NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series in 2020. Advance Auto Parts has also partnered with individual teams, such as appearing on Alex Bowman's cars in 2015 and 2016 with Tommy Baldwin Racing and JR Motorsports, respectively. In December 2016, it was announced that Advance would be the primary sponsor of NHRA Funny Car driver Courtney Force, the winningest female Funny Car driver in the history. The multi-year sponsorship began with the 2017 Circle K NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California, and ran through the entire 2017 and 2018 seasons. Courtney Force announced she was stepping away from drag racing in January 2019 and later it was announced that her sister, Brittany Force, and her Top Fuel dragster would be sponsored by Advance for the 2019 NHRA season. Today sponsorships include Team Penske with driver Ryan Blaney in NASCAR and Josh Hart (racer), representing Advance's TechNet Professional brand in the Top Fuel class of NHRA. Ownership As of 2018, Advance Auto Parts shares are mainly held by institutional investors like The Vanguard Group, BlackRock, State Street Corporation, and others. Recognition Advance premiered on the Fortune 500 list of companies in 2003 at No. 466 and has remained on the list since that time, including ranking No. 326 on the 2019 list. As of June 2014, it was ranked at No. 1,412 on the Forbes "World's Biggest Public Companies" list. Soon after, Advance Auto Parts was bumped to 2nd largest automotive aftermarket retailer by competitor, AutoZone, and has held that that position as of July 2018. In January 2005, Advance was named the “Best Managed Company in America” in the retail sector by Forbes magazine. This recognition was part of the annual Forbes Platinum 400 list of top-performing big corporations. The best-managed companies are those businesses that top the rankings in 26 different industries. See also CarParts.com AutoZone Carquest National Automotive Parts Association (NAPA) O'Reilly Auto Parts Pep Boys SCO v. AutoZone References External links Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange American companies established in 1932 Retail companies established in 1932 Automotive part retailers of the United States Companies based in Raleigh, North Carolina 1932 establishments in Virginia 2001 initial public offerings