Since its inception, NASCAR has been geared mainly towards red-blooded
Southerners. Recently, however, its allure has grown to encompass a much more
diverse fan base. And now, after The Ford NASCAR
Nationwide Series, held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway,  anyone who’s ever been concerned
about the environmental effects of racecar driving can rest easy knowing that
the largest NASCAR team, Roush Fenway, has started filling their tanks with
recycled oil.

The rumble of racecars speeding around a track and the aroma
of barbecue wafting through the air are two things that appeal to the
testosterone in every man, and it was only a matter of time before those in
other parts of the country began catching on.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series has
been held annually since 1982, with its first race outside the United States,
the Telcel-Motorola 200, taking place in 2005 at the Autodromo Hermanos
Rodriguez track in Mexico City. Those who are not die hard racing fans may be
surprised to know that there is actually an elaborate strategy behind it.

During my tour of the pit at this year’s series in Charlotte, I spoke with a
professional spotter, who explained the complexities of having to calmly rattle
off directions via headset to a driver who’s speeding around a track at
nearly 200 mph. Needless to say, trust is an essential component of the
driver-spotter relationship.

The air was filled with pure
adrenaline as I walked through the pit among drivers preparing to start their
engines. Spectators in tents and trailers resembled tailgaters at a football
game, except they were pitched in the center of the track rather than the
parking lot. Pre-race, the sound of country music blared through speaker; once
the race began, it was drowned out by the deafening sound of engines working at
top speed drowned it out. Despite crashing into the wall early in the race,
Ford driver Carl Edwards finished first.

The
victory in Charlotte was not Edwards’ first; on September 7th, he
won the Great Clips 300 in the No. 60 Fastenal Ford Mustang with NextGen in his
engine. NextGen also garnered Trevor Bayne, the youngest ever Daytona 500
winner a Roush Fenway driver, a 3rd place finish at the Nationwide
Series in Charlotte. While the term “eco-friendly” doesn’t necessarily connote
speed- nor does it conjure up images of racecars decked out in flashy logos and
revelers gathered around grills and coolers full of beer- these victories have  proven Valvoline’s NextGen merit under
the hood. While non-professional and professional drivers alike may have had
reservations about using recycled oil underneath their hoods, knowing that the
best of the best use it ameliorates any apprehension. According to top engine expert
Doug Yates, who is the co-owner of Roush Yates engines,  “There’s no sacrifice in performance with
NextGen technology, and it even shows advantages.”

          
Launched
this past year, Valvoline’s NextGen is made with 50 percent recycled oil and is
the result of breakthrough chemistry and years of innovation; before Valvoline
deemed it worthy of being used on race day, it underwent rigorous testing and
simulations. According to Yates, NextGen “not only stood up to our extensive
testing, in some cases, even outperformed our current (non-recycled) racing
oil.”

If you want to gas up like a champ while protecting your engine, look for Valvoline NextGen in your local
automotive supply stores, as well as
participating Valvoline installers and Valvoline Instant Oil Change Centers.