Advance Auto Parts Inc.  (AAP) Trade Now »     Rate AAP  -  Discuss AAP  -  Add to Watch List        

This article is a reprint of my 31 July 2008 RealMoney column.

On July 23, J.D. Power & Associates cut its 2008 forecast for new light-vehicle sales and said it now expects U.S. sales to hit a 15-year low this year. The new estimate calls for 750,000 fewer cars to be sold than had been estimated as recently as March.

I’m sure that high gas prices are encouraging marginally more use of alternatives such as car-pooling or public transportation, but I also know from experience that those options are not always viable even if desired. Commuting and work schedules vary widely, so finding someone g

Michael Coppola, CEO of Advance Auto Parts, resigned abruptly on Monday after almost three years on the job to "pursue other opportunities". While not uncommon for executives find the grass greener on the other side, the circumstances surrounding the resignation make it seem as though he was pushed out.

Just last week he was presenting on a roadshow and in February he was granted the option to purchase a little over 13,000 shares of stock. And as a company, AAP prizes stability. There's something fishy about the whole thing.

With Advance scheduled to present earnings on 5/17, it