Evolution of NAPA
NAPA Auto Parts started sponsoring some lesser known drivers during 1990. It began as an acquirement for drivers on the Moroso Racing team. Three years later [1993], it sponsored Jimmy Means’ #52 Ford Thunderbird. This car rarely comes to mind for most fans prior the sponsor + number combo, but the colors were Super Rich. Another three years later, NAPA Auto Parts sponsored Ron Hornday Junior’s #16 Chevy Silverado at the 1996 Craftsman Truck Division. The next driver to be sponsored by NAPA after that was a Richard Childress Racing operator of the era: Ron Hornaday Junior. He operated the #31 at some events in the 1999 Feeder Division, but fans didn’t admire that as much as the #3 that he drove in the upcoming 2000 season. A season later [2001], Michael Waltrip’s #15 Chevy for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated in the Cup Series mocked the precise identical scheme of Ron Hornaday’s #3 NAPA Chevrolet. In 2002, Michael’s #15 NAPA started to seem a bit Different, with just the Earnhardt stripes running at the bottom. The yellow was taken off the pillars, turning them blue forever. Since the era of between 2003 and 2005 inclusive, the stripes at the bottom of Michael’s NAPA livery was edited to resembling more of an ‘E’ for Earnhardt. Somewhere around this period, NAPA was being copied and overused by drivers of regional K&N Pro series. During 2006 when his RN [racing number] became #55 Michael Waltrip moved in with Dave Blaney at Bill Davis Racing, and his car became a Dodge along with Dave’s car. But starting 2007 and ending 2008, they both ended up switching to Toyota. Dave stayed where he was, and Michael transferred to his self owned team for Dale Jarrett and David Reutimann to join, titled Michael Waltrip Racing. In 2009, Dale Jarrett retired, leaving NASCAR entirely. At the same time, NAPA was sponsoring their #99 in the Nationwide Feeder Series. Michael Waltrip and David Reutimann remain at the team until the beginning of 2012. When 2010 came, Michael Waltrip’s racing number was #51, [reverse to the #15 he drove during the early and mid noughties]. This is why the combo of NAPA and a #51 car don’t make Sense, it makes the combination unusual. The #55 was still active, just not full time on Michael Waltrip Racing. The next season, his number was #15 again, for an extremely tiny portion of races. But that didn’t seem to Bother anybody Really, because in 2012 the number [for Clint Bowyer] was arranged to be on the MWR team anyhow, as Michael operated #15 in the past. It also still didn’t make Sense, because in 2011, the #55 wasn’t present on the Michael Waltrip Racing team at All. This made thousands of [NASCAR] fans Angry, not just because it gave them Work to do, but They had to create an alternative history where the #55 was still on MWR for both seasons 2010 and 2011, to prevent all this Other chaos from happening. It was brought back in 2012 however, but this didn’t make even More sense. But at the same time instead, the #00 was even sponsored by NAPA in the 2010 Nationwide Division. In the Sprint Cup Series same Season, NAPA sponsored Martin Truex Junior’s new #56, all while Michael’s number became #51 instead of remaining #55 for him and Martin to be neighboring number teammates. During 2013, NAPA sponsored Clint Bowyer’s #15 Toyota, with their Filters brand after skipping a year of sponsoring his and MWR’s #15 in 2012. Ironically it follow up the sponsorship toward Michael Waltrip at the 2011 Daytona 500 marking the decade of Dale Senior’s death. NAPA continued to sponsor Martin Truex’s #56 until the end of 2014. In the same year, Junior Motorsports purchased sponsorship for Regan Smith’s #7 and Chase Elliott’s #9. This is the point where NAPA becomes more and more overused. People are not accustomed to the pairing of NAPA and #7 or #9 cars, regardless of the Team the numbers are on. In 2015, Chase Elliott was operating with NAPA across the Xfinity Feeder Series and the NASCAR Cup Series. In the Cup Series, he obtained a sponsor + number combo of NAPA on his #25 Chevrolet livery as a member of Hendrick Motorsports. Now this wasn’t as Bad, but when he took over the #24 during 2016 and 2017, it began not to look so great. Jeff Retired within the first season Chase took over his former cup Racing number. Also during 2016, Todd Gilliland acquired NAPA Auto Parts at a Regional K&N Pro division, and his number was #16, matching the season. It even Kind of resembled a knockoff throwback of Ron Hornaday’s #16 in the 1996 Craftsman Truck Series unlike Ron’s original Chevy Silverado, Todd’s was a Toyota Camry. In the 2018 Monster Energy Cup Division, Chase regained the sponsor + number combo of NAPA and #9 and it stuck with him forever. Several fans Still dislike the appearance of that combination on Chase Elliott’s Camaro. Many fans found His throwback to Jimmy Means’ 1993 NAPA Thunderbird was even Stupider.
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Jonathan Ramirez 