The 2021 7-Eleven acquisition and what changed
In May 2021, 7-Eleven (a subsidiary of Japanese parent Seven & i Holdings) acquired Speedway from Marathon Petroleum Corporation for approximately 21 billion dollars. The acquisition was the largest convenience-store deal in US history and made the combined entity the largest c-store operator in North America by a wide margin. Marathon had spun off Speedway to focus corporate strategy on refining and the Marathon-branded retail network. 7-Eleven gained an immediate large-format-station presence in the Midwest and Northeast, complementing its existing urban-store-heavy footprint.
Speedy Rewards and the dual-loyalty model
Speedy Rewards is one of the longer-running and more recognized c-store loyalty programs in the United States. Members earn points on qualifying in-store and fuel purchases, redeemable for cents-off-per-gallon fuel discounts, free food and drinks, and merchandise. The program is managed through the Speedy Rewards mobile app, which also handles mobile ordering at participating locations. Dealer-operated Speedway Express locations are excluded from Speedy Rewards. Following the acquisition, some loyalty-program functions have been merged with 7Rewards (the parallel 7-Eleven program), but the two largely operate as parallel tracks targeting different customer segments. Drivers in Speedway markets generally find the Speedy Rewards program more useful than 7Rewards for fuel-focused redemptions.
Why Speedway stations are still Speedway-branded
When a company acquires a large national-brand network, the strategic question is whether to rapidly convert all locations to the parent brand or maintain dual-brand operations. 7-Eleven has chosen a gradual conversion path, with most Speedway locations remaining Speedway-branded years after the acquisition. Reasons include brand-equity preservation (Speedway has strong Midwest customer loyalty that a rapid rebrand could erode), the capital cost of full signage and equipment replacement at thousands of sites, and operational differences between the Speedway large-format fuel station and the 7-Eleven smaller-format c-store templates. In 2026, Seven and i Holdings has announced approximately 645 store closures across the combined network as part of a broader optimization, but the Speedway brand continues operating in its core markets.
Speedway vs 7-Eleven, Circle K, and Casey's
Within the broader US convenience-store competitive set, Speedway competes most directly with 7-Eleven (now a corporate sibling), Circle K (owned by Canadian conglomerate Alimentation Couche-Tard), and the Midwest regional Casey's General Stores. Speedway tends to operate larger fuel stations with more pumps than typical 7-Eleven urban locations, which is why the two brands continue side-by-side rather than fully consolidating. Speedway and Casey's overlap geographically in the Midwest with different positioning: Speedway is a fuel-and-c-store operator while Casey's leans more heavily on in-store food (especially the famous pizza program).
Top Tier status and fuel quality
Speedway-branded gasoline is not currently listed on the Top Tier Detergent Gasoline certified-brands list at toptiergas.com. Drivers who specifically want Top Tier additives can shop nearby brands such as Exxon and Mobil, Shell, BP, Chevron, or QuikTrip in markets where they overlap with Speedway. Use the Gas Price Check ZIP search to see current Speedway prices alongside nearby Top Tier alternatives in your area.