Team Valvoline '09 Lineup a Collection of Winners
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 2, 2009) -- What does Team Valvoline do for an encore in 2009 after winning 60 professional races and two championships in 2008?
"It's simple -- win more," said Blair Boggs, Valvoline's vice president -- global brands.
Considering the technical partnerships that Valvoline has put together for the NASCAR and NHRA '09 campaigns, there is good reason to be optimistic.
The NASCAR lineup, which will represent the iconic motor oil and lubricant brand, is highlighted by Richard Petty Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing.
On the NHRA side, the Valvoline teams will be Don Schumacher Racing, Alan Johnson Racing, Team Wilkerson Racing, Vandergriff Motorsports, Ron Krisher Racing and Jay Payne Racing.
"For more than 100 years the racetrack has been a laboratory for Valvoline," offered Boggs. "We're proud of our technical partnerships with the best teams in motorsports. In fact, more NASCAR Sprint Cup and Top NHRA crew chiefs use Valvoline than any other brand of motor oil. That more crew chiefs trust Valvoline in their race cars is important to us, but we're most proud of the fact that more of these experts use Valvoline in their personal cars as well. For us, this is proof positive that our efforts in racing directly apply to Valvoline's everyday customers who want the best in their engines, too."
Headlining Team Valvoline's driver roster is Tony Schumacher, auto racing's 2008 Driver of the Year. Schumacher received the prestigious honor after winning a record 15 times en route to his fifth consecutive and sixth overall NHRA Top Fuel season title.
The NHRA team also includes two-time Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon, who is the driver for the new Alan Johnson Racing team. Johnson was Schumacher's crew chief the past six seasons.
Valvoline's driver lineup in NASCAR is equally impressive with former Sprint Cup champion Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards, who was runner-up in points last year in both the Cup and Nationwide divisions. Edwards' 2008 record included 16 wins -- nine in Cup and seven in Nationwide.
Valvoline's primary paint scheme schedule includes seven Cup races on the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge Charger driven by Reed Sorenson and two Cup events on the No. 26 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion driven by Jamie McMurray.
Valvoline's NHRA primary sponsorship will all be with Don Schumacher Racing -- 10 races on Jack Beckman's Funny Car and two races each on Cory McClenathan's Top Fuel dragster and Matt Smith's Pro Stock Motorcycle.
The high-profile Valvoline team of drivers, who will showcase the red and blue Valvoline V in 2009, are as follows:
Valvoline Racing Team: Team/Drivers
Richard Petty Motorsports, NASCAR
AJ Allmendinger
Kasey Kahne
Elliott Sadler
Reed Sorenson
Roush Fenway Racing, NASCAR
Matt Kenseth
Greg Biffle
Carl Edwards
Jamie McMurray
David Ragan
Colin Braun
Erik Darnell
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Robby Gordon Motorsports, NASCAR
Robby Gordon
Yates Racing, NASCAR
Travis Kvapil
Bobby Labonte
Alan Johnson Racing, NHRA
Larry Dixon, Top Fuel
Del Worsham, Funny Car
Don Schumacher Racing, NHRA
Tony Schumacher, Top Fuel
Cory McClenathan, Top Fuel
Jack Beckman, Funny Car
Ron Capps, Funny Car
Matt Hagen, Funny Car
Matt Smith, Pro Stock Motorcycle
Jay Payne Racing, NHRA
Jay Payne, Alcohol Funny Car
Ron Krisher Racing, NHRA
Ron Krisher, Pro Stock
Team Wilkerson Racing, NHRA
Tim Wilkerson, Funny Car
Vandergriff Motorsports, NHRA
Bob Vandergriff Jr., Top Fuel
Horsepower Ranch Racing Team, GRAND-AM
Hugh Plumb, KONI Challenge
Jack Roush, Jr., KONI Challenge
