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By Counterman
To be successful in aftermarket parts sales requires a very broad knowledge base. It means having the ability to address customer parts requests for dozens of different vehicle manufacturers spanning more than 75 years of production, including multiple vehicle systems. Much like our inventory mix, our employees’ knowledge needs to be “spread out” to accommodate these varied requests. Sure, we all have our strengths and specialties, but imagine the bottlenecks at the counter if Heather was the only staff member familiar with reading the paper catalogs covering vintage applications, or that Larry couldn’t catalog anything unless it was for a domestic vehicle.
While we would never hire a counterperson with such gaping blind spots concerning vehicle knowledge, when it comes to store operations, these kinds of scenarios happen every day. Cross-training staff eases the burden for everyone in the organization, from the top down. Becoming an “expert” in your own particular role doesn’t need to prevent you from being a versatile member of the team.
link hidden, please login to view For obvious reasons, not every employee will be responsible for making management-level decisions. But when it comes to daily operations, each member of your staff needs to be given not only the tools to succeed, but also the skills and authority to use those tools effectively. We’ve all worked in locations with extended business hours or short-staffing situations, and felt the pinch when a key member of the team was absent. Picking up the slack in these situations has become a harsh reality in today’s business environment, and without cross-training for the remaining employees, everyone on both sides of the counter suffers for it.
Depending on your individual role within the organization, you may have very little exposure to some of the other roles being performed around you, or you may already have experienced each role along the way to your current position. The hierarchy of roles in this industry tends to follow a natural progression, from delivery and stocking associates to counter and sales positions, and eventually to various management roles. Along the way, there is often considerable overlap in skills and responsibilities at each stage.
At any level of the hierarchy, the most destructive employee attitude is the “not my job” attitude. Traditional workforce roles generally fall into either “labor” or “management” categories. Many organizations even reinforce this idea through uniform choices. Unfortunately, this also may create a division among employees, who feel that titles are designed to separate them rather than to complement each other. Even worse than those employees who claim that something is “above their pay grade” are those members of the team who believe that performing a particular task is beneath them. Having a delivery driver who is comfortable with helping with simple customer service tasks is no less important than the keyholding manager who makes a hot-shot delivery to help maintain a commercial customer’s workflow. Cross-training works in both directions!
There may not be an “I” in “team,” but there are two of them in “idiot.” Building a team that can move effortlessly between roles requires all parties to be invested in the overall success of the business, not just their own individual interests. We need to identify those members of our team who are most capable of (and interested in) growth beyond just a narrowly defined job description. We need to encourage them to acquire new skills, and to remind employees who already possess those skills that having others trained in their role is a benefit, not a threat.
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By NAPA
Daison Pursley and the
link hidden, please login to view No. 9 team officially kicked off the 2026 High Limit Racing season over the past two weeks, competing in six races across Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Central Arizona Raceway. Following an offseason focused on building chemistry and speed, the Kasey Kahne Racing team entered the year with momentum and immediately showed promise against a strong field of competitors.
The High Limit season opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway marked the first points-paying events of the year, and the NAPA No. 9 ran consistently inside the top 10 throughout the three-night weekend.
On Thursday, Pursley qualified eighth in Flight A and advanced to a 12th-place finish in the feature after starting 15th. Friday brought one of the team’s strongest performances of the weekend, as Pursley qualified third, ran up front in the heat race, and drove from ninth to sixth in the A-Main.
The weekend concluded Saturday with another solid showing as the NAPA No. 9 qualified third once again and advanced from 13th to 10th in the feature. The consistent results to open the season positioned the team well in the early championship standings and reinforced the speed shown throughout the offseason.
The team carried that momentum into Central Arizona Raceway for the Cactus Classic, where Pursley delivered a standout performance on Thursday night. After qualifying 10th in a stout, 31-car field, Pursley advanced through his heat race and charged from 10th to a third-place finish in the A-Main, earning the first ever podium for the NAPA No. 9 team.
Friday and Saturday presented challenges, as the team continued to show speed but was ultimately sidelined by incidents in both feature events, resulting in a pair of DNFs. Despite the setbacks, the pace of the NAPA No. 9 remained evident throughout the weekend.
The NAPA No. 9 team now turns its focus to the next event at Vado Speedway Park in New Mexico on Tuesday as the 2026 High Limit Racing season continues.
Start / Finish:
Thursday, March 12, Las Vegas Motor Speedway: 15 / 12
Friday, March 13, Las Vegas Motor Speedway: 9 / 6
Saturday, March 14, Las Vegas Motor Speedway: 13 / 10
Thursday, March 19, Central Arizona Raceway: 10 / 3
Friday, March 20, Central Arizona Raceway: DNF
Saturday, March 21, Central Arizona Raceway: DNF
Points Standing / Total: 11th / 281 pts. (-125)
Next Race: Tuesday, March 24, Vado Speedway Park, Vado, NM
How to Watch or Listen:
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By NAPA
Ron Capps kicked off NHRA’s 75th anniversary season by qualifying his link hidden, please login to view Funny Car in the No. 1 spot to score the first Funny Car pole of the year at the NHRA Gatornationals. As a seven-time Gainesville Raceway finalist, Capps was looking to add to his four wins at the historic facility, but an upset loss in the opening round of eliminations Sunday morning ended his day early.
Capps qualified on the strength of his Q2 pass of 3.890 seconds at 334.07 mph and was the only Funny Car racer to dip into the 3.8-second range during opening weekend of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. Knowing they were safely in the show, crew chief Dean “Guido” Antonelli and the NAPA team used Saturday’s remaining two qualifying rounds as test sessions to prepare for Sunday eliminations and felt they had a solid plan in place heading into round one against No. 16 qualifier John Smith. The three-time Funny Car world champion was first off the line but his machine started rattling the tires. He pedaled the car and got it to hook back up, but the ignition box was inadvertently shut off, allowing Smith to drive away with the win. While the early exit was a disappointment, Capps was not deterred and is eager to head to Phoenix for the Arizona Nationals and a chance to rebound.
“We left the Finals in Pomona at the end of last year and we already knew what we wanted to test to get better,” said Capps, who debuted as a multi-car team owner for the first time at the Gatornationals with the addition of Maddi Gordon and the Carlyle Tools Top Fuel team. “A lot of work was done at the shop with both teams, obviously getting the dragster together and ready for Maddi’s licensing and then the Funny Car team, we had a great game plan and it all came together. We made great runs in testing and Guido was very excited about coming to race under these warm weather conditions.
“Everyone had that decent shot Friday night, and obviously we were number one with that 3.89, which is always great. With the time change Saturday night and the track conditions the way they were, we figured first round was going to be pretty fast. But, typical Gainesville. I always say, the wins I’ve had here, you always feel like you’ve run multiple events in one day because it’s so demanding. It’s hot, humid, hard on the teams, hard on the drivers. And first round was tough, you never discount Paul Smith, that’s a car that will go down the track so you cannot make mistakes. We went out, rattled the tires. I started pedaling and got it going again, but unfortunately, the ignition box inadvertently shut off, and I was just a sitting duck out there and John Smith was able to drive around me. It’s a bummer, but the great thing is we know we’ve got a good hot rod. We’ve got a weekend off and then we’ll get right back at it in Phoenix.”
Up next for Capps and the NAPA Auto Care Funny Car team is the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park, where Capps made his professional debut in 1995 while competing in the Top Fuel category.
Start / Finish: No. 1/ def. in first round
Points Standing / Total: 9th / 41 points (-74)
Next Race: March 20-22, NHRA Arizona Nationals, Chandler, Ariz.
How to Watch or Listen: FS1,
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By NAPA
Daniel Hemric’s promising genesis to the 2026 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series (NCTS) season was spoiled in the early stages on Friday night at Daytona International Speedway. The driver of the No. 19
link hidden, please login to view Chevrolet Silverado RST took the checkered flag in 26th after regaining three laps following a black flag for broken spoiler braces. Following the opener at Daytona, Hemric is 24th in the NCTS championship standings.
In the opening laps, Hemric was one of the biggest movers from his 33rd starting position, up 10 positions within the first 10 circuits. After crew chief Kevin Bellicourt called Hemric to pit lane under the first caution on lap seven to gain a fuel advantage, Hemric restarted 19th and employed the third lane to advance to 11th by the end of Stage 1 on lap 20.
The strategy ploy netted Hemric second position for the restart on lap 28 after staying out during the stage caution. He kept the NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet inside the top five to begin the second segment until being black flagged for broken spoiler braces. On lap 33, Hemric was forced to heed the black flag and pit to repair the braces under the green. The maintenance left him four laps down in 36th position.
Throughout the second half of the event, Hemric kept the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet out of harms way while still in position to regain laps. He took advantage of the Lucky Dog to regain multiple laps and found himself only one lap down before the race’s green-white-checkered finish. He took the checkers in 26th after posting the fastest lap of the race, and earning an additional point, to salvage 11 critical championship points during the second half.
“It’s a shame to have a promising night get away from us,” Hemric said following the race. “Unfortunately, we had to come down and reattached the brace under green and cost us a lot of time. Proud of this NAPA team for keeping their head in the game, managing the night and getting three of our laps back. Not the finish we wanted, but that’s 11 points we saved tonight. You never know where that might sort out when it’s all said and done. We’ll work on cleaning things up this week and go to Atlanta with some more speed.”
Start / Finish: 32 / 26
Points Standing / Total: 24th / 12 pts. (-53)
Next Race: Saturday, February 21st, EchoPark Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1 or SiriusXM
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By Counterman
The Auto Care Association has opened entries for its 2026 industry awards as the 2026 awards season begins across the automotive aftermarket. The awards recognize achievements in marketing and communications, workforce development and industry education.
The association will announce winners during a ceremony at Auto Care Connect, May 11-14, 2026, in Atlanta. Nearly 1,000 aftermarket executives are expected to attend the event.
All award submissions are due by Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. The association provides eligibility rules and entry requirements on its website.
Event Details for the 2026 Awards Season
The association will reveal award recipients at Auto Care Connect 2026. The event serves as a cross-segment conference for manufacturers, suppliers and distribution executives.
The awards program includes four categories. These categories include Marketing and Communications Awards, Impact: 4 Under 40 Awards, Auto Care Education Awards and the Mort Schwartz Excellence in Education Award.
Marketing and Communications Awards Eligibility
link hidden, please login to view recognize business-to-consumer and business-to-business campaigns. These campaigns must have run in the automotive aftermarket during the past year. Eligible campaigns must have launched between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2025. Applicants must hold Auto Care Association membership.
Companies may submit entries in multiple categories. Each entry requires a $149 fee. Program information appears at
link hidden, please login to view. Impact: 4 Under 40 Awards
link hidden, please login to view recognizes four professionals under age 40. These individuals must demonstrate meaningful contributions within the auto care industry. The association’s Marketing and Communications Committee and the Young Auto Care Network Group manage and present the awards.
Auto Care Education Awards
The
link hidden, please login to view honor three member companies. The categories include small, midsize and large organizations. These companies must prioritize education, training and career development as strategic investments. The Auto Care Association Education Committee selects the winners.
Mort Schwartz Excellence in Education Award
The
link hidden, please login to view recognizes an individual who advances education or continuing education. The award focuses on the North American auto care industry. Nominations should highlight innovation, program development or scholarship fundraising efforts. The Auto Care Association Education Committee selects the winner.
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