Race Picks (the last season?), Uncle Max vs. The Points Leader: WATKINS GLEN

It’s time for Nascar’s annual trip to Watkins Glen, which always reminds me of my childhood annual trip to the mountains.  Well, kinda.

You see, my folks never took me to a resort or a camping site.  Instead, we went to a motor lodge (never call it a “motel” when my dad was within earshot) and would spend the week driving around, enjoying the pool, and going to some oddball local restaurants.

While I don’t have any kids of my own, I think it would be nice if I did to take them back up there.  Of course for all I know that motor lodge is a vacant former Rite Aid now.  Still, its nice to have memories of desperately trying to adjust rabbit ears to get in a baseball game on tv.

TRUCK SERIES (4 wins) Mission 176 at the Glen (Friday 5pm ET on FS1) CONNOR ZILICH—a last minute sub, but he’s great on road courses.

XFINITY SERIES (2 win) Mission 200 at the Glen (Saturday 3pm ET on CW) SHELDON CREED—two straight wins for LMC—er, I mean, Haas Factory Team.

CUP SERIES Go Bowling at the Glen (Sunday 2pm ET on USA) Points Leader picks WILLIAM BYRON.  Favorite (2 wins): CHASE ELLIOTT—he needs to STRIKE while the iron is hot.  Next Favorite (5 wins): TYLER REDDICK—a win will SPARE him some stress for the playoffs.  Dark Horse (1 win): AJ ALLMENDINGER—even though on ovals he’s usually in the GUTTER.

www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly

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Visit the store https://www.cafepress.com/spaderacing

Buy the book 100 Stock Car Racing What Ifs Unauthorized

Does this track have lights?

A MOXOC Media production

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Spade Racing Opens Six 2017 Donruss Racing Packs: 6 of 6

Here’s my latest haul—a “blaster box” containing six ten packs of 2017 Donruss Racing cards.  So join me as I take a look back about eight years ago with some cost-effective card packs

Pack 6 of 6: Young Chastain, trivia pain, and the fast lane

First Look: Young Ross Chastain, before he got his big break and made more than the most of it.  Here’s hoping he wasn’t carrying around a watermelon back then—it would’ve gotten pretty moldy.

To the Back: I love how someone at Panini had to look up the career of Jimmy Insolo because of this copy.  Heck, his own Wikipedia page barely mentions him.

Say What: “So you said I’ll be broadcasting in the future?  On what channel?  Wait…what?”

Final Rating: 7 post race photo ops out of 10

www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly

www.facebook.com/spaderacing

www.twitter.com/spaderacing

Visit the store https://www.cafepress.com/spaderacing

Buy the book 100 Stock Car Racing What Ifs Unauthorized

Does this track have lights?

A MOXOC Media production

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Spade Racing’s Stars in Unusual Cars: Kasey Kahne

Kasey Kahne’s stop-gap stint at Red Bull Racing (2010-11)

Join me throughout this year as I take a look at when some of the sport’s biggest stars drove some unusual cars! (Presented in no particular order).

Why? Kasey Kahne, having raced in the 9 car under three different ownership regimes, received his release from the operation late in the 2010 season.  Although he was able to sign with Hendrick Motorsports for 2012, he needed a ride for the rest of 2010 and all of 2011.  Enter Team Red Bull, who had experienced little success since its inception. 

How successful were they? Kahne would post the organization’s second-ever win in 2011 in the penultimate race of the year.  This capped an amazing run of five top-fives in seven races, elevating him to fourteenth in points at season’s end.

What was the aftermath? As expected, the Red Bull team shut down following the 2011 finale, disappointed with the team’s on-track performance and off-track impact on sales.  Kahne finished a career-best fourth in points in 2012 for Hendrick Motorsports, but would post only above-average results before health issues ended his career in 2018.

Ranking on the Strange-O-Meter? 8 Allstate commercials out of 10—it took a lot of guts for Kasey to leave the only team he’d driven for in Cup for what was essentially a mid-pack team looking to fold.  Also, it allowed him to race for four different manufacturers in four years.

www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly

www.facebook.com/spaderacing

www.twitter.com/spaderacing

Visit the store https://www.cafepress.com/spaderacing

Buy the book 100 Stock Car Racing What Ifs Unauthorized

Does this track have lights?

A MOXOC Media production

www.moxoc.com