Well, as I said in my column last month, 2009 certainly turned out to be a very solid year for the aftermarket. But sometimes it becomes difficult to really look beyond the next quarter.

Santa has been watching. For the aftermarket, 2009 started with cautious optimism and ended with an overall sense of relief. Resiliency and the industry's overall defensive nature overcame financial crisis. In 2009 it was one of the top performing industries. There is a growing sense of optimism among most participants that 2010 could in many ways be an even better year than 2009.

So here we are almost at year end — with a better than expected outcome.

It's early September as we write this, but we wanted to take an opportunity to summarize our expectations ahead of AAPEX, NACE and SEMA. November will quickly approach, and it is our thought that this year?s shows will be memorable. Looking back to last year, we thought the overall attendance was much better than we had anticipated, particularly as our economy was in the midst of an economic crisis. To our surprise, most left the show with an upbeat feeling in spite of the macro turmoil. Even the lower level at AAPEX last year was somewhat robust as foreign entrants continue to compete aggressively, namely on price.

Although the program has boosted sales, BB&T maintains the aftermarket has not been greatly affected by Cash for Clunkers.

GM and Chrysler dealership closings are expected to bring an estimated $1 billion into the independent aftermarket.

O'Reilly has had a successful 10 months since its purchase of CSK Auto, and this reflects overall expected improvement throughout the entire aftermarket.

If passed, 'Cash for Clunkers' legislation will not greatly impact the aftermarket as originally thought.

Tony Cristello with BB&T discusses how positive sales growth and performance leave some industry analysts wondering if the aftermarket is feeling the same economic downturn as other industries.