Who owns Valvoline?

Valvoline is an American manufacturer and distributor of Valvoline-brand automotive oil, additives, and lubricants. It also owns the Valvoline Instant Oil Change and Valvoline Express Care chains of care repair centers. As of 2022, Valvoline is the second largest oil change service provider in the U.S., with a 10% market share and 1,400 locations.

Valvoline was founded in 1866 by Dr. John Ellis, the inventor of a petroleum-based lubricant for steam engines. By the 1890s, Valvoline oil was associated with winning race cars. During the early 20th century, Valvoline was the recommended motor oil for the Ford Model T.

In 1949, Ashland Inc. purchased Valvoline, and its popularity in the racing and automotive industries continued to grow. Valvoline has sponsored a number of auto races to market its motor oil, including the SCCA National Championship Runogg and Bommarito Automotive Group 500.

Valvoline has also sponsored:

• NASCAR Cup Series driver Mark Martin

• CART driver Al Unser Jr.

• NASCAR team RahMoc Enterprises

• NASCAR team Ginn Racing

• NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports

In 2016, Valvoline completed an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2019, Valvoline's reported annual revenue was $2.3 billion, and it had approximately 6,100 employees.