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ATLANTA, Oct. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Genuine Parts Company (NYSE: GPC), a leading global service provider of automotive and industrial replacement parts and value-added solutions, plans to release third quarter financial results on October 22, 2024. Following the release, management will host a conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET. The public may access the webcast and supplemental earnings materials on the company's investor relations website. The call is also available by dialing 1-800-836-8184. A replay of the call will be available on the company's website or toll-free at 1-888-660-6345, ID 72988#, two hours after completion of the conference call. About Genuine Parts Company Established in 1928, Genuine Parts Company is a leading global service provider of automotive and industrial replacement parts and value-added solutions. Our Automotive Parts Group operates across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australasia, France, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Portugal, while our Industrial Parts Group serves customers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Australasia. We keep the world moving with a vast network of over 10,700 locations spanning 17 countries supported by more than 60,000 teammates. Learn more at genpt.com. View the full article

ATLANTA, Aug. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Genuine Parts Company (NYSE: GPC), a leading global service provider of automotive and industrial replacement parts and value-added solutions, announced today its Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of one dollar ($1.00) per share on the company's common stock. The dividend is payable on October 1, 2024to shareholders of record on September 6, 2024. About Genuine Parts Company Established in 1928, Genuine Parts Company is a leading global service provider of automotive and industrial replacement parts and value-added solutions. Our Automotive Parts Group operates across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australasia, France, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Portugal, while our Industrial Parts Group serves customers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Australasia. We keep the world moving with a vast network of over 10,700 locations spanning 17 countries supported by more than 60,000 teammates. Learn more at genpt.com. SOURCE Genuine Parts Company For further information: Investor contact: Timothy Walsh, (678) 934-5349, Senior Director - Investor Relations , Media contact: Heather Ross, (678) 934-5220, Vice President - Strategic Communications View the full article

ATLANTA, Aug. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Genuine Parts Company (NYSE: GPC), a leading global service provider of automotive and industrial replacement parts and value-added solutions, announced today that Jenn Hulett joined GPC as Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, effective August 19, 2024. Jim Neill, who previously announced his retirement from GPC, will continue to serve in an advisory role through September 30, 2024 to support Ms. Hulett during the transition. In her new role, Ms. Hulett will be responsible for GPC's global human resources operations and will play a key role in advancing the company's talent and culture initiatives. She will report to Will Stengel, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are pleased to welcome Jenn Hulett as GPC's next global people leader," said Mr. Stengel. "Jenn is a seasoned executive with a proven track record of success. Her passion for developing people and culture, driving positive change and delivering results will strengthen our One GPC approach and make her a valuable addition to our global executive leadership team. We look forward to Jenn's contributions to GPC's continued evolution." Ms. Hulett joins GPC with a wealth of experience, most recently serving as Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer for Dollar Tree, a $28 billionorganization with 200,000 employees across 16,000 locations. In this role, she oversaw all aspects of HR, as well as internal and external communications and community engagement. Her impressive career also includes executive leadership roles at Core-Mark, Ericsson and General Electric, highlighting her ability to execute talent initiatives within large, global organizations. "Jim Neill has been a friend to all and an exemplary leader at GPC for nearly two decades, shaping our culture and our people in ways that will continue to benefit us for years to come," said Mr. Stengel. "In particular, his dedication to fostering our unique culture and evolving a supportive work environment have created a lasting legacy. We are grateful for Jim's many contributions and wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement." About Genuine Parts Company Established in 1928, Genuine Parts Company is a leading global service provider of automotive and industrial replacement parts and value-added solutions. Our Automotive Parts Group operates across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australasia, France, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Portugal, while our Industrial Parts Group serves customers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Australasia. We keep the world moving with a vast network of over 10,700 locations spanning 17 countries supported by more than 60,000 teammates. Learn more at genpt.com. SOURCE Genuine Parts Company For further information: Investor contact: Timothy Walsh, (678) 934-5349, Senior Director - Investor Relations; Media contact: Heather Ross, (678) 934-5220, Vice President - Strategic Communications View the full article

ATLANTA, Aug. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Genuine Parts Company (NYSE: GPC), a leading global service provider of automotive and industrial replacement parts and value-added solutions, announced today that Will Stengel, President & CEO, and Bert Nappier, EVP & CFO, will present at the Goldman Sachs 31st Annual Global Retailing Conference at 1:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, September 5, 2024. The presentation will be webcast live on the company's investor relations website. A replay of the webcast will be available after the event. About Genuine Parts Company Established in 1928, Genuine Parts Company is a leading global service provider of automotive and industrial replacement parts and value-added solutions. Our Automotive Parts Group operates across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australasia, France, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Portugal, while our Industrial Parts Group serves customers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Australasia. We keep the world moving with a vast network of over 10,700 locations spanning 17 countries supported by more than 60,000 teammates. Learn more at genpt.com. SOURCE Genuine Parts Company For further information: CONTACTS: Investor contact: Timothy Walsh, (678) 934-5349, Senior Director - Investor Relations, Media contact: Heather Ross, (678) 934-5220, Vice President - Strategic Communications View the full article

ATLANTA, July 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Genuine Parts Company (NYSE: GPC), a leading global distributor of automotive and industrial replacement parts, announced today its results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2024. "I want to thank each of our global GPC teammates for their hard work and dedication to serving our customers," said Will Stengel, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our quarterly results reflect softer than expected market conditions, which are tempering demand particularly in our Industrial and U.S. and European Automotive businesses. Despite a challenging macro-environment, our teams are operating well and remain focused on executing our long-term strategic initiatives." Second Quarter 2024 Results Sales were $6.0 billion, a 0.8% increase compared to $5.9 billion in the same period of the prior year. The sales result is attributable to a 2.2% benefit from acquisitions, partially offset by a 0.9% decrease in comparable sales and 0.5% unfavorable impact of foreign currency and other. Net income was $296 million, or $2.11 per diluted earnings per share. This compares to net income of $344 million, or $2.44 per diluted share in the prior year period. Adjusted net income was $342 million which excludes a net expense of $46 million of after tax adjustments, or $0.33 per diluted share, in costs related to our global restructuring initiative and the acquisition of Motor Parts and Equipment Corporation. This compares to net income of $344 million for the same three-month period of the prior year, a decrease of 0.9%. On a per share diluted basis, adjusted net income was $2.44, in-line with the same period of the prior year. Refer to the reconciliation of GAAP net income to adjusted net income and GAAP diluted earnings per share to adjusted diluted earnings per share for more information. Second Quarter 2024 Segment Highlights Automotive Parts Group ("Automotive") Global Automotive sales were $3.7 billion, up 2.0% from the same period in 2023, reflecting a 3.1% benefit from acquisitions, partially offset by a 0.6% decrease in comparable sales and 0.5% unfavorable impact of foreign currency and other. Segment profit of $314 million decreased 4.7%, with segment profit margin of 8.4%, down 60 basis points from last year. Industrial Parts Group ("Industrial") Industrial sales were $2.2 billion, down 1.1% from the same period in 2023, with a 0.7% benefit from acquisitions, offset by a 1.6% decrease in comparable sales and 0.2% unfavorable impact of foreign currency. Segment profit of $277 million decreased 2.3%, with segment profit margin of 12.4%, down 10 basis points from the same period of the prior year. Six Months 2024 Results Sales for the six months ended June 30, 2024 were $11.7 billion, up 0.6% from the same period in 2023. Net income for the six months was $544 million, or $3.89 per diluted share, compared to $4.58 per diluted share in the prior year period. Adjusted net income increased 0.6% to $652 million in the first half of 2024 compared to net income of $648 million in the prior year period. Adjusted diluted earnings per share was $4.66 compared to $4.58 in the prior year period, an increase of 1.7%. Balance Sheet, Cash Flow and Capital Allocation The company generated cash flow from operations of $612 million for the first six months of 2024. Net cash used in investing activities was $762 million, including $259 million for capital expenditures and $580 million for M&A. The company also used $382 million in cash for financing activities, including $272 million for quarterly dividends paid to shareholders and $75 million for stock repurchases. Free cash flow was $353 million for the first six months of 2024. Refer to the reconciliation of GAAP net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow for more information. The company ended the quarter with $2.0 billion of total liquidity. Total liquidity comprises of $555 million in cash and cash equivalents and $1.4 billion of our $1.5 billion revolving credit facility available after the effect of $100 million of commercial paper outstanding as of June 30, 2024. 2024 Outlook The company is revising full-year 2024 guidance previously provided in its earnings release on April 18, 2024. The company considered its recent business trends and financial results, current growth plans, strategic initiatives, global economic outlook, geopolitical conflicts and the potential impact on results in updating its guidance, which is outlined in the table below. For the Year Ending December 31, 2024 Previous Outlook Updated Outlook Total sales growth 3% to 5% 1% to 3% Automotive sales growth 2% to 4% 1% to 3% Industrial sales growth 3% to 5% 0% to 2% Diluted earnings per share $9.05 to $9.20 $8.55 to $8.75 Adjusted diluted earnings per share $9.80 to $9.95 $9.30 to $9.50 Effective tax rate Approximately 24% Approximately 24% Net cash provided by operating activities $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion Free cash flow $800 million to $1.0 billion $800 million to $1.0 billion Non-GAAP Information This release contains certain financial information not derived in accordance with United States ("U.S.") generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). These items include adjusted net income, adjusted diluted earnings per share and free cash flow. We believe that the presentation of adjusted net income, adjusted diluted earnings per share and free cash flow, when considered together with the corresponding GAAP financial measures and the reconciliations to those measures, provide meaningful supplemental information to both management and investors that is indicative of our core operations. We considered these metrics useful to investors because they provide greater transparency into management's view and assessment of our ongoing operating performance by removing items management believes are not representative of our operations and may distort our longer-term operating trends. For example, for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024, adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share exclude costs relating to our global restructuring initiative and acquisition of Motor Parts and Equipment Corporation, which are one-time events that do not recur in the ordinary course of our business. We believe these measures are useful and enhance the comparability of our results from period to period and with our competitors, as well as show ongoing results from operations distinct from items that are infrequent or not associated with our core operations. We do not, nor do we suggest investors should, consider such non-GAAP financial measures as superior to, in isolation from, or as a substitute for, GAAP financial information. We have included a reconciliation of this additional information to the most comparable GAAP measure following the financial statements below. We do not provide forward-looking guidance for certain financial measures on a GAAP basis because we are unable to predict certain items contained in the GAAP measures without unreasonable efforts. These items may include acquisition-related costs, litigation charges or settlements, impairment charges, and certain other unusual adjustments. Comparable Sales Comparable sales is a key metric that refers to period-over-period comparisons of our sales excluding the impact of acquisitions, foreign currency and other. Our calculation of comparable sales is computed using total business days for the period. The company considers this metric useful to investors because it provides greater transparency into management's view and assessment of the company's core ongoing operations. This is a metric that is widely used by analysts, investors and competitors in our industry, although our calculation of the metric may not be comparable to similar measures disclosed by other companies, because not all companies and analysts calculate this metric in the same manner. Conference Call Genuine Parts Company will hold a conference call today at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the results of the quarter. A supplemental earnings deck will also be available for reference. Interested parties may listen to the call and view the supplemental earnings deck on the company's investor relations website. The call is also available by dialing 800-836-8184. A replay of the call will be available on the company's website or toll-free at 888-660-6345, conference ID 93997#, two hours after the completion of the call. About Genuine Parts Company Established in 1928, Genuine Parts Company is a leading global service organization specializing in the distribution of automotive and industrial replacement parts. Our Automotive Parts Group operates across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australasia, France, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Portugal, while our Industrial Parts Group serves customers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Australasia. We keep the world moving with a vast network of over 10,700 locations spanning 17 countries supported by more than 60,000 teammates. Learn more at genpt.com. Forward-Looking Statements Some statements in this release, as well as in other materials we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), release to the public, or make available on our website, constitute forward-looking statements that are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements in the future tense and all statements accompanied by words such as "expect," "likely," "outlook," "forecast," "preliminary," "would," "could," "should," "position," "will," "project," "intend," "plan," "on track," "anticipate," "to come," "may," "possible," "assume," or similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include our view of business and economic trends for the remainder of the year, our expectations regarding our ability to capitalize on these business and economic trends and to execute our strategic priorities, and the revised full-year 2024 financial guidance provided above. Senior officers may also make verbal statements to analysts, investors, the media and others that are forward-looking. We caution you that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and while we believe that our expectations for the future are reasonable in view of currently available information, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events may differ materially from those indicated as a result of various important factors. Such factors may include, among other things, changes in general economic conditions, including unemployment, inflation (including the impact of tariffs) or deflation, financial institution disruptions and geopolitical conflicts such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the conflict in the Gaza strip and other unrest in the Middle East; volatility in oil prices; significant cost increases, such as rising fuel and freight expenses; public health emergencies, including the effects on the financial health of our business partners and customers, on supply chains and our suppliers, on vehicle miles driven as well as other metrics that affect our business, and on access to capital and liquidity provided by the financial and capital markets; our ability to maintain compliance with our debt covenants; our ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses into our operations and to realize the anticipated synergies and benefits; our ability to successfully implement our business initiatives in our two business segments; slowing demand for our products; the ability to maintain favorable supplier arrangements and relationships; changes in national and international legislation or government regulations or policies, including changes to import tariffs, environmental and social policy, infrastructure programs and privacy legislation, and their impact to us, our suppliers and customers; changes in tax policies; volatile exchange rates; our ability to successfully attract and retain employees in the current labor market; uncertain credit markets and other macroeconomic conditions; competitive product, service and pricing pressures; failure or weakness in our disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting, including as a result of the work from home environment; the uncertainties and costs of litigation; disruptions caused by a failure or breach of our information systems, as well as other risks and uncertainties discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2023 and from time to time in our subsequent filings with the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statements except as required by law. You are advised, however, to review any further disclosures we make on related subjects in our subsequent Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K and other reports filed with the SEC. View the full article

ATLANTA, July 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Genuine Parts Company (NYSE: GPC), a leading global distributor of automotive and industrial replacement parts, plans to release second quarter financial results on July 23, 2024. Following the release, management will host a conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET. The public may access the webcast and supplemental earnings materials on the company's investor relations website. The call is also available by dialing 1-800-836-8184. A replay of the call will be available on the company's website or toll-free at 1-888-660-6345, ID 93997#, two hours after completion of the conference call. About Genuine Parts Company Established in 1928, Genuine Parts Company is a leading global service organization specializing in the distribution of automotive and industrial replacement parts. Our Automotive Parts Group operates across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australasia, France, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Portugal, while our Industrial Parts Group serves customers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Australasia. We keep the world moving with a vast network of over 10,700 locations spanning 17 countries supported by more than 60,000 teammates. Learn more at genpt.com. SOURCE Genuine Parts Company For further information: Investor contact: Timothy Walsh, (678) 934-5349, Senior Director - Investor Relations | Media contact: Heather Ross, (678) 934-5220, Vice President - Strategic Communications View the full article

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified ninth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway. The 28-year-old driver finished stage one in ninth and stage two in third as his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 showed speed on the long run. In the final stage, Elliott continued to battle inside the top 10 and advanced to third before the checkered flag waved. With the third-place result, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native took over the driver points standings lead by eight markers over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson. It was Elliott’s second consecutive top-five effort, seventh of the season and 100th of his young Cup career. Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team earned a ninth-place starting position for Sunday’s inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway. The 28-year-old driver initially lost some ground to the leaders upon the drop of the green flag and was scored in 11th at the time of the first caution of the race on lap five. Under the yellow, Elliott reported that his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was loose. Staying out, he lined up 11th for the restart on lap 10 and made his way back up to ninth by lap 41. As a long run ensued Elliott continued to gain ground, advancing to seventh before an incident brought out the caution. He relayed that he “overbuilt the right rear.” Once pit road opened, crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott in for four fresh tires and fuel. A fast stop gained the driver of the No. 9 a position on pit road, however two cars did not pit which put him eighth for the lap-59 restart. When the green-and-white checkered flag waved to end stage two, Elliott was scored in the ninth position. During the stage break the team opted not to visit pit road, placing Elliott as the fifth driver to choose his lane to start the second stage. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native took the green flag from the inside of row two on lap 78. He continued to battle inside the top five until another caution slowed the race at lap 81. Staying out once again, Elliott lined up in the second row for the lap-87 restart. Getting loose, he dropped to seventh but found his way back inside the top five prior to lap 100. Showing speed on the long run, Elliott advanced to third on lap 130 and took over the second position less than 20 laps later. He set his sights on the leader and began reeling in the No. 12 of Ryan Blaney as green flag stops got under way. Elliott paced the field for one lap after Blaney made his way to pit road before he followed suit on lap 173. After pitting for four tires and fuel, Elliott returned to the track in 18th and was up to seventh as the pit cycle continued. When the caution came out on lap 182, the teams that still needed to pit made their stops. This put Elliott third in the running order. Once the race was back under way, he held his own inside the top five, finishing the stage in the third position. Under the stage-ending caution, Elliott pitted for four tires and fuel. He lined up sixth to start the final stage on lap 219. Just one lap later, an incident brought out the caution. Elliott chose the outside of row four for the lap-228 restart. From there, the 2020 Cup Series champion maneuvered his way to fourth before the yellow flag was displayed on lap 260. Providing feedback to his crew that the NAPA Chevy was a little tight, the team made an air-pressure adjustment during its four-tire pit stop. Elliott was fifth to choose his lane, opting for the outside of row four for the restart on lap 267. He progressed to fifth by lap 272 and continued to climb, advancing to third before the checkered flag waved. The result was Elliott’s second consecutive top-five effort, seventh of the season and 100th of his young Cup career. With the third-place result, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native took over the driver points standings lead by eight markers over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson. “Our balance was just right, and I thought all day we had really good long run pace,” Elliott said. “I just really struggled to get going on restarts and just was really loose and just felt like I couldn’t attack like I needed to and just lost a lot of ground. Could make good pace there at the end of a run with our NAPA Chevy, just needed to be a little closer I think to keep the pressure on and keep things rolling. Anyway, I was proud of the effort and felt like we had a really good car and were right there in the fight.” Start / Finish: 9 / 3 Points Standing / Total: 1st / 591 pts. (+8) Next Race: Sunday, June 23, New Hampshire Motor Speedway How to Watch or Listen: 2:30 p.m. ET on USA, PRN or SiriusXM NAPA: @NAPARacing Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott Hendrick Motorsports: @TeamHendrick No. 9 Team: @Hendrick9Team The post Elliott Finishes Third at Iowa, Takes Over Points Lead appeared first on NAPA Blog. View the full article

Brad Sweet and the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team had an exciting and eventful week of racing starting in Lincoln, NE, before continuing on to Knoxville Raceway in Iowa to compete with the World of Outlaws. On Tuesday, June 11th, Sweet arrived at Eagle Raceway to vie for the $50,000-to-win Bikini Zone Eagle Nationals. The day began with a special visit to the local Lincoln NAPA Auto Parts store, where Sweet had the pleasure of meeting store owner Randy Sell, his employees, and VIP customers. Following the private meet-and-greet, the Kasey Kahne Racing No. 49 team hosted 30 guests from the Lincoln NAPA store at the track for an evening of high-energy sprint car racing. To start off the competition, Sweet qualified ninth in Flight A with a time of 11.661 seconds. Setting the lineup for Heat Race action, the NAPA No.49 made an impressive move from fifth to third. The evening’s feature was a showcase of Sweet’s skill as he surged from 13th to finish in the runner-up position. The NAPA driver gave leader Kyle Larson no room to spare, and his impressive advance thrilled the crowd and made for a wildly entertaining race. As a result of his strong showing, Sweet extended his lead in the points standings. He now holds 1,612 points, maintaining a 76-point lead over the second-place competitor Tyler Courtney. With a scheduled off weekend from the High Limit Racing Series, Sweet and the KKR team opted to gain extra track time by heading to Knoxville Raceway to compete with the World of Outlaws. The visit to “The Sprint Car Capital of the World” allowed the team some extra preparation ahead of the Knoxville Nationals in August. On Friday, June 14th, Sweet and the team took a chance on testing set-ups before the big dance in August. The Big Cat qualified 12th in Flight B with a time of 16.390 seconds. In heat race competition, Sweet advanced from sixth to fifth, and in Friday night’s feature, he charged from 20th to 15th. The NAPA team still had one more chance to progress on their set-ups for Knoxville Raceway the following night. Saturday night proved to be a night of redemption as Sweet continued to push the limits. Qualifying 10th in Flight B with a time of 16.306 seconds, the NAPA Auto Parts No.49 was on the move. Sweet went on to power through his heat race, finishing third after starting from fifth. In the final feature of the weekend, Sweet demonstrated his skills once again, climbing from 12th to finish ninth when the checkered flag dropped. Start / Finish: Tuesday, June 11, Eagle Raceway: 13 / 2 Friday, June 14, Knoxville Raceway: 20 /15 Saturday, June 15, Knoxville Raceway: 12 / 9 Points Standing / Total: 1st / 1,612 pts. (+76) Next Race: Wednesday, June 19, Huset’s Speedway, Brandon, SD How to Watch or Listen: FloRacing NAPA: @NAPARacing Brad Sweet: @BradSweetRacing Kasey Kahne Racing: @KKRdirt The post Sweet Extends Points Lead at Eagle, Challenges Outlaws at Knoxville appeared first on NAPA Blog. View the full article

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters team qualified fourth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway, leading the Hendrick Motorsports contingent. The 28-year-old driver finished stage one in fourth and followed that up with a 31st-place result in stage two after short pitting. In the final stage, Elliott took over the lead on lap 81 during the pit cycle prior to visiting pit road on lap 84 for four tires and fuel. Rejoining the race in the 12th position, he battled back to fourth before the checkered flag waved. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native advanced to second in the driver points standings and is now just 14 markers behind the leader. Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters team qualified fourth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway, leading Hendrick Motorsports’ four-car contingent. Elliott’s No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 showed speed from the drop of the green flag. He maintained his fourth-place running position in the opening laps. When the caution flag was displayed on lap three, Elliott relayed to crew chief Alan Gustafson that the NAPA Gold Filters Chevy’s handling wasn’t bad. Opting to restart from the outside lane in the third row, the 28-year-old driver retook the fourth position on lap seven and remained there until the yellow flag waved again on lap 16. Staying out under the caution, he restarted from third on lap 19 and was scored in fourth when another incident brought out the caution the very same lap. The No. 9 team opted not to pit, and Elliott took the green flag from the second row on lap 23. With the remainder of the stage going caution-free, the 2020 Cup Series champion took the green-and-white checkered flag in the fourth position at the conclusion of lap 25. Elliott remained on the track during the stage break, lining up third to start the second segment of the race on lap 30. After initially holding onto the third position, Elliott got loose and slipped to fourth before the caution came out on lap 32. Once again, the team opted not to pit under the yellow. This time, Elliott chose the outside lane for the lap-35 restart. He was scored fifth when another incident slowed the race just one lap later. Staying out, Elliott lined up fifth on lap 40. A chaotic restart triggered another caution, with the driver of the No. 9 Chevy being scored seventh at the time of the yellow flag. As part of the team’s strategy, Elliott again did not visit pit road. He restarted seventh on lap 43 and improved to sixth before coming to pit road under the green flag on lap 51 for four tires and fuel. He re-entered the track and laid down the fastest lap of the race before ending stage two in the 31st position on lap 55. “I feel like my balance is pretty good here. Just have to put it together,” was the report from Elliott under the stage-ending caution. He took the green flag for the final stage from the 25th position on lap 60 and improved to 15th before teams began making their final pit stops of the race on lap 68. Elliott remained on the track and took over the lead on lap 81. Just three laps later, Gustafson called his driver to pit road for four fresh tires and fuel. Elliott rejoined the race in the 12th position and re-entered the top 10 with 23 laps to go. He continued to press forward and was up to seventh with four laps remaining. He gained three more positions to earn a fourth-place result when the checkered flag waved. The result was Elliott’s fourth top-five finish at Sonoma in the Cup Series and his sixth top-five of the 2024 season. A strong points day moved Elliott up to second in the driver points standings, just 14 markers behind the leader. “It was a normal road course race,” Elliott said. “I felt like we were on the right strategy, I just lost too much time there early in the race. I fell back a few rows and felt like our group that we were racing against were who we were probably going to be racing for the win. Fell behind there early; lost a couple of rows and just never could get it back. I’m not sure I had the pace Kyle (Larson, race winner) had, but thought we were a solid top-three to five car and that’s where we finished. We’ll try again next week.” Start / Finish: 4 / 4 Points Standing / Total: 2nd / 547 pts. (-14) Next Race: Sunday, June 16, Iowa Speedway How to Watch or Listen: USA, MRN or SiriusXM NAPA: @NAPARacing Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott Hendrick Motorsports: @TeamHendrick No. 9 Team: @Hendrick9Team The post Elliott Earns Top-Five Finish at Sonoma Raceway appeared first on NAPA Blog. View the full article

Brad Sweet and the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team were poised to take on a busy week of High Limit Racing action, but Tuesday night’s event at Davenport Speedway in Iowa was rained out. That left two nights at I-70 Speedway in Odessa, Mo., on the schedule, and an opportunity for Sweet and the NAPA team to showcase their skills to fans and competitors alike. At the Rayce Rudeen Foundation event opener Friday night at I-70, Sweet posted the sixth-quickest time overall in qualifying with a lap of 13.768 seconds on the half-mile dirt oval. The Big Cat then dominated his heat race, taking the checkered flag and securing his spot in the FK Rod Ends Dash. With the help of his daughter Savannah, Sweet drew the third starting spot for the seven-lap dash to set the field for the evening’s feature. The NAPA driver held his ground to finish third, then lined up third for the feature. Sweet was able to pick up a spot in Friday’s main event. He crossed the line in the runner-up position. On Saturday night, Sweet was already locked into heat race competition thanks to his podium finish on Friday. The NAPA No. 49 was second across the line after starting fourth in the heat race. Sweet kept the energy level high in Saturday’s dash and finished third. The NAPA team went on to battle hard against tough competition in the main event. After a late-race caution, Sweet spun the tires on the restart and fell back to fifth. He maintained that position when the checkered flag flew. Despite the rain-out at Davenport, Sweet and the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team extended their points lead with the runner-up and top-five finishes. Sweet now leads the standings with a solid, 65-point advantage over second place. Eagle Raceway, a favorite from the 2023 season, is next on the schedule with a $55,000-to-win event. Start / Finish: Friday, June 7: 3 / 2 Saturday, June 8: 3 / 5 Points Standing / Total: 1st / 1,540 pts. (+65) Next Race: Tuesday, June 11, Eagle Raceway, Eagle, Nebraska How to Watch or Listen: FloRacing NAPA: @NAPARacing Brad Sweet: @BradSweetRacing Kasey Kahne Racing: @KKRdirt The post Sweet, NAPA No. 49 Team Extend High Limit Racing Points Lead appeared first on NAPA Blog. View the full article

Ron Capps’ bid for a third consecutive Funny Car win at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals came to an end in a close second-round race Sunday afternoon at Bristol Dragway. Capps qualified third in his NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra before falling in the quarterfinals to J.R. Todd. The overall weekend performance showed Capps and his Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli-led team that the drastic changes they made in the early part of the season are paying off as the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series heads into the hot summer races. Capps leaves Bristol No. 6 in the point standings after eight of 20 races on the 2024 schedule. Capps was one of several drivers who struggled to find traction in the first qualifying session on Friday, but crew chief Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli got the NAPA Auto Care entry back on track for the second session. Capps laid down a 3.976-second pass at 320.74 MPH to move up from ninth to third, while also earning a bonus point for making the third-best pass of the session. Capps maintained the No. 3 spot through two more qualifying sessions on Saturday. The NAPA team’s strong performance carried over into the first round of eliminations on Sunday morning when Capps got a big starting line advantage over opponent Buddy Hull and maintained the lead with a winning 3.962-second pass at 323.12 MPH to Hull’s 4.176 E.T. In a second-round battle with fellow Toyota driver J.R. Todd, Capps ran quicker to the 60-foot and 330-foot marks, but he started to lose ground and finished second behind Todd. Capps ran a 4.001 E.T. at 316.45, while Todd recorded a 3.977 E.T. at 319.75. “I’m so proud of Guido and our NAPA Auto Care team to go out there and compete like we did, to qualify as well as we did, and not only that, but to do it in completely different conditions like we did,” said Capps, the winningest Funny Car driver at Bristol with seven victories. “We qualified well in the Friday night conditions that we didn’t think we’d see the rest of the weekend. We went out and made a great run in the first round and got lane choice against a really good team, our Toyota teammate J.R. Todd and his team, in the quarterfinals. The fans got their money’s worth. It was a great side-by-side race, but we came up a little bit short. We’ve got a string of hot, summer races coming up and it gives me such confidence knowing Guido’s got a combination for that. I’m just so proud of these guys.” The next stop for Capps and the Ron Capps Motorsports Funny Car team will come in two weeks at the Virginia NHRA Nationals, June 22-23, at Virginia Motorsports Park outside Richmond. Start / Finish: No. 3 / def. in quarterfinals Points Standing / Total: No. 6 / 360 pts. (-220) Next Race: June 22-23, Virginia NHRA Nationals How to Watch or Listen: FS1, NHRA.TV NAPA Racing:@NAPARacing Ron Capps: @RonCapps28 Ron Capps Motorsports: @TeamRonCapps The post Capps Sees Promising Performance at NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals appeared first on NAPA Blog. View the full article

Jack Wood delivered his best performance of the 2024 season on Friday afternoon at Sonoma Raceway and earned a fifth-place finish. The driver of the No. 16 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet SS gained a position in the ARCA Menards Series West standings and now resides third in points after four events. The effort in California’s wine county marked his first top-five finish of the season and his third top-five result at Sonoma. Wood started the 200-mile showdown from the eighth position and immediately went forward at the drop of the green flag. The Loomis, Calif. driver vaulted himself into the top five on the opening lap to assert himself as a contender. The race’s first restart came on lap 10 and Wood settled into sixth position as he preserved his tires, since no tire changes were permitted during the 67-lap event. He came to the attention of the NAPA Auto Care team for his only pit stop of the afternoon during a lap 23 caution for a chassis adjustment and fuel. He restarted seventh on lap 27 and worked his way into fourth by lap 36. He would consistently run inside the top five for the balance of the event and claimed third position on a lap 47 restart. Over the final 10 circuits, Wood found himself in a heated battle for third and ran fourth with two laps to go when a caution flag waved to set up a one-lap overtime restart. Wood restarted fourth and took the checkered flag in fifth for his first top-10 result of his 2024 campaign. “It definitely feels good to get a top-five today,” Wood said. “We had a real consistent NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet today and it’s nice to come out of here with a good finish. All these guys at BMR brought some good speed here. We were a little bit off of race-winning speed, but proud of the effort and feel like we executed a solid day from start to finish.” Start / Finish: 8 / 5 Points Standing / Total: 3rd / 140 pts. (-19) Next Race: Thursday, July 4, Irwindale Speedway How to Watch or Listen: FloRacing NAPA: @NAPARacing Jack Wood: @DriverJackWood Bill McAnally Racing / McAnally-Hilgemann Racing: @BMR_NASCAR The post Wood Scores First Top-Five Finish of Season at Sonoma appeared first on NAPA Blog. View the full article

Brad Sweet is back on top of the High Limit Racing points standings after three events in three different states in the past week. The NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team powered their way through Pennsylvania, Indiana and Michigan to build up a 16-point lead over second-place Tyler Courtney. Sweet started strong with a mid-week run at Grandview Speedway in Pennsylvania. The No. 49 machine was quickest in Flight A qualifying with a lap time of 11.848 seconds. In his heat race, the Big Cat experienced a minor setback; he started fourth and dropped to fifth. Still, his strong qualifying result earned him a spot in the dash. In the seven-lap dash, Sweet drove from sixth to fourth. When the time came for the evening’s feature, the NAPA team showed their machine was competitive. Sweet rocketed from fourth to first, but after getting caught up in lapped traffic, the No. 49 tagged the wall. He then slipped back to his starting spot and finished fourth. The Kasey Kahne Racing team moved on to Indiana, where Sweet faced a challenging qualifying round at Lawrenceburg Speedway as the first car to go out. A time of 12.712 seconds placed the NAPA team 12th overall, so Sweet knew it was crucial to gain spots ahead of the evening’s feature. He did just that in his heat race, moving from third to second, but missed the dash and transferred directly to the main event. Surging forward from his ninth-place starting spot, the NAPA driver climbed to just shy of a podium finish. Still, his fourth-place result put Sweet back on top of the High Limit Racing points race. The final leg of the three-state swing brought the No. 49 team to Butler Speedway in Quincy, Michigan. The team’s skill was on full display from the start as Sweet posted a time of 12.781 seconds in qualifying, placing him second in Flight A. From there, the Big Cat continued to excel, moving forward from fourth to third in his heat race. Sweet drew the third spot to start the seven-lap dash, but he spun the tires on the start and finished one position back in fourth. In the Butler Speedway feature, Sweet bounced back. He advanced from fourth to second, then made a late-race charge on the final lap, setting up a photo finish. He missed the victory by just 0.063 seconds. The team makes their way next to Davenport, Iowa, where mid-week High Limit Racing is set to continue. Start / Finish: Tuesday, May 28, Grandview Speedway: 4 / 4 Friday, May 31, Lawrenceburg Speedway: 9 / 4 Sunday, June 2, Butler Speedway: 4 / 2 Points Standing / Total: 1st / 1,405 pts. (+16) Next Race: Tuesday, June 4, Davenport Speedway How to Watch or Listen: FloRacing NAPA: @NAPARacing Brad Sweet: @BradSweetRacing Kasey Kahne Racing: @KKRdirt The post Sweet Regains High Limit Racing Points Lead appeared first on NAPA Blog. View the full article

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified 17th for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at WWT Raceway. The 28-year-old driver advanced to 10th to end the first stage before finishing the second stage in the fourth position. During the final stage, pit strategy came into play. After pitting for right-side tires and fuel on lap 208, Elliott took the checkered flag to earn a 13th-place finish. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native advanced to third in the driver points standings, just 27 markers behind the leader. Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified 17th for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at WWT Raceway. The 28-year-old driver’s No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 showed speed from the drop of the green flag. At a track that was difficult to pass on, Elliott advanced to 15th by lap two and was scored 16th when the first caution of the race came out on lap three. Staying out, Elliott restarted from the 16th position and improved to 14th before another yellow flag waved on lap 17. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native radioed to crew chief Alan Gustafson that the No. 9 NAPA Chevy had “a little more build to the right rear than I’d like to have.” The team ultimately made the call not to pit and Elliott lined up 13th for the lap-23 restart. From there, he pressed forward and entered the top 10 for the first time of the race on lap 26. He remained there until the green-and-white checkered flag waved to end the first stage on lap 45. Under the stage-ending caution, Elliott relayed that he didn’t think the No. 9 NAPA Chevy was in a bad place. Gustafson called his driver to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. With some teams opting not to pit and others pitting for only two tires, Elliott took the green for stage two from the 17th position on lap 55. During a chaotic opening lap, the 2020 Cup Series champion was battling four-wide for position when the NAPA Chevrolet was forced up into the wall. Elliott was able to stay out on the track but reported that the contact knocked the toe out. Still, he continued to advance his position, moving into the top 10 on lap 56 and improving to sixth by lap 72. As a long green-flag run ensued, pit stops got under way on lap 91 with Elliott pitting from the third position on lap 96. Gustafson made the call for right-side tires and fuel. Elliott re-entered the track in the 24th position and improved to 15th before a caution slowed the race at lap 112. Opting not to pit under the yellow, Elliott restarted from the second position on lap 120. He continued to race in the runner-up spot until the closing laps of the stage when cars on fresher tires caught up to him. The Hendrick Motorsports driver held his own and remained inside the top-five running order to finish stage two in the fourth position on lap 140. Elliott brought the NAPA Chevrolet to the attention of his crew for four tires and fuel during the stage break. With teams on varying pit strategies, the driver of the No. 9 lined up 14th to start the final stage on lap 149. Elliott continued to battle inside the top 20 and was scored 13th when the first of the teams started making pit stops on lap 174. Having pitted more recently than some of the field, Elliott remained on the track and reported to his team that the NAPA Chevrolet was “tighter with the front end and loose with the back.” Gustafson called Elliott to pit road from the second position on lap 208 for right-side tires and fuel. He was running in 12th once the pit cycle was completed on lap 225. When the checkered flag waved on lap 240, Elliott crossed the line to finish 13th. Elliott improved one position in the driver points standings and is now third, only 27 markers behind the leader. Start / Finish: 17 / 13 Points Standing / Total: 3rd / 507 pts. (-27) Next Race: Sunday, June 9, Sonoma Raceway How to Watch or Listen: 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN or SiriusXM NAPA: @NAPARacing Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott Hendrick Motorsports: @TeamHendrick No. 9 Team: @Hendrick9Team The post Elliott Earns 13th-Place Finish at WWT Raceway appeared first on NAPA Blog. View the full article

For the second event in a row, NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra driver Ron Capps found himself facing Matt Hagan in what was billed as NHRA’s Funny Car Marquee Matchup of race day. During the Route 66 Nationals near Joliet, Illinois, Capps fell to Hagan, but on Sunday at the NHRA New England Nationals, Capps was able to avenge the loss as he powered past his former DSR teammate to advance to the quarterfinals at New England Dragway. After struggling to make it down the track during Friday’s two qualifying sessions, the NAPA Auto Care team led by Dean ‘Guido’ Antonelli, sent Capps’ machine straight down the groove in 4.036 seconds at 319.37 MPH in the heat of the day on Saturday. They then closed out qualifying by matching their Q3 E.T., settling into the No. 12 spot to set up a first-round rematch with Hagan. Against the No. 5 qualifier, Capps powered to a 4.045-second pass to defeat Hagan’s 4.185-second effort. Capps drew Daniel Wilkerson in the quarterfinals, and while he was the first to stand on the throttle, his machine lost traction early into the run while his opponent made a full pull in the opposite lane to advance. “We’ve talked about the rejuvenation of this NAPA Auto Care tune-up and what Guido has been working on with our team,” explained the third-year team owner-driver and three time Funny Car world champ. “The end game is another championship at the end of our season. We didn’t get down the track Friday night, so we weren’t able to capitalize on those primetime conditions to get us in the top half but so proud of what Guido and the team did on Saturday in those hot, difficult conditions when it went down the track both times. We’re going to see those same conditions coming up at these next few races and throughout the summer. “We have the performance. Guido is working hard to get us where we’re used to being, consistency-wise and that’s what gave us two championships two years in a row. We’re going to get that back, but unfortunately, just a little overpowering the track in the quarterfinals here today. Luckily, we’re back to back and we don’t have to wait long to get back on track.” The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series heads south to Bristol, Tenn. in a few days for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, June 7 – 9, where Capps returns as the winningest driver in the facility’s history with seven Bristol wins. Start / Finish: No. 12 / def. in Quarterfinals Points Standing / Total: No. 7 / 360 pts. (-220) Next Race: June 7-9, NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals How to Watch or Listen: FS1, NHRA.TV NAPA Racing:@NAPARacing Ron Capps: @RonCapps28 Ron Capps Motorsports: @TeamRonCapps The post Capps Wins Funny Car Marquee Matchup, Advances to Quarterfinals appeared first on NAPA Blog. View the full article

Christian Eckes finished second on Saturday afternoon for the third-straight season at World Wide Technology Raceway. The driver of the No. 19 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet Silverado RST led for the 12th-straight race this season and delivered a 53-point performance, tied for the most of all drivers in the field. Eckes now holds a 31-point advantage in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) standings after 12 races with four remaining in the regular season. Eckes was near the front of the field for the entire weekend in St. Louis. On Friday afternoon, he posted the second-quickest lap in practice and qualified second. After cloudy and rainy skies gave way to bright sunshine on Saturday afternoon, Eckes fired off in the second position and threatened for the lead. A restart on lap 16 gave him the opportunity to briefly claim the race lead in the 12th event this season. While he battled a tight handling condition, Eckes maintained the second position for the balance of Stage 1 to earn nine points on lap 35. Crew chief Charles Denike elected to put four tires on Eckes’ Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet during the stage caution as varying strategies developed. Eckes restarted 12th on lap 42, but swiftly made his way back towards the front. He restarted eighth on lap 55 after a quick yellow and immediately rejoined the top five on lap 56. The balance on his Chevrolet was improved but a tight condition still lingered. He took the third spot on lap 64 and reclaimed second on lap 67. He collected another nine points at the end of Stage 2 on lap 70. During the second stage caution, Eckes took another set of fresh tires, but an issue on the left front relegated him to restart 12th on lap 78. Despite the setback, Eckes locked in and drove forward yet again to blitz his way back into the top five on lap 91. A long green flag run set up a cycle of green flag pit stops beginning at lap 118. Eckes pitted for the final time on lap 122 under green for four tires and a minor adjustment. He narrowly unlapped himself before the race’s final caution flew on lap 130. Eckes cycled to third for the event’s final restart on lap 137. He seized control of a podium position on the restart and moved into second on lap 150. Eckes began to reel in the leader in the waning laps but took the checkered flag in second position for his sixth top-five finish of the season. “The whole weekend was second,” Eckes said. “We practiced in second. We qualified second. Second in both stages and second in the race. Consistent on that, but just definitely let one slip there. I felt like we should have won that race and felt like we had the best truck, but just got behind on track position and never could get it back up. Just super hard to pass and here we are running second. Can’t thank Gates Hydraulics, NAPA, Chevrolet, and everybody enough, and Sparks Tire & Auto.” Start / Finish: 2 / 2 Points Standing / Total: 1st / 506 pts. (+31) Next Race: Friday, June 28, Nashville Superspeedway How to Watch or Listen: FS2, MRN or SiriusXM NAPA: @NAPARacing Christian Eckes: @christianeckes Bill McAnally Racing / McAnally-Hilgemann Racing: @BMR_NASCAR The post Eckes Scores Big Points with Runner-Up at Gateway appeared first on NAPA Blog. View the full article

Jack Wood drove to a 12th-place finish at Portland International Raceway after a hail-mary pass for the lead on the final restart went awry and he ran off the track. Wood qualified the No. 16 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet SS in the fourth position, then quickly overtook the third-place position, where he remained for most of the ARCA Menards West Series race on Friday afternoon. During the halfway stage break, Wood visited pit road for fuel and service from crew chief Kevin Bellicourt and his crew. Following the break, Wood maintained his third-place position, fending off challenges from several different drivers on the 1.98-mile course. On the final restart, Wood launched himself from the second row, passing both the second- and first-place competitors, but miscalculated, and was unable to maintain the lead, sliding off-track. He was able to keep his Chevrolet SS undamaged and continued as the last vehicle on the lead lap. In the final five laps, Wood was able to improve his position from 15th to 12th, where he finished the 57-lap race. “Our NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet ran up front all day,” Wood said. “Proud of the speed that we had and all the work these BMR guys put into our car. We definitely should have run in the top three, but just got into the corner too deep on that last restart and it got away. It’s a shame to not get the finish we should have, but we’ll go to Sonoma and try to have the same speed there next week.” Start / Finish: 4 / 12 Points Standing / Total: 4th / 101 pts. (-16) Next Race: Friday, June 7, Sonoma Raceway How to Watch or Listen: FloRacing NAPA: @NAPARacing Jack Wood: @DriverJackWood Bill McAnally Racing / McAnally-Hilgemann Racing: @BMR_NASCAR The post Late Move for the Lead Comes Up Short for Wood at Portland appeared first on NAPA Blog. View the full article

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified fifth for the Coca-Cola 600. The 28-year-old driver made his 300th NASCAR Cup Series start on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. After finishing the first stage in the 11th position, Elliott improved to seventh to end stage two. During the third stage of the scheduled 400-lap event, weather entered the area and ultimately brought an early end to the Coca-Cola 600. Elliott and the No. 9 team were scored with a seventh-place result. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native is fourth in the Cup Series driver points standings, 17 markers behind the leader. Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified fifth for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 28-year-old driver took the green flag – making his 300th NASCAR Cup Series start – and continued to run inside the top 10 in the opening laps of the race. Prior to the first set of green-flag pit stops, Elliott reported that the NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was loose. On lap 43, crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for four tires, fuel and air-pressure and chassis adjustments. He cycled back to 11th by lap 51 and re-entered the top 10 on lap 83. The Hendrick Motorsports driver advanced one more position before the caution flag was displayed for an on-track incident on lap 87. Under the yellow flag, Elliott visited pit road for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. A fast stop by the NAPA crew gained Elliott two positions on pit road, putting him seventh for the lap-94 restart. When the green-and-white checkered flag waved to end stage one at lap 100, the driver of the No. 9 Chevy was scored with an 11th-place finish. During the stage break, Elliott brought the NAPA Chevy to pit road for four tires and fuel. With varying pit strategies by teams, he took the green flag for stage two from the 14th position on lap 111. After initially losing some track position, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native maneuvered his way back inside the top 15 by lap 116. He reached the 14th position before green-flag pit stops got under way. Gustafson kept Elliott out on the track longer than much of the field before having him come to pit road from the second position on lap 153. When the caution flag came out less than 10 laps later, Elliott was scored in the 22nd position. With Elliott having fresher tires than most due to the team’s strategy during green-flag stops, he stayed out on the track and lined up fourth for the restart on lap 165. From there, he advanced his position and powered to the lead on lap 168. Elliott paced the field for two laps before Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron worked his way by on lap 170. The race was slowed at lap 172 for an on-track incident. Again, the No. 9 team opted not to pit. Elliott restarted from the front row on lap 177 and was scored in the seventh spot when another caution came out on lap 197, which ultimately ended the second stage. After pitting for four tires and fuel, Elliott lined up fourth to start the third stage on lap 207. He maintained a top-10 running position early in the stage, racing in seventh at the time of a caution on lap 229. Elliott brought the NAPA Chevrolet to the attention of the No. 9 crew for fuel and four tires. Restarting from the third row on lap 236, he continued to race inside the top-eight running order. With weather in the area, the race fell under caution for precipitation before it was red flagged for lightning. The rain cleared the area, but the air remained too humid for the track to dry. Consequently, officials were forced to call the race with 249 laps completed. Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA team were credited with a seventh-place result. Start / Finish: 5 / 7 Points Standing / Total: 4th / 475 pts. (-17) Next Race: Sunday, June 2, WWT Raceway How to Watch or Listen: 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM NAPA: @NAPARacing Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott Hendrick Motorsports: @TeamHendrick No. 9 Team: @Hendrick9Team The post Elliott Finishes Seventh in Rain-Shortened Coca-Cola 600 appeared first on NAPA Blog. View the full article

Christian Eckes took an unorthodox path to secure a top-10 finish and extended his points lead on Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS). The driver of the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet Silverado RST earned a 10th-place finish after persevering through a trying day and now owns a 30-point advantage in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) championship standings after 11 of 16 regular season races. Eckes was instantly faced with adversity in practice after posting the third-quickest time in the session. He received significant damage to the left side of his Chevrolet after contact from another truck in practice and forced the team to make major repairs. Consequently, Eckes was scrubbed in qualifying and started from the tail of the field. The repairs did not deter Eckes as he targeted the front and rapidly charged forward at the start. He advanced from 35th to 14th by the end of Stage 1 on lap 30, despite simultaneously dealing with a low voltage issue. Under the first stage caution, crew chief Charles Denike and the NAPA team executed an efficient diagnosis of the situation which was attributed to a disconnected alternator. The team kept Eckes on the lead lap during the pit cycle to make repairs, but he was forced to restart at the tail of the lead lap. Once again, Eckes moved forward and advanced to 20th by the end of Stage 2 on lap 60. After pitting during the stage break, Eckes also pitted under caution on lap 75. The strategy allowed him to get off sequence with most of the lead lap trucks, and it paid off with a caution on lap 81. As the majority hit pit road, Eckes stayed on track to inherit the fifth position for the lap 88 restart. In his trademark fashion, Eckes wasted no time on the restart and immediately went from fifth to first. He paced the field for 37 laps while in fuel-savings mode until the final caution flew on lap 121. Eckes elected to stay on track in the lead as all but six trucks behind him dove to pit road for fresh tires. Over the final nine laps Eckes did his best to hold off competitors the fresh rubber, but took the checkered flag in 11th position. Following post-race technical inspection, the No. 11 truck was disqualified and Eckes was credited with a 10th-place finish. “We had a ton of adversity all day, for sure.” Eckes said. “We put ourselves in position to win the race and needed it to go green to the end for everything to work out like we wanted. It’s unfortunate, but really proud of the effort all these guys showed on our NAPA Auto Care, Black’s Tire Chevrolet. To get this truck repaired and turned around to race with that much speed says a lot about our team. Really proud of that and we’ll try to finish it off at Gateway next week.” Start / Finish: 35 / 10 Points Standing / Total: 1st / 453 pts. (+30) Next Race: Saturday, June 1, WWT Raceway How to Watch or Listen: FOX, MRN or SiriusXM NAPA: @NAPARacing Christian Eckes: @christianeckes Bill McAnally Racing / McAnally-Hilgemann Racing: @BMR_NASCAR The post Eckes Lengthens Points Lead with Top-10 Result at Charlotte appeared first on NAPA Blog. View the full article

With the High Limit Racing points lead in hand, Brad Sweet and the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team had their eyes on victory at the renowned Port Royal Speedway when they traveled to Pennsylvania for the Bob Weikert Memorial race. With weather dampening the festivities on Saturday night, Sweet and the NAPA team focused on Sunday’s main event, which boasted a $75,000 top prize. The No. 49 sprint car was strong in Sunday qualifying, securing the ninth-quickest time overall with a lap of 17.116 seconds. The heat race proved a challenge; Sweet finished sixth after starting fifth, missing the dash and locking into the main event. With an 18th-place starting spot in the feature, the NAPA team had a long climb ahead for a chance at victory. Port Royal proved a real challenge for the Big Cat, though. After 40 laps, Sweet could only maintain his spot to finish 18th. Although not the result the NAPA team was hoping for, Sweet took the experience as a learning opportunity for their return to Port Royal in the fall. The NAPA driver is now second in the High Limit Racing point standings, just one point shy of the leader. “It was a tough race, and the weather certainly added to the challenges, but I’m proud of the team’s effort,” said Sweet. “We’ll take what we learned here and come back stronger. The competition is fierce, and being just one point behind keeps us motivated to work even harder.” The team will compete tonight at Grandview Speedway before heading to Indiana. Start / Finish: 18 / 18 Points Standing / Total: 2nd / 1,204 pts. (-1) Next Race: Tuesday, May 28, Grandview Speedway, Bechtelsville, PA How to Watch or Listen: FloRacing NAPA: @NAPARacing Brad Sweet: @BradSweetRacing Kasey Kahne Racing: @KKRdirt The post NAPA Team Faces Adversity in Pennsylvania appeared first on NAPA Blog. View the full article

Brad Sweet and the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team found victory lane during a three-race week that spanned from Indiana to New York. It was at Outlaw Speedway in Dundee, New York, that Sweet earned the milestone win, but the High Limit Racing sprint car action started Tuesday night at Kokomo Speedway in Indiana. Sweet rolled into Kokomo and qualified sixth in Flight B with a lap time of 11.584 seconds. After maintaining his second-place starting spot at the completion of his heat race, the Big Cat transferred directly to the feature with a tenth-place starting spot. The NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 had speed in the 40-lap main event, and Sweet adeptly navigated through the field to secure a fifth-place finish. After the trip to New York, the NAPA team arrived at Outlaw Speedway on Thursday ready to continue their forward momentum. Sweet started the night by clocking the quickest lap of Flight B qualifying with a time of 12.971 seconds. The NAPA driver went on to start fourth and maintain his spot at the end of his heat race. With a spot in the dash, Sweet had an opportunity to improve his starting position in the evening’s feature. He ended up fifth to start the seven-lap dash and moved up to third, setting the stage for an exciting main event. After starting from third, Sweet strategically maneuvered the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 sprint car to the front, ultimately taking the checkered flag and securing Sweet’s first-ever win in the state of New York. The victory marked the sixth High Limit Racing win of the season for the NAPA team. On Friday night, Sweet and the No. 49 crew stayed in the Empire State and visited Utica-Rome Speedway. The No. 49 was fourth in Flight A qualifying with a lap time of 17.488 seconds. Sweet started on the pole of his heat race but fell back to second on the slick racing surface. After missing the dash again, Sweet lined up ninth for the evening’s feature. Despite the challenges of starting mid-pack, the NAPA driver hustled through the field to secure a solid sixth-place result. Start / Finish: Tuesday, May 14, Kokomo Speedway: 10 / 5 Thursday, May 16, Outlaw Speedway: 3 / 1 Friday, May 17, Utica-Rome Speedway: 9 / 6 Points Standing / Total: 1st / 1166 pts. (+34) Next Race: Saturday, May 25, Port Royal Speedway, Port Royal, Penn. How to Watch or Listen: FloRacing NAPA: @NAPARacing Brad Sweet: @BradSweetRacing Kasey Kahne Racing: @KKRdirt The post Sweet, NAPA No. 49 Team Shine in the Empire State appeared first on NAPA Blog. View the full article

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team started 15th in Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway after Saturday’s heat races were rained out and the lineup was set by qualifying results. When the first caution flag of the race came out on lap two, Elliott was scored in the same position in which he started. Under the yellow, crew chief Alan Gustafson called the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion to pit road for the primary tire option after starting the race on the soft tire option. Elliott restarted 16th on lap 11 and found himself inside the top 10 for the first time of the race on lap 41. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native battled with the ninth-place driver for several laps, but he couldn’t make the pass before the scheduled lap-100 caution occurred. The field came to pit road for mandatory pit stops, with the No. 9 team opting for the soft tires it had on earlier in the race. A fast, four-tire stop by the NAPA Racing crew gained Elliott two spots on pit road, and he lined up eighth for the choose cone, taking the inside lane for the restart on lap 109. The Hendrick Motorsports driver continued to battle inside the top eight and was scored in the seventh position when an on-track incident brought out the yellow flag on lap 118. Staying out on the track under the caution, Elliott lined up on the inside lane for the lap-124 restart and was running in the ninth spot when the second scheduled caution slowed the race on lap 150. Elliott relayed that his NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 needed more security, so the team made a chassis adjustment during its pit stop for four soft tires and fuel. With some teams opting to pit for only two tires, Elliott lined up 12th for the choose cone and took the inside lane for the restart on lap 159. From there, he pressed forward and moved back into the top 10 on lap 165. He managed to gain two more positions before the checkered flag waved, claiming an eighth-place result in the 200-lap all-star event. It was Elliott’s second consecutive top-10 finish in the exhibition event and seventh top-10 overall in nine All-Star Race starts, which includes his 2020 victory at Bristol Motor Speedway when he took home the $1-million prize. Start / Finish: 15 / 8 Points Standing / Total: 4th / 437 pts. (-49) Next Race: Sunday, May 26, Coca-Cola 600, Charlotte Motor Speedway How to Watch or Listen: 6:00 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NAPA: @NAPARacing Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott Hendrick Motorsports: @TeamHendrick No. 9 Team: @Hendrick9Team The post Elliott Claims Eighth-Place Result in All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro appeared first on NAPA Blog. View the full article