Meet the ‘Guess the Car’ Champ: Miles Cross
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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
Ron Capps and the
link hidden, please login to view Funny Car team delivered a standout performance Sunday at the NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, racing to the final round of the milestone 1,000th NHRA Funny Car event before a narrow loss to Matt Hagan. After qualifying No. 2, Capps ran a series of passes in the 3.80-second range, including low E.T. of the event, on the way to his 159th career final round. With the runner-up finish, Capps is now tied for the Funny Car points lead with Hagan following race three of the 20-race NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
Funny Car’s first qualifying session on Friday was a challenging one for Capps and his fellow competitors, but with Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli turning the knobs, he charged to a 4.007-second pass at 314.17 mph in the second session. That was the third-quickest performance of the round, rewarding Capps with one championship bonus point and the provisional No. 3 position. By reaching the semifinals at the NHRA Arizona Nationals, which he ultimately won, Capps earned a spot in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge during Saturday qualifying. Capps left the line first against Paul Lee, but he started to lose traction and backed off the throttle. He then rebounded to a 3.919 E.T. at 330.88 mph in the final session to grab two more bonus points and climb up to the No. 2 position in the final qualifying order.
In the first round of eliminations on Sunday, Capps left the starting line ahead of young gun Dylan Winefsky, and though he lost traction, pedaled, dropped cylinders, and shut off early, he crossed the finish line first with a 4.977 E.T. Capps came back stronger in the quarterfinals, where he fired off low E.T. of the round, a 3.884-second pass at 332.34 mph, to defeat Alexis DeJoria. Capps and Antonelli lowered the boom yet again in the semifinals with a 3.863 E.T. at 330.31 mph – low E.T. of the event – to hold off rookie Jordan Vandergriff and his 3.889 E.T.
Following a quick turnaround to race under the lights in the 1,000th NHRA Funny Car final round, Capps lined up next to fellow multi-time world champion Matt Hagan for the 85th time in eliminations. The NAPA Auto Care machine moved off the starting line first, but Hagan pulled ahead at the finish line, with Capps recording a 3.893 E.T. at 334.32 mph to Hagan’s winning 3.876 E.T.
“You really couldn’t ask for a better final in a lot of different ways,” Capps said. “It was really mano a mano with both teams – ‘Stretch’ (Mike Knudsen, Hagan’s crew chief) and Guido and then Matt and me. I get up for racing Matt. He was a teammate of mine for a long time and I know how good he is. To me, that’s like a ‘Snake’ and ‘Jungle Jim’ race back in the day. You’ve got a great car, you get up there and you throw down, then you add the fact that it’s Pomona on a late Sunday night under the lights and the 1,000th win in Funny Car is on the line. There’s so many cool things about it. I’m bummed it didn’t go our way, but at the same time, we have a good hot rod, and we moved up in points. I’m just so proud of Guido and the guys.”
Capps will look to solidify the points lead at the next stop on the NHRA Mission Foods Series schedule, the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, April 24-26, at zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina.
Start / Finish: No. 2 / def. in final round
Points Standing / Total: No. 1 / 251 pts. (tied)
Next Race: April 24-26, NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, Concord, NC
How to Watch or Listen: FS1,
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By Autoservice Paulus GmbH
Hi everyone,
With changing seasons, I was wondering if you adjust anything in your car maintenance routine?
For example, things like tire checks, AC usage, battery care, etc.
Do you follow any seasonal habits or just drive as usual?
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By Counterman
Autel U.S. announced that its Autel Academy ADAS Training Program has received accreditation from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR).
ASE and I-CAR Accreditation
The ASE and I-CAR accreditation confirms that Autel’s instructor-led training program meets the requirements for technician training and development as defined by these organizations. ASE and I-CAR are widely recognized as benchmarks in automotive service and education, and their endorsement signals that Autel’s curriculum delivers industry-relevant instruction aligned with current technological demands.
Matt Shepanek, vice president of credential testing programs at ASE, emphasized the significance of the accreditation process, noting that it delivers meaningful value for both training providers and the industry. “Accreditation provides training organizations with recognized credibility, ensures their curriculum aligns with current industry standards, and verifies that they are maintaining high-quality instruction, facilities, and resources,” said Shepanek. “Autel successfully met all of these criteria, and we are pleased to recognize them as an ASE-accredited training provider.”
ADAS Calibration Training Program
link hidden, please login to view link hidden, please login to view launched its ADAS calibration training program in 2023 at its U.S. corporate headquarters in Port Washington, New York. The program combines structured classroom instruction with hands-on experience in a dedicated training bay, allowing technicians to work directly with ADAS calibration equipment and real-world vehicle scenarios. The classroom portion delivers a foundational understanding of ADAS theory, including system architecture, sensor types, OEM calibration requirements, and workflow best practices. Hands-on training reinforces this foundation as technicians perform static and dynamic calibrations on vehicles in a controlled, real-world environment.
The program also emphasizes diagnostic strategy and troubleshooting to help technicians identify and resolve common calibration issues encountered in shop settings. Topics include alignment variables, target placement errors, environmental factors, and system fault conditions.
Following strong demand,
link hidden, please login to view has expanded its training footprint to additional locations, including Michigan, Missouri, California, and Florida, making advanced ADAS education more accessible to technicians across the country. Technician Certification Assessment and Continuing Education Credits
To further enhance the program, Autel will introduce a third day of training to its current two-day course. This additional day will include a technician certification assessment, enabling participants to demonstrate mastery of the curriculum.
Successful completion will provide technicians with ASE and I-CAR continuing education credits, reinforcing both their technical competency and professional credentials.
“We are proud to have our ADAS Training Program recognized by ASE,” said Chris Gutierrez, Product and Training Director – ADAS, Autel North America. “This accreditation validates the depth and quality of our curriculum and our hands-on approach. Our goal is to ensure technicians leave our program well prepared to perform accurate ADAS calibrations with confidence and consistency in real-world shop environments.”
Technicians and ADAS Systems
For technicians, this training represents an opportunity to build expertise in one of the fastest-growing and most technically demanding areas of automotive service. ADAS systems directly impact vehicle safety, and improper calibration can lead to system malfunctions or compromised performance.
Through Autel’s ASE and I-CAR-accredited program, technicians gain the confidence to perform precise calibrations, reduce liability risks, increase shop efficiency, and position themselves as trusted specialists in advanced vehicle technology.
With this accreditation, Autel continues to strengthen its role as a trusted partner for repair shops, technicians and industry professionals seeking reliable tools and comprehensive education in ADAS technologies.
For more information or to book your class today, click
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