A driving record: sales volume soars at WNY auto dealers.(Western New York)(Industry Overview)

Sensational U.S. car and light truck sales are driving ahead at an all-time record pace and Western New York dealers are along for the ride.

Inside and outside the U.S. auto industry, there is a widespread belief that only war, a stock market collapse, strike, or oil embargo can stop the sales of cars and light trucks from surpassing 16.03 million vehicles - the old record set in 1986.

"It can't get any better than this. In all honesty, this is an overwhelming time," says Duane Paddock, president of Paddock Ghevrolet-Geo in Kenmore where sales for the first six months were up 5 percent over the same period of 1998.

"We had our biggest July in history. It exceeded all my expectations to the point where I couldn't have asked (Chevrolet) to deliver another car or truck. We don't see it ending soon," he said.

What makes Paddock so ecstatic is that 1999, while good in its own right, is also the most recent of five consecutive years of increasingly strong sales.

While not all dealers are enjoying banner years, enough are so that new vehicle sales are expected to set records this …