobs, Hendrick Automotive Group
704-567-3696
kendra.jacobs@hendrickauto.com