Speedway LLC is the operator of a chain of combination gas stations and convenience stores in the Midwest and South of the United States operating under the Speedway brand name. Speedway LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Marathon Petroleum Company. It is the largest chain in central Ohio. Marathon was an oil retailer centered in Ohio and active throughout the Midwest. Speedway 79 was a gasoline chain based in Michigan for much of the first half of the 20th century. In 1959, Marathon, then known as the Ohio Oil Company purchased the chain and promptly converted its outles to the Marathon... brand. As self-service gasoline was legalized in many states, Marathon decided to use "Speedway" at higher-volume self-service stations with convenience stores. The concept turned out to be one of the few bright spots for Marathon during this time, and quickly expanded this concept across Marathon's main territories across the Midwest and southeastern United States. Part of this expansion was through the acquisition of various other smaller regional gasoline station chains, including Starvin' Marvin, Gastown, Wake Up, Bonded, United, Cheker, Port, Ecol, and Value.
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