Doug Yates has made some very large strides since he took over the reins of Roush/Yates Engines from his legendary father Robert. The first leap was the development of the FR9 engine, Ford’s first ever purpose-built race engine. It has proven to be a mighty bullet in the NASCAR wars. (Now if we could only get one to “fall off the truck,” so we could put it in a “stealth” Mustang…)

There was no rest for the winners at the Yates shop in Mooresville, N.C. as development began on the fuel injection engine. “This was a big job,” Yates says. “It’s the biggest change in engine technology in NASCAR in 63 years. It was even bigger than building the FR9 engines because the technology was so new. Getting the fueling right and getting the sensors right was a big challenge.” Now, with half a season in the record books Yates says, “I would give this engine an A.”

Although NASCAR had a few limited tests and the team logged thousands of hours in the dyno rooms, nothing compares to the “trial by fire” of a real race, both literally and figuratively, done at this year’s Noah’s Ark, err Daytona 500. Doug Yates and everyone in the shop were standing proud when Matt Kenseth’s Valvoline NextGen Ford flashed across the finish line at the checkers.

Since then, Yates has spent a lot of time with the engineers at Freescale/McLaren Electronic Systems (go to www.freescale.com, and read “The Power inside NASCAR Fuel Injection”). The company has a long and successful history in other forms of motorsports, most notably in Formula 1. More...

Less than one year after the Valvoline brand introduced a revolutionary recycled motor oil that stands up to racing's demanding standards and high-quality performance, Roush Fenway has decided to switch all its Sprint Cup and Nationwide teams to Valvoline NextGen motor oil technology for the duration of the 2012 NASCAR season. RFR will kick off the shift at the 54th annual Daytona 500 race on Feb. 26, 2012.

The total shift to NextGen represents the culmination of a rigorous validation process that began last summer with drivers like Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, and is a continued illustration of Roush Fenway Racing's commitment to going green on the track while keeping performance paramount.

NextGen motor oil is made of 50 percent recycled motor oil and delivers 100 percent Valvoline quality, offering optimum engine protection in a product that's also better for the environment. "Closing the Loop" – for professional drivers and everyday consumers alike – is a step towards reducing our dependence on foreign crude oil and preserving our existing resources by collecting and returning your used oil for recycling, and then refilling crankcases with NextGen. 

"We couldn't be prouder to have NextGen technology pumping through the engines of the world's elite stock car drivers on the sport's biggest stage at Daytona," said Darryl Gaines, NextGen brand manager at Valvoline. "Having NextGen technology running in all of Roush Fenway's racing engines is just one more way for people to be certain of NextGen quality." More...

The staging lights are on, and the revs are climbing in the Valvoline NextGen sweepstakes for a one-of-a-kind collector’s item––the firesuit worn by NHRA drag racer Spencer Massey on the day he debuted his Valvoline NextGen/Fram Top Fuel dragster at the 2011 Southern Nationals.

Massey is just one of a growing number of professional racers who are discovering how good a recycled oil can be. "I've been using Valvoline in my personal truck and my motorhome that I travel to all the races in for quite some time,” says Massey. “After we debuted the NextGen dragster in Atlanta I got curious about NextGen and decided to switch over to it. It’s really the best oil that I've ever used. I've traveled over 30,000 miles this year with my motorhome and I can honestly say that using that oil has made a big difference. As if using the Valvoline NextGen product in our 8,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragsters didn't say enough itself, I can honestly say it works very well for me in my personal vehicles, too."

You can enter the sweepstakes on Valvoline’s Facebook page. But don’t wait too long, because all those guys who already entered are looking to get the hole shot.

I screwed up when changing my wife’s oil. I first changed oil before 8-track tapes. Still, I failed to finish the job. When she drove, much of that MaxLife Full Synthetic Higher Mileage oil (which I purchased with my, well, her, money) was flung around the engine compartment.

It caused severe irritation of the sensitive female olfactory system (but not until an hour of so of driving) and scary smoke. She Who Must Be Obeyed called from an unsavory location. I had surely murdered the engine, which was a tactical nuclear strike on our baby step emergency financial fund.

I wasn’t just in the doghouse. I was wearing The Cone of Shame. To quote the philosopher Dug from the movie UP!, I do not like the cone of shame. More...

Remember the year you got up before anyone else and went downstairs to the tree, only to find socks and underwear instead of that slot-car set you wanted? Worst Christmas ever, right?

But if you’re a Real Car Guy, this holiday season might just bring you some clothing you actually want––the firesuit worn by NHRA drag racer Spencer Massey on the day he debuted his Valvoline NextGen/Fram Top Fuel dragster at the 2011 Southern Nationals. It’s signed by Massey, too, making it even more of a one-of-a-kind racing collectible.

Massey is just one of a growing number of professional drivers and racing teams switching to Valvoline NextGen recycled oil. To formulate NextGen, Valvoline starts with recycled base stock oil, which never wears out, and blends in fresh additives. The result is an oil that meets all industry standards for conventional oil.

Racers like NextGen because it stands up to the rigors of racing, but there are sound environmental advantages to switching to NextGen oil, too. Switching to NextGen recycled oil could reduce the need for oil by 1.6 billion quarts––enough oil to stack barrels from New York to Los Angeles––every year.

Go to Valvoline’s Facebook page to enter the sweepstakes to win Spencer Massey’s autographed firesuit. But don’t get caught sitting at the lights, because the last day to enter is January 6, 2012.