Pro Stock veteran Allen Johnson and the J&J Racing team officially announced their new sponsorship agreement with Marathon Petroleum today, which will alow the 2012 world champion to chase a second title in 2016.

The Johnson’s had inadvertently tipped the racing community to their new sponsorship deal recently, when Marathon Petroleum appeared on the entry list for the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona It was promptly removed. The relationship between the Johnson’s and Marathon would appear an easy marriage; the family’s Greenville Oil and Petroleum business operates 37 Marathon/Quick Stop Market fueling stations and three X-Press Lube oil change facilities in Tennessee and Virginia.

“Both my dad and I, along with the entire Johnson & Johnson racing team are setting our sights on another championship year thanks to the support of the Marathon brand,” said Allen Johnson, CEO of Johnson & Johnson Racing. “We are grateful for our partnership with Marathon Petroleum both on and off the track.”

Johnson has already begun pre-season testing with the newly-minted EFI combination in his Dodge Dart, cracking into the mid-6.50s at over 209 mph at the Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida.

“We’re pleased to have this opportunity to partner with Allen and his proven record of success, both on the track and in our industry,” said Bill McCleave, Marathon Petroleum brand marketing director. “Allen and his racing team strongly compliment the Marathon brand, and we’re proud to be aligned with such a great role model and champion in this sport.”

It should be noted that Marathon Oil and Marathon Petroleum are two separate entities, and as such, at a time when race teams connected to the oil industry are pulling back their efforts (Marathon Oil’s stock price is currently at a 20-year low), the profits of Marathon Petroleum remain relatively strong.