Valvoline and Germain join in business and NASCAR racing

Valvoline and Germain join in business and NASCAR racingLEXINGTON, Ky. – Valvoline, one of the world’s leading brands of automotive lubricants, announced today that it has entered into a technical partnership with Germain Racing and Germain Motor Company, a top-25 automotive dealership network with headquarters in Columbus, Ohio.

Valvoline® motor oil will be the official motor oil of both entities as well as a team sponsor for Germain Racing's entries in NASCAR's three racing series -- Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck. Germain's team of NASCAR drivers includes Max Papis (Sprint Cup), Michael Annett (Nationwide) and Todd Bodine (Camping World Truck).

The agreement calls for Valvoline to be an associate sponsor at all races Germain Racing enters and a primary sponsor at two truck races and two Nationwide races. The truck races with Valvoline primary sponsorship will be Aug. 18 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and Nov. 5 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. The Nationwide primary-sponsored races will be Sept. 4 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Oct. 15 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The Valvoline/Germain Racing partnership will commence this weekend with Valvoline associate sponsorship on Bodine's No. 30 Tundra in Friday night's truck race at Texas Motor Speedway and on Papis' No. 13 Toyota Camry in Sunday's Sprint Cup event at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. Bodine is the points leader in the Camping World Truck Series with six top-five finishes in seven starts.

"Valvoline is very excited to be associated with Germain Racing and the Germain Motor Company," said John Scanlon, Valvoline's director of national accounts. "We have been impressed with Bob and Steve Germain's commitment to excellence and we are looking forward to a long relationship."

According to Automotive News, Germain Motor Company has grown to become a top-25 ranked automotive retail network. The company's dealerships are located in Ohio, Florida and Arkansas and cover 13 manufacturers, including four Toyota and three Lexus franchises.

"We are thrilled to represent Valvoline not only on the track but in all of the Germain dealerships," said Bob Germain Jr., president of Germain Racing and vice president of Germain Motor Company. "The quality of Valvoline products and the tremendous marketing support they offer will help us grow our automotive business on many levels. We also look forward to bringing Valvoline on board at Germain Racing. Their performance products and technical support will help us be even more competitive on the track, and we look forward to taking them to victory lane."

Germain Racing joins Roush Fenway Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports on Valvoline's NASCAR lineup. The Valvoline Racing team on the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) circuit is equally impressive with partners Don Schumacher Racing, Alan Johnson Racing, Tim Wilkerson Racing and Ron Krisher Racing.

The Germain Racing team of drivers, who showcase the iconic red and blue Valvoline V are as follows:
Germain Racing, NASCAR
Max Papis
Todd Bodine
Michael Annett
Zach Germain

About Valvoline

Valvoline, a brand of Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH), has been serving American motorists longer than any other motor oil. The Valvoline family of products includes Eagle One® appearance products, Car Brite® car restoration products, Zerex® antifreeze, SynPower® performance products and MaxLife® products created for higher-mileage engines. With more than 850 locations throughout the United States, Valvoline Instant Oil Change® is a leader in serving the quick lube market.

- 0 -

® Registered trademark of Ashland or its subsidiaries
* Trademark owned by a third party