Jack Middleton of Columbus, Ohio, was selected as the 14th NAPA AUTO PARTS Honorary Crew Member of
the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series at this weekend's NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.
Middleton, 66, has owned Automotive Specialties in Columbus for 31 years, which is also a NAPA
AutoCare Center. He was selected for this honor by the NAPA AUTO PARTS Columbus Distribution Center
as one of its top customers.
Racing a Turbocharged Monte Carlo, Middleton competes here at Summit Motorsports Park in the Outlaw
10.5 class for the "world's fastest street cars" during the "Friday Night Chaos" events. "I've only
been racing in these events the last couple of years, but it's a great deal of fun," he said.
He is an avid NAPA and NHRA Drag Racing fan and watches every race on ESPN2, he said. "I expect Ron
Capps and his crew chief Ed 'Ace' McCulloch to win every race. They have a really good team.
"I am really thrilled to have been selected for this honor," added Middleton, who "got to shake
(six-time Top Fuel champion) Tony Schumacher's hand, had a good breakfast (in the Don Schumacher
Racing pit area), and learned a lot about all the internal workings of the team, including the
enormous amount of money and people it takes to get the job done."
Middleton's non-wrenching crew-member duties included escorting the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Funny Car
to the staging lanes for the first two rounds of eliminations on Sunday. He then helped retrieve
the car at the end of the track following NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Funny Car driver Capps' runs.
He also met and chatted with the entire NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Funny Car crew, was a special guest
in the NAPA hospitality area throughout the weekend, received a NAPA team jersey, experienced an
up-close-and-personal view of the NAPA crew as the team worked on the car, and enjoyed a private
tour of the team transporter and pit area.
The side window of the NAPA Dodge also sported Middleton's name as today's NAPA Honorary Pit Crew
Member.
NAPA AUTO PARTS distribution centers at each NHRA event during the season have different criteria
for choosing the persons who are potential NAPA AUTO PARTS Honorary Crew Members.
