[1] Chemical Compounds was founded in 1953 by three businessmen, Charles Dwight (Doc) Liggett, Jim Hill and Robert De Hart,[2] with $3,000 in start-up capital in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Their sole product was STP Oil Treatment; the name was derived from “Scientifically Treated Petroleum”.

In 1986, Union Carbide's auto products, which included Prestone and Simoniz, were subject to a leveraged buyout.

[5] Energizer bought the Spectrum's auto care brands (including Armor All, A/C Pro and STP) for $1.25 billion in cash and stock.

[1] In 1976, STP faced a consumer protection order that required it to have scientific backing for certain statements and prohibited making false claims.

The team competed in a total of five races running a March Engineering chassis, their best result being a third place at the 1970 Spanish Grand Prix.

STP and the Petty family hold the second-longest relationship in automobile racing history (1972–2000) (Kenny Bernstein and his son Brandon were sponsored by Budweiser for two years longer (1979–2009)).

In August 2012, STP announced that it would be the title sponsor of the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series in 2013.