A grant is financial assistance provided to eligible individuals, typically without requiring repayment. The episode mentions the average grant size (around $4,000) as part of AACF’s mission to provide immediate relief.
The aftermarket is everything that helps keep cars running or makes them more personalized—like parts and services that aren’t made by the car brand itself. The episode is about supporting the people who work in that world.
This just means the people who work with car parts and services that aren’t made by the car brand. Think shops and specialists who keep older or enthusiast cars going.
NPD is a company that sells automotive parts for enthusiasts and restorations. The host is using it as a clue that the person emailing them is genuinely connected to the car world.
The Maserati Ghibli is a luxury sedan that’s meant to feel sporty when you drive it. The podcast mentions it in connection with racing updates, which usually means it has a history or following among driving enthusiasts. It’s talked about because it combines comfort with performance in a regular car body.
This is a racing series where many drivers compete in similar race cars. The episode is saying there are big national events you’d want to aim for if you want to measure yourself against other drivers.
This is a major racing event in Charlotte that runs through the summer. Instead of a single weekend, it’s spread out over weeks with races happening regularly.
They’re saying the race organizers require everyone to use the same kind of tires by buying a specific tire set. That helps make the racing more fair and predictable.
“Scrub them in” means bedding the tires to the track by running them through a controlled warm-up process. The goal is to get the tire surface working properly so you can measure performance and make setup decisions with consistent grip.
Stagger is how you set up the tires so the front and rear (or sides) don’t match exactly. Changing it can make the car turn better or feel more stable in corners.
A “class” is the category you race in based on experience. Being in the semi pro class means you’re competing against drivers at a similar skill level.
“Winter Nationals” is referenced as the first event of the year where Dallas ran and finished third overall. This is likely a specific race weekend within the series, and it sets context for how the driver has performed earlier in the season.
Concept
race tires vs practice tires
Practice tires and race tires can act differently. So a car that feels great in practice might struggle once the real race tires are installed.
Veterans Motorplex at the Rim is a track north of Nashville where the team ran the first set of races. The host notes the track is “now done,” implying a multi-track stretch where performance issues may be track-specific. For racing fans, it’s a key part of the context behind the setup changes and the crash discussion.
The Nashville Fairgrounds is a track where the next races are happening. Different tracks can make the car handle differently, so teams often change tires or setup. It’s part of why the driver’s results can vary.
USLegendsCars.TV is where people watch and follow Legends Car races. In this segment, they’re saying the crash details came from that coverage. It’s basically the “race broadcast” source.
Late model stocks are a type of race car class. They’re built to look like production cars, but they’re really race-prepped. The speaker is saying it’s a different class than older stock categories.
Pro late models are a more competitive version of late model racing. The cars are usually more advanced than the simpler versions. The host is basically saying Dallas will likely race in that higher class.
Coilovers are adjustable suspension parts that control how the car rides and handles. They help the tires stay planted when you brake, turn, or hit bumps. In race cars, they’re used so the team can fine-tune the handling.
National Parts Depot is a company that sells aftermarket parts for muscle cars. The hosts mention them as a sponsor and as a place to find the parts people want for their cars.
“Muscle car parts” are the aftermarket parts people buy to fix up or improve muscle cars. The host is basically saying that National Parts Depot sells the kinds of parts muscle car owners look for.
Hot rods are cars that have been modified, usually to make them look cooler and drive better. The host is saying the charity helps people involved in that kind of car hobby.
AACF is a charity group for the auto parts and service world. It helps people in the industry when life gets tough, like during financial or personal emergencies.
Cooper is a tire brand (Cooper Tire & Rubber Company) that’s been a long-time player in the tire market. In the transcript, it’s used to illustrate the caliber of companies John worked with while building his aftermarket career.
Concept
franchising
Franchising in the automotive aftermarket context typically means operating or distributing under an established brand’s business model and standards. John mentions franchising alongside retailing and wholesale distribution to describe how aftermarket companies scale through partnerships.
The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is the long-wheelbase version of the Wrangler, popular for off-road use and easy customization. John describes his as a “mild altered” Wrangler, which signals typical enthusiast modifications for comfort and capability rather than extreme racing prep.
The Jeep Wrangler is a type of SUV made for off-road driving. A Wrangler Unlimited is the longer version, and a “mild altered” one usually means it has small upgrades rather than major changes. People talk about it a lot because it can be used normally, but it’s also built to go on rough trails.
Muscle cars are American performance cars associated with the 1960s–1970s era, known for strong engines and a focus on straight-line performance. John ties his interest to growing up in the 1970s and being exposed to those cars, which helps explain his connection to the classic/muscle-car community.
TBC Corporation is a company in the tire and auto services business. The guest is saying they learned about AACF through someone at work while they were employed there.
Brand
NTW
NTW is another tire/service brand name mentioned in the same list. The guest is using it to show how many different auto service brands TBC has been involved with.
A foundation is a charity organization. In this story, it’s the group that AACF became—started by a small group of people and built to help others in the automotive parts and service world.
SEMA is a huge car-parts industry event in the U.S. It’s where companies that make performance and aftermarket parts meet and show what’s new. The foundation uses events like this to get attention and support.
In the U.S., a 501(c)(3) is a nonprofit that the government recognizes as tax-exempt. That usually means donations are treated more favorably for the donor, and the organization can run charitable programs.
This is a monthly giving program—think of it like a subscription donation. You can start with a small amount each month and keep supporting the foundation as long as you want.
Quick lubes are the places you go for fast services like oil changes. They’re included here to show that the aftermarket isn’t just parts—it’s also everyday maintenance shops.
Eligibility requirements are the rules you have to meet to be considered for help. Here, it’s mainly about how long you’ve worked in the car parts/repair industry and whether it was with one or multiple employers.
A pre-application is like an early, quick form you fill out first. It helps the program check whether you likely qualify before you do the longer paperwork.
They’re talking about help for people when big weather events like hurricanes or floods hit. The idea is to provide support quickly so workers can recover and get back to work.
They’re using a metaphor: the AACF is like a ramp that helps you get back onto the road to getting your life back together. It’s meant to sound fast and practical.
A turbocharger is a device that helps an engine make more power by pushing extra air into it. If someone works for a turbocharger company, they’re likely involved with parts that are used in performance builds and repairs.
“Lean” refers to running an organization with minimal staffing and streamlined processes to reduce waste and improve efficiency. The speaker uses it to explain how the AACF can operate with only two staff members while still functioning effectively.
A committee-based organization means decisions and processes are handled by specific groups rather than one person. Here, the speaker highlights a recipient review committee that responds quickly to applications, emphasizing how the foundation operates.
The Tire Industry Association (TIA) represents tire manufacturers and related tire-industry businesses. In the segment, it’s included to show that the AACF’s support network spans beyond general auto parts into tires.
The Auto Care Association is an industry group representing companies involved in automotive maintenance, repair, and parts distribution. Here, it’s listed alongside other trade organizations as part of the AACF’s broader aftermarket representation.
Advance (as referenced here) points to Advance Auto Parts, a major U.S. auto parts retailer. The mention is part of a list showing how multiple large retailers are represented in the aftermarket support network around the AACF.
Company
Pronto
Pronto is mentioned as one of the companies represented in the aftermarket network supporting the AACF. The context suggests it’s part of the distribution/retail ecosystem rather than a specific vehicle or product.
Company
NAPPA
NAPPA refers to a national auto parts-related association (commonly used in the aftermarket context). In this segment, it’s named as part of the network of companies and associations represented, reinforcing that the AACF’s reach includes parts distribution and retail.
Company
O'Reilly's Auto Zone
O’Reilly Auto Parts and AutoZone are major U.S. auto parts retailers. The segment lists them as part of the aftermarket companies represented in the AACF’s board/committee ecosystem, illustrating how large retailers support the foundation’s mission.
Company
Service Company
“Service Company” is mentioned as part of the aftermarket companies represented, but the transcript doesn’t provide a specific brand name. It likely refers to a company within the automotive service/parts ecosystem supporting the foundation.
Company
Valveline
Valveline appears to be a transcription error for Valvoline, the well-known engine oil and lubrication brand. It’s listed among aftermarket companies represented, indicating the foundation’s support comes from multiple segments of the automotive industry.
Interstate is likely referring to Interstate Batteries, a major battery brand and supplier. In this segment, it’s included in a list of aftermarket companies represented, showing the AACF’s network spans batteries and other vehicle maintenance categories.
Financial counseling is discussed as a type of support where the “math” may be straightforward, but the emotional burden of hearing people’s hardships can be intense. The speaker uses this experience to explain why charitable work can be both challenging and meaningful.
In this context, “recipients” are the individuals within the automotive aftermarket industry who receive financial or other charitable support from the foundation. The episode emphasizes increasing the number of recipients as a primary goal.
The speaker describes procuring a 1965 Ford Mustang convertible as the sweepstakes prize. They also mention it had a 289 V8, factory air, and a specific C-code designation, which helps identify the car’s original equipment and engine configuration.
Term
289
The “289” is the size of the engine in the car—about 289 cubic inches. It’s a common classic V8 that people recognize in older Mustangs.
“Factory air” means the car came with air conditioning when it was built. That’s a nice feature on a classic car because it’s not something you always find installed correctly.
Term
C code
“C code” is a label Ford used to identify a specific factory configuration. Here, it’s part of how they’re telling you which exact engine setup the Mustang had.
The Lucid Air is an electric car, meaning it runs on electricity instead of gasoline. It’s built like a luxury sedan, and the podcast is pointing out that the example they saw was in good condition and had factory features. People discuss it because it’s an EV meant to be comfortable for everyday driving.
The episode highlights a 1969 Pontiac Firebird as a featured car for the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation (AACF) sweepstakes/donation effort. The speaker also calls out specific build details—champagne gold paint, factory air, factory disc brakes, and a 350 automatic—showing how these options can make a classic car more desirable. This is the kind of “spec” information enthusiasts look for when evaluating classic cars.
“Factory discs” means the car has disc brakes that came from the factory. Disc brakes generally stop better and handle repeated braking more consistently than older drum brakes. It’s also a plus for originality.
They’re saying it has a 350 V8 engine and an automatic transmission. That means you don’t shift gears manually, and it’s set up for easier driving. The engine size is a big part of what makes it a classic muscle car.
Rally wheels are a classic type of wheel design you often see on older American performance cars. Here, they’re saying the Firebird still has its original style wheels. That’s important for keeping the car looking right for its era.
White letter tires are tires where the brand/model lettering on the sidewall is white and stands out. It’s a style choice that looks very “classic muscle car.” The host is pointing out that the car includes that look.
They mention 17-inch American Racing wheels, which are a popular brand of aftermarket wheels for classic cars. The size affects the car’s look and how it sits. Since it’s part of the prize, it’s a big part of why the giveaway is attractive.
“Spring Nationals” is a big car event that happens in the spring. It’s where people bring their cars, meet other enthusiasts, and often watch racing or related activities.
LIVE
The Muscle Guard Place, online podcast, episode number 645.
This week, our guest is John Carries from the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation,
AACF is what it's called.
This organization has been around for over 50 years, and I am embarrassed to say that
until about a month ago, I had no idea about that.
And maybe you hadn't either, but you're sure you're going to realize that the world
does have some good Samaritans after you hear all of this.
The individual only has to be employed for one year with a single employer within the
aftermarket, again within all those different segments I had mentioned earlier.
Right now, I could tell you to share with you that we're running in the mid-90s from
approval rates on the applications, partly due to that pre-qualification, if you will.
And then the average grant that we're providing individuals is in around $4,000.
But our intent and our mission is to really be the first line of recovery, to get somebody
back on their feet.
This is the Muscle Car Place Online Podcast, brought to you by National Parts Depot.
This is the weekly show dedicated to people worldwide who love American muscle cars.
If you're buying, selling, restoring, even racing them, this is the place for you.
Now, here's your host, Rob Kibbe.
Yes, indeed I am, Rob Kibbe, and welcome to the Muscle Car Place Podcast.
Well, here we are, final show of April, and our guest is John Carries from the Automotive
Aftermarket Charitable Foundation.
This organization exists specifically to be the first charitable step that gets people
working in the aftermarket back on their feet in times of need, and that's cash.
What I'm talking about is the thing that they need most usually is cash.
This might be for a natural disaster issue, medical issue, et cetera, things like that,
and it's that first little, look, we've all been there, right after disaster strikes,
if you're short on money, you need a little time to get things going, sometimes just a
little extra cash up front is the solution here.
That's what their organization is for.
I never really knew about this organization.
It's been a round far longer than I have, or maybe you have.
Their goal really is to be that place where aftermarket workers can go.
They're a small organization, they're very efficient.
They genuinely care about people, well, in our industry, and as far as, I don't think
there's anything in it for them other than to help.
So John Carries, he reached out to me, he's been a listener for a while now, and I will
admit when I get emails like this, I'm suspicious.
I do get a decent amount of spam requests, well, a lot of legitimate requests, usually
though from agencies, and they say, hey, we love the muscle car place podcast, and you
can tell when they're fake generated, and you can tell when they're just shotgunning
for stuff.
And they'll usually say something like this, it'll be, we would like to partner on mutually
beneficial opportunities, it'll be something like that.
And you can translate it pretty quick that says they get free access to the muscle car
place audience, and in return, I get nothing, that's usually what it means.
In this case, John's email was, first, it was obviously genuine, and as soon as I read
it, I knew, okay, this is real, this is a real dude, I Googled the organizer, oh, okay.
And then he had mentioned in his email a few things to let me know that he really is a
listener, and he's been listening a while, in fact, he'd already interacted with Rick
Schmidt at NPD over something because of this show is neat.
So what you're going to hear in this interview, I will tell you straight up is not a paid promotion,
I offered this to them after we talked, they didn't ask for this, I just want to help.
And I hope that it does.
You know, sometimes we just need to help our fellow man because we can, and that's what
this organization is for.
So, again, I hope that this interview helps, please listen to it, maybe you need this right
now, maybe someone you know needs this right now, please share this interview, both this
audio show and the video show that accompanies this, we have this full interview on video
as well, please share it all.
The worst thing that happens is somebody that has a need to get some help, I'm okay
with that.
Now very short show today, I come from you live right now from the basement of a really
funky and very fun VRBO in Nashville, Tennessee.
Let's roll right to the Dallas Ghibli Legends Car Racing Update, burn, cue the intro please.
The variant, the car is fast, loses fast and on the edge you're out of control.
Okay, so I think I told you last week, there are three national events throughout the year
for iNex Legends Car Racing.
And there's lots of local events, and there's lots of local series, and they're all valuable,
but the three national events are the biggies.
That's where you want to go and test your medal against people, and then there's one
other high profile event, and that's the Charlotte Summer Shootout, that's an eight week series,
but it's just one or two races a week for eight weeks, no maybe it's ten weeks, anyway
it's in Charlotte, North Carolina, it's all summer, Dallas is going to do that too.
But these national events are one week long, and you race every day, you practice every
day, and you run on a set of tires that you are mandatorily required to purchase before
the event starts, they are assigned to you, they are barcoded to you, you cannot change
them, you get six, that's what you get, and only in cases of extreme circumstances will
they issue you another one, and it has to be pretty extreme, and I would say that they
don't want to do it.
So the way that it works, you get your six tires, then it's up to you to measure them,
scrub them in, try to figure out what stagger is or isn't going to work, etc.
The way that they keep the playing field equal is that you're in a class, so in Dallas's
case he's in the semi pro class, and that's usually the biggest class, there's a class
underneath that called Young Lines, and that's for people that are lesser experienced, and
under the age of 16, there's a class even below that called Chargers, which is a little
to no experience in a legends car, then there's a class called Masters, and that's for 40
and over, Kyle Busch is here racing in the Masters class, that does you anything, then
there's a class called Pro, and that's what you think it is, that's people who have graduated
up to that next level, a lot of great drivers at Keelan Harvick is here running this week,
if that does you anything. This is one of these events where you come to test your
medal. In the first event of the year, Dallas ran, that was the Winter Nationals, he finished third
overall for the whole event. Sitting here halfway through this event, I'm pretty sure that can't
happen anymore. This has been a toughie. For whatever reason, his tires, him, and that car
do not get along, and what's very frustrating is on just regular old race tires that we
brought in and used for practice, they did get along. Everything was fine until we got the race
tires issued, and that's what's so frustrating. But that's the event, right? Everybody's supposed
to be in the same field, so you get the same lot numbers as everybody else in your class,
in theory, if you have crappy tires, so does everybody else, in theory, if you have great
tires, so does everybody else. That ends up being the case this time, but that's the game,
so, right? You got to play the game. He's three races in. He's finished in the teens in both,
and there's no saying that he might not get three wins here in a row. We did the first three races
at a track north of Nashville called Veterans Motorplex at the Rim. Three races there, and that
track is now done. We're now in Nashville proper, and he'll run three more races at the Nashville
Fairgrounds. He's been to that track a couple, three weeks ago for a local race. Actually,
at the Veterans Motorplex at the Rim, we came down last week and did a practice and a local
race there. He got second. Isn't that maddening? Everything was fine. Everything was fine until
it wasn't. We've tried changing the tires, going to a less stagger even though that shouldn't help.
It actually did. We've tried having him change at every entry point. We've changed the backup car.
We've done everything. Everything kind of helps, but doesn't. So, it's just one of these things
where there's a lesson to be learned here. We're going to figure it out probably later when it's
over, learn from it, and move on. So, that's where we are. Yesterday, though, ended on kind of a
snaggle tooth. Here was the third race of the week. Oh, watch out turn two. Around goes Caden Tufts.
Dallas Kibbe catches the outside wall, knocks the right front tire off of it,
and that wheel continues down the back straightaway. It may outrun the car at this point.
Yeah, I can't tell if Hunter Jordan got into Maddox Hooper and sent him up the track.
Or what happened? Either way, Caden Tufts ended up sideways and around backwards.
And poor Dallas Kibbe, boom, nowhere to go. That was from the official USLegendsCars.TV
race coverage. Right. So, moving on. Three more races to go at another track.
Let's hope that goes better. Dale Jr., by the way, was at the Nashville Fairgrounds last week
in racing in the cars tour, and the fairgrounds were packed. I thought that was pretty cool to see.
One of the kids that's racing on our race team actually ran in that race in a late model.
Dale Jr. runs in what's called, oh gosh, what's it called? The late model stocks. I think it's
what it's called. And it's basically like, well, an old Bush series car or an old Riley's car now,
but the pro late models is a different class, and that's probably more along the lines of what
Dallas will run. And that's a straight rail car. It has coilover. It's a more modern chassis. It's
faster, but Dale Jr. likes more the nationwide style car. So anyway, you can follow all this at
uslegendscars.tv. That's not free. You've got to buy a membership to that. I did not say that you
would ever suspect me of giving that log into multiple people, but I can tell you for effect
that only one person can be logged in at a time. So, FYI, uslegendscars.tv is where you go.
But you can also follow along on all of Dallas' social media channels.
I have a feeling things are going to turn around here at the fairgrounds. I think he does too,
but you know, this time I get with him before he heads off to college or whatever the next
step of his life is after high school. These days are precious and they're becoming less and less.
I'm not taking that for granted. Please follow along and enjoy, and I wish us luck for the next
one, and there's a lesson here somewhere. Burn, you the outro.
Okay, let's go ahead and roll the feature interview. Don't forget, once per month, we do have
Mr. Rick Schmidt from National Parts Depot on to talk all things NPD, and you can ask him anything
you like. Send in your questions to me, Robert at themusclecarplace.com, and of course, visit
nationalpartsdepot.com to peruse for all your muscle car parts needs, because they find these
horses they expect the best. There is a difference, and they've got the goods. Okay, up next here is
Mr. John Carries from AACF. Listen to the whole thing, share it with anybody you need. Good
Samaritans do exist, and they work on hot rods. Enjoy. The Muscle Car Place weekly podcast
interview is brought to you by our good friends at National Parts Depot. See them through the link
at themusclecarplace.com. Joining us today is something new, something we've never done.
Our guest is John Carries. He is the executive director of the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable
Foundation, it's called AACF, and it has existed since 1959. They support individuals, families,
all within the automotive aftermarket for life's hardships, accidents, illness, deaths, and the
family natural disasters, financial, all of the things that a charity should do for the
automotive aftermarket. I will admit that this is one of these things that when I've heard of
seems too good to be true, but it is true. They raise money, they give it to those who need it,
so let's learn more, John. Welcome to the show. Well, hi, Rob, and thank you very much for this
opportunity. Glad to be with you. My pleasure. I appreciate you reaching out in the first place.
Every now and then, I'll get an email from someone that says, hey, I enjoy your show,
and then it's usually a phishing email or something like that, John.
But you really listen to this show, and you are the executive director of the AACF,
so I'm just curious, John, what's your personal background in cars unrelated to AACF?
Why are you even interested in classic cars? Oh my goodness. Well, you know, I've always been
a car guy, and when you look at my history in terms of my career, I spent 40 plus years in
the aftermarket. I started in my teens working at a service station back when you pump gas,
you washed windshields, you filled folks' tires with air, checked your oil, and it evolved into
the parts industry, got involved with the tire industry as well with great companies such as
Pirelli and Cooper, and ended up in retailing, wholesale distribution, and franchising,
all in the automotive aftermarket space. So just a long career in the aftermarket always
had been a car guy. I've always loved cars. I've really gravitated toward trucks and off-road
vehicles in my early days. I built a couple of different trucks, and now I have a Jeep in the
garage. It's just a very mild altered Wrangler Unlimited that I really enjoy. I live in Florida,
so we have a Tennessee to go to the beach every once in a weekend, and it's just a
wonderful vehicle for that. But my love for vehicles and more importantly, passion for
muscle cars and growing up in the 70s, of course, I was exposed to that error and just great vehicles
and came across your show just on a walk. One day, it was about three years ago, I guess, almost now,
I just searched for automotive podcasts, and all of a sudden the muscle car place popped up, and I
just said, this is a natural. So I've been listening to you for that long and really enjoying your show.
Appreciate what you do, Rob. Hot dog. The algorithm works. Yes.
Hook them one at a time. Yes. Were your parents into cars? I mean, you mentioned, you know,
working on a service station. Are you a second or third generation car person, or are you just
out on your own? Because you've made a life out of it. Well, I guess there is something there,
and I tell the story. So my father, unfortunately, I lost my dad when I was 12. He was always into
cars. I can remember when I was younger that he was always bringing something home new and
showing it off to the family and to the neighbors. So I kind of grew up in this,
hey, look at these new vehicles. I always was paying attention to cars. But the irony of all this
is, as my mother told me the story once, that my mom and dad were on the way to the hospital
before I was born. And my father insisted in stopping and getting the car washed
before they got to the hospital. So I think that has something to do with it. I'm pretty
conscious about the look of my vehicles, making sure they're always clean, of course.
And that might have something to do with it, Rob. So I don't know. Was that the second kid or the
did your dad been there and done that? Like, we got time for a car wash we've got.
Yeah, I think that may have happened before. I never got to the bottom of that whether it was
a repetitive. I'm one of four and the last one, by the way. So it could have, my chance may have
happened before. I don't know. By our third kid, I made some chili before we left for the hospitals.
Okay, so somehow you've had this wonderful career. And for a lot of people, that's enough.
How did you become aware of AACF, much less become involved in it?
You know, it was through a coworker. I had my last job that I had various positions or last
company I worked for, should I say, was TBC Corporation down in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
here. TBC, a lot of people don't know who they are, but names like Big O Tyres, Midas, Tyre Kingdom,
NTB, NTW, those are all entities of which they own and operated at one time.
There was a coworker of mine that was on the board of the AACF, fell by the name of Andy Dudesh.
Andy, to this day, very good friend. He's since retired, of course, but Andy is actually still
on the board. Andy got me involved and I joined the board of trustees and was on the board of
trustees for about four years, I think, then I actually retired from TBC Corporation. I was
retired for a little over a year. And as the story goes, as I tell it, is the executive committee
had my wife's phone number and called her and said, aren't you sick and tired of having him
getting your hair at home? He needs to go back to work. So I think she accomplished half of what
she was trying to accomplish. I went back to work as the executive director. They were searching for
a new executive director. The previous one had retired. So I had that opportunity and went to
work for them full time and just a dream job. You know, you go through a retirement stage and
everybody wants to coach you through that. They want to make sure you get through it successfully
and it isn't too taxing on your mental or physical state. Everybody talks about passion and purpose.
And I could tell you that I can check both those boxes with this role that I have with the foundation.
Certainly the passion for the automotive industry and the aftermarket,
but the purpose to have a great role in terms of giving back to the folks that have supported
this industry and really supported me and my family over those 40 plus years that I mentioned.
Great gig. When you told me about it, I did what anybody does. I googled it and I started to read
up and learn. So who founded AACF in 1959? It's a great story that really started
of a small group of individuals, a humble beginning, if you will, a number of gentlemen
that got together. So it was kind of a group of folks that got together and created this foundation.
They were all involved in the aftermarket. But again, thinking back in the day, back in the
late 50s, early 60s, they were trying to assist and help the widows of some of their dear friends
within the industry that had passed away. So again, kind of imagine it, right? So somebody,
one of their friends would pass away, was involved in the industry for a number of years.
And back then there wasn't a lot of financial planning and like we really pay attention to
things today, I don't believe the times were different. So the breadwinner passes away,
the wife is there as a widow and has a lot of financial obligations and needs some help. And
so that's how it got its start. And it really just evolved over the years. There have been many
individuals that are recognized throughout the history and the legacy of the AACF, one of which
is a gentleman by the name of Bob Shabrel. Bob is actually the individual who are largest fundraiser,
which is a very large golf tournament cocktail reception evening out at Apex and SEMA in Vegas
every year. Our golf tournament is named after him. But it has just continued to evolve and grow and
couldn't be happier with the progress that the foundation is making. And again, it all comes
because of the great support that we get from all different types of individuals,
companies, associations within the industry. It's fantastic. Is it funded like any normal
charity? So companies can give, people can give, maybe people that have been on hard times and
then rebounded, anybody can give? Yeah, we're a 501C3 and non-profit. We do have programs that
are applicable to anyone. So corporations can be, of course, financial donors. They also can get
involved with our events. We have a couple of different events and become a sponsor. So a sponsor
of our golf event that I had just mentioned, we also have a classic car sweepstakes that you can
become a sponsor of if you're a corporate entity. And then individuals can also donate. Obviously,
they can donate by donating to the sweepstakes of the car and take a chance there. That's one way.
We also have another recurring donation program. It's called the Aftermarket Hearts Giving Circle,
and that's one of those programs with as little as $5 a month. You can get involved and donate to
the foundation to as long as you wish to donate. So yeah, there's various ways that people can get
involved, but donations and sponsorships are fantastic. That's what helps us fund the foundation.
But the other aspect of giving and helping us is also in and around helping us drive awareness.
Awareness is our biggest challenge. The industry is huge. The aftermarket is five million people
that work in the aftermarket of all different segments and sectors. I mean, yourself, you know,
familiar with high performance accessories and the restoration business is just one part of it.
It's also auto parts, tires and service, heavy duty and commercial parts and service,
the auto body and collision sector, quick lubes, oil change, wholesale distribution,
and even manufacturing. So individuals that work for any of those entities within any of those
elements within the aftermarket, not only are they eligible for us to assist and help, but you can
get involved in helping us drive awareness. Too many people don't know who the AACF is and what
it is that we do. So we need help there. Can you walk me through how someone, maybe who's in need,
would reach the AAC? How do they qualify in the first place just to show here's a need and I am
employed? Great question, Rob. And I think that we've tried to make it as easy as possible for
somebody to do that. There is an eligibility requirement and it's very simple. The individual
only has to be employed for one year with a single employer within the aftermarket, again,
within all those different segments I had mentioned earlier, or three years with multiple employers.
So take a technician for an example. Sometimes technicians may relocate and jump around from
one employer to another within that span of a year. It happens. That's kind of our catch
all to be able to help those individuals as well. But there is an application, a pre-application.
It's very simple, very short. The person that works for me, who is our operations manager,
is the gatekeeper, so to speak. She takes a look at that pre-application, make sure that you
meet the eligibility requirements. Then you will receive a full-blown application, if you will,
which then is, again, very easy to complete. And if for some reason, again, you had mentioned all
the reasons why we were wanting to help folks, all these life hardships, one of those would be
illnesses. So even in the fact, if you suffer from an illness and you're not capable of putting
that application together, we will accept an application that has been put together on your
behalf by a third party. So we even do that. So there's just a lot of ways that we can accommodate
individuals and families. The application, once it is complete, goes in front of what we refer to
as a recipient review committee. They make a decision as to whether or not it's approved,
and they also make a decision on the grant amount that is provided to the person that is applying.
Right now, I could tell you, share with you that we're running in the mid-90s from approval
rates on the applications, partly due to that pre-qualification, if you will, and then the
average grant that we're providing individuals is in around $4,000. So, again, the amount of money
that is provided is not these very large sum of monies, even though it does vary based on the
situation. But our intent and our mission is to really be the first line of recovery,
to get somebody back on their feet. A lot of times when they suffer life's hardships,
they struggle with personal finances and obligations. They also just are not in the right mental
state. You mentioned one of the things that we help out with is natural disasters. There's always
typically some sort of recourse there. Insurance is somewhere along within the realm of help
somewhere, but that takes time. With the AACF, you can apply. We turn that application around
in about 24 hours. The individual will receive the grant typically within five days. So, again,
we're quick to respond. We want to help and get somebody back on their feet so they can really
help themselves is what our intent is. I want to share this with you. We have a board member
that used this analogy, and I use it all the time, but he said the AACF
is the on-ramp to the freeway of recovery. And I just think it's just so fitting. So,
I wanted to share that with you. Pretty damn efficient, John. I mean, when you hear about
recovery, often you think of government recovery, and that is usually slow and
confusing and sometimes full of people trying to apply fraudulently and all that stuff here. So,
it sounds like you've got a pretty tight organization been there, done that. And since it's
so focused on the aftermarket, you're probably getting very few people who aren't in the right
lane when they apply in the first place, I would guess. You mentioned a lot of scenarios. Do you
mean I know the big natural disaster in North Carolina a couple years ago was probably one that
hit you, but who all would apply? Anybody in particular that you remember? Oh, yeah. When I
mentioned all those different sectors of the aftermarket, it also applies to all different
capacities of folks, right? So, it's technicians and service writers, it's counterpersons and
drivers, it's warehouse and delivery workers, it's not only those that are earning rates,
but also salaries. So, folks like managers and assistant managers, field sales folks,
and even corporate roles. So, a couple stories that really stick in my mind that I share,
given the opportunity. One was a female technician from Louisiana. She was a single parent. Three
kids, the ages of three, five, and seven, I believe they were like two years apart.
She came down with thyroid cancer. Unfortunately, she had to go through some procedures and some
treatments. She got done with the first round of those and unfortunately, she had to have some more.
This lasted for several months. And again, if there's a silver lining, she did have insurance,
as I had mentioned, as part of the recovery. However, given the fact she's a single parent,
she's trying to take care of her kids, she's going through all this treatment,
her financial obligations really slipped and she fell behind. So, we were able to step in and we
assisted and helped her with things like back rent that was due. And we actually helped her with
some future rent payments. We helped her in the same vein with car payments that was past two car
payments. And so, there was some relief there as well as future payments. Utilities, bills that
were unpaid, just things like that. So, we were very involved with trying to get her financial
situation righted, if you will, and back on track so that it would help her get through that after
she had finished her treatments. And good news is she's still with us, as far as I know, which is
a fantastic story there as well. There is another story too. And this kind of represents the salary
side of things too. A corporate employee, we had a gentleman that was employed in the
high performance manufacturing area. I think he worked for a turbocharger company.
He suffered a back injury and it was just a simple procedure that he was going to go and have fixed
and went in for surgery and unfortunately came out paralyzed from the waist down. And
yeah, and this is a gentleman had a young family, two kids, one was less than a year old.
So, he himself is very young. And just like I had mentioned before, I'm sure he has recourse
that he'll pursue individually. But trying to get him help right away, because we know that process
all takes time and trying to pursue legalities and everything else, insurance and every other
issue that he has to deal with. We were able to provide him with the needs for accessibility in
his home. Needs like having a ramp built and a mobile wheelchair. And it was incredible. The
gentleman really had an outstanding point of view in life because even in providing us with his
story and allowing us to use that story, there was a sense of humor there. And he thanked us
profusely. But at the very end said, I wanted to thank the ACF for getting me back on my wheels.
So this gentleman is just dealing with just a really tough hardship. But again, we were glad
to be part of his recovery and put a positive aspect on his outlook in life. How big is the
ACF from a staffing perspective? Yeah, you had mentioned that about being efficient. And I guess
that was one thing I did want to mention. We are extremely lean. The staff consists of two people.
Myself. Yeah, myself as the executive director. And I have the operations manager, a gal by the
name of Misty Walker. Misty is as all lean organizations have a right hand person. And she
is my right hand person. She's my Swiss Army knife and jack of all trades, if you will, or
Jan of all trades. And she just does a great job. But we work really, really hard in what we do.
But again, the beauty of the organization is that the board of trustees is fairly substantial. We
have 29 members on our board. Those individuals are all volunteering their time. They all have
occupations and roles that are full time. They provide us with their intellect, their experience,
their input, their feedback on all different types of things. Our organization is structured in a
committee based organization. I had mentioned the recipient review committee being one of them.
That in itself, knowing that those folks respond within 24 hours to the applications,
is just a testimony of how dedicated and how passionate they are about the foundation and
how much help we get from them. So these individuals too are representative of all different
companies and associations within the aftermarket. I had mentioned associations that we have
relationships with. First of all, you're very familiar with SEMA. SEMA has a board seat, MIMA,
Auto Care Association, and TEA, which is the Tire Industry Association as well,
all represented. And then we have folks representing all the major auto parts retailers. So NAPPA
and O'Reilly's Auto Zone, Advance, and folks like Pronto, Federated, all those companies
represented, Valveline, Interstate, Service Company. So there's just a whole plethora
of just wonderful and great dedicated individuals that are helping us behind the scenes.
So I had mentioned just as a complete coincidence, we're working with Catherine Reinhardt on a
different initiative, completely unrelated. Had no idea she was a board member of AACF.
She is. I mentioned to her, hey, I'm going to talk to John here. And she says,
this organization is near and dear to my heart. So it gives me the understanding that the people
that are a part of this, this isn't a bunch of people networking for business connections.
This is people probably working behind the scenes, just with a heart of gold mentality.
When you are in a service thing where you're helping people, it's hard. It's just flat out
hard. I get it. For a while, John, I did financial counseling with people. And I learned that the
financial counseling part, the math was easy. The emotional strain of it was more than I could
bear. I wasn't prepared to hear everyone's burden every day and understand and then
live with it without becoming a part of it. And you do have to somewhat process with them,
not for them, and then offer aid. It's just a magnanimous thing. I'm thrilled to learn about
this. Do you have more people needing help? Or do you need more people donating to the
foundation? You probably need both all the time. But where do you need the most help that our
audience can help with? There's two aspects of, again, our priorities. And the first priority
is driving the number of recipients that we can help. We actually have set a goal, Rob. We want
put a million dollars in the hands of those that need it within our industry. We have probably
our biggest year that the foundation has ever had was probably three quarters of the way there.
The good news is with the things that we're doing now to drive awareness, we're actually on pace to
come pretty close to that million dollars this year. We're really excited about that. And so
that's part of the awareness aspect. The more that people know about us, the more people we can
help. We would ask folks to again, spread the word. If you hear this story and by listening to your
podcast, share it with others. But more importantly, if you hear of someone that is needing some help
that is within our industry, please send them our direction because we can certainly help them.
The revenue side is the other aspect of it. And of course, being somewhat lean, we try to take
as much as possible that we receive and put those funds back in the hands of the folks that need it.
So we're trying to, you know, again, achieve a similar goal with the revenue side. So
it requires donations that we had mentioned before. It requires sponsorships on a corporate
level. And then just individuals that feel so compelled that maybe you're employed in this
industry and you just feel as though, like myself, maybe it's a long tenure in this industry and
you'd like to give back to the industry that has supported you and your family for all those years
or you're somebody that may have just started a few years ago and you just want to share some
of that help with your brothers and sisters in the business that you're in. But more importantly,
God forbid that you would ever need to reach out yourself to the ACF for help. We will be there
for you. I think it's just again, very gratifying on both sides gratifying that we're in a position
that we can give and also very gratified and appreciative of those that can help us as well.
I think when we had talked on the phone, you mentioned last year you did your first
classic car sweepstakes and you might do another one this year. What did you do last year? What
are you doing this year? Curious? Yeah, we're full at it right now. So we started, would have been
last year. Last year was our 65th anniversary, again, starting in 1959 of the foundation.
It was just a thought and an idea because again, I'm very passionate about cars. I participate.
There is a plethora of car sweepstakes out there for charity and I get personally involved myself
and of course I've never been so fortunate to win anything, but I do participate and donate and
the thought came up and said, why don't we get involved with this? Let's do it. So we celebrated
our 65th anniversary by holding a sweepstakes. We went out and procured a 1965 Mustang convertible,
just a beautiful car. It was just a gorgeous yellow black top and black interior, 289. It was
a C code. It was just a really clean car, had factory air in it. So it had some unique options.
So the winner of that is the great story is a retired elementary school teacher from Arizona
and when I called him to let him know that he had won, he got extremely emotional. He started
to tear up and he told me a story. He said, John, he says, I'm 74 years old. He says,
I have wanted a 1965 Mustang convertible since I was 15 and I never had one. He said, but he says,
I will tell you that the 19, I think he said like in the early 70s sometime, I recall the year,
but he bought a 64 and a half coupe and he still has it today. So when the car was delivered to
him in Arizona, he took a picture not only with himself out there in a beautiful scenery,
but he took a picture of himself in front of the garage with the two Mustangs in the garage.
And it just was wonderful story. So he was not involved in the aftermarket employed in the
aftermarket. It was an elementary school teacher, right? But he was a car enthusiast. He jumped
all over the opportunity this year. We have a 1969 Pontiac Firebird. It too is a gorgeous vehicle.
It's done in champagne gold. It too has some unique options. It's got factory air in it as well.
It's got factory discs and it's a 350 automatic. It's just a beautiful car. Wheel and tire package
that was donated to us. So it comes with not only the original rally wheels and the white
letter tires, but also has a set of 17s with mags on it as well. It's just a gorgeous, gorgeous
vehicle. So we're looking forward to put that in the hands of some lucky donor and looking
forward to giving that way. It goes off on June 2nd. We'll announce the winner. You must have been
in the wheel and tire industry in the 80s. Mags. No one said. Beautiful set of 17 inch American
racing wheels. There you go. I love it. How do you enter to try to win it? Where's the sweepstakes?
You can find the sweepstakes. We post a lot of opportunity to enter the sweepstakes on our
social media sites. So again, as I mentioned about helping us drive awareness, please follow us on
social media, whatever platform you choose. We participate in Facebook and Instagram and a
little bit on X and also LinkedIn as well. But you can follow us. Look for the Automotive
Aftermarket Charitable Foundation. That is the AACF, but out in social media you have to search
by our full name. So Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation. You can also find out more
about any of the things that we're talking about here today on our website as well, which is the
aftermarketcharity.org and it's very important. It's .org. Again, just lots of information out
there about getting help, about becoming a donor or sponsor, about getting involved with the classic
car sweepstakes, about the Aftermarket Heartsgiving Circle. You can find it all there. John's been
a pleasure and I think people listening have a smile on their face. They may have a need,
but they definitely have a smile on their face to understand good things like this do exist out
in the world. Maybe you've heard of it before. Maybe you've never heard of it. It's there.
It really is an altruistic help your fellow man and need type of organization. It's great.
I appreciate it. I appreciate you. We'll share all of the links. You have a wonderful day and I
good luck to whoever wins the firebird. Hope you get the mags.
Yeah. Thanks, Robin. Again, we can't thank you enough for helping us get the word out there
about who the ACF is and what we can do to help those in our industry. Thank you again for your
time and again, I appreciate what you do. I really enjoy your show and will continue to be a
staunch listener and I look forward to actually expanding my listening base with all some of
your other podcasts other than the muscle car place, but keep up the great work. Thank you.
Have a great day. Bye-bye. Thank you, John. Okay. Like I said before, I'll say it one more time.
It's just a favor. Please share that with whoever needs it.
Both the auto show, the video clips on YouTube, please, please do that.
Somebody out there needs that and doesn't know about it. If you want to go ahead and do a donation
to ACF, feel free. If you want to enter the win the car, feel free. I mean, the worst thing that
happens there is you help somebody. What if you win the car too? That'd be pretty sweet. Alrighty.
That is it for this one. Please follow us along here for the rest of the week for Dallas at the
Spring Nationals. You can do that all online. You can also watch at uslegendscars.tv. You got
to buy that, but the coverage is really good. That audio clip that I played for you earlier,
that was from uslegendscars.tv. I'll be back in the first week of May. Back on Kippian's friends
next week for one more, though. Between now and then, hit me up on Facebook or Instagram anytime.
Be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. And you can always find
every show plus all of the merch at the homepage of themusclecarplace.com website. And as always,
don't forget to keep chasing your dreams like you've let me chase mine. Thanks for listening,
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See you soon at the Muscle Car Place.
About this episode
John Kairys (AACF) explains how the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation—operating since 1959—helps aftermarket workers and families when life hits hard. The focus is fast, practical cash grants (avg. ~$4,000) for hardships like illness, accidents, natural disasters, and death, with applications reviewed quickly and money typically delivered within days. Eligibility is tied to aftermarket employment (often just one year). The episode also includes a Legends car racing update from Dallas Kibbe, highlighting tire troubles, class racing, and a late incident at Nashville events.
In this episode of The MuscleCar Place, Robert Kibbe sits down with John Kairys, Executive Director of the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation (AACF), to uncover one of the most impactful yet under-the-radar organizations in the industry. Since 1959, AACF has quietly provided financial assistance to individuals and families within the automotive aftermarket facing life’s toughest challenges—from illness and injury to natural disasters and unexpected hardship. With a fast and efficient process, they’re able to step in quickly and help people get back on their feet when it matters most.
What makes AACF truly special is its focus on community—helping the very people who keep the aftermarket moving every day. From technicians and warehouse workers to managers and corporate employees, AACF serves as a vital support system across the entire industry. This conversation highlights not only the organization’s mission, but also the real stories behind it, reminding us that at the heart of every build, every business, and every part is a person—and sometimes, that person needs help.
