Spade Racing’s Stars in Unusual Cars: Greg Biffle

Greg Biffle’s stints in Andy Petree’s #33 Chevy and the Petty Enterprises #44 (2002)

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? Due to debut full-time in Cup in 2003, Roush Racing sought to get developmental driver Greg Biffle some Cup experience without losing his future Rookie of the Year eligibility.  Originally planned to race in a Roush R&D car, Biffle would up being loaned out to both Andy Petree Racing (four races) and Petty Enterprises (2 races).

How successful were they?  Biffle’s lack of experience showed, as he was unable to finish better than 25th for either team.

What was the aftermath? While both the Petree and Petty teams were on the downslide, Biffle was on the ascension, going onto a lengthy, successful career with Roush Racing.

Ranking on the Strange-O-Meter? 8 Post-it Notes out of 10—while its not too strange to see a rookie gain some experience as a substitute, it IS to see a Ford loyalist like Jack Roush allow his prized prospect to run a Chevy and a Dodge.

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Our Motorsports Acquired by Pirates, now “ARRR Motorsports”

This is a parody

In a last-minute deal that will keep the team running for the foreseeable future, Xfinity Series team Our Motorsports has officially been acquired by a group of old-timey pirates, effective next weekend’s races.

“As of tomorree this team be no longer known as Our Motorsports, laddie”, said new team majority owner Glass Eye the Pirate.  “We be known as ARRR Motorsports, ye most fearsome operation in the NascARRR seas!”

Minority Investor and Chief
Marketing Officer Pegleg Marley

The team appeared to be ready to fold after an apparent falling out between driver Kris Wright and team management, with yesterday’s race originally scheduled to be their last.  But the new deal has the team’s future looking bright.

“Ye competitors take warnin--we not be here to make friends!”, said fellow pirate and team minority investor Longsword.  “We will be cuttin through the field with ARRR variety of drivers, and ye better be ready, for we have ye skull n crossbones just like Scott Speed did!”

Sponsorship and driver lineups are set to be announced in the coming days, according to team president and non-pirate Joel Nelson.

“Our new investment group here at Our—excuse me, ARRR—is bringing a fresh perspective to the Xfinity Series”, Nelson said while adjusting a makeshift eyepatch.  “They’re already working out an agreement to impress some of the better teams’ pit crew members to improve our stop times.

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

The heat is on…and I don’t just mean the run up to the Nascar playoffs.  I mean the heat is on outside—it’s hot out there!

I’ve never been someone who does great in the heat (or the cold for that matter), and of course the air conditioner in my townhouse doesn’t exactly match up to the heat wave here.  And of course my job location doesn’t let the A/C get below 75 degrees.  So thankfully my car has air conditioning!  Sometimes a long drive with the cold air blasting in my face is the best antidote to Triple-H weather: Hazy, Hot, and Humid.

TRUCK SERIES (4 wins) off 

XFINITY SERIES (1 win) Bet Rivers 200 (Saturday 4:30pm ET on CW) ARIC ALMIROLA—He gets us.  And “He” is the set-up guys at JGR, and “us” is Dover.

CUP SERIES AutoTrader 400 (Sunday 2pm ET on TNT) Points Leader picks WILLIAM BYRON.  Favorite (2 wins): KYLE LARSON—doesn’t count as a home win, unless Kyle’s secretly bought a house in Milford.  Next Favorite (3 wins): DENNY HAMLIN—11 vs. Delaware?  I think the 11 could win.  Dark Horse (1 win): BRAD KESELOWSKI—the return of BradK.

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Spade Racing Opens Six 2017 Donruss Racing Packs: 3 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 3 of 6: Burger King, three championship rings, and one more thing

First Look: I’ll never forget my trip to Concord North Carolina where a bunch of media members were camped outside Nascar R&D waiting for the results of a Chad Knaus penalty appeal.  Landon Cassill brought Burger King (his quasi-sponsor at the time) for the assembled crowd.

To the Back: I feel like Joey’s career is somehow under appreciated—dude has THREE Cup championships.  Maybe it’s the format.  Maybe it’s the lower level of popularity.  Or maybe its just his voice.

Say What: “Here—SHAKE HANDS WITH DANGER” *jangly guitar*

Final Rating: 6 car lengths to the lead out of 10

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Spade Racing’s Stars in Unusual Cars: David Pearson (part 2)

The end of David Pearson’s career in the OTHER 21 (1985-86)

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).

Courtesy Fine Art America

Why? As part-time drivers were becoming rarer and rarer, David Pearson found it difficult to find a place to run only a few races each season.  Meanwhile, Wood Brothers Racing (where Pearson had dominated in the 1970s) was not using their famous #21 due to 7-Eleven sponsorship.  So Pearson was able to use the famed 21 on cars first owned by Hoss Ellington, then owned by himself.

How successful were they? Pearson was obviously past his prime here, but the results are still glaring—a best finish of tenth place (twice) and numerous DNFs.

What was the aftermath? David Pearson retired, and the famed 21 returned back to the Wood Brothers, who had just picked up primary sponsorship from Citgo.

Ranking on the Strange-O-Meter? 3 silver foxes out of 10—probably the oddest-thing here wasn’t Pearson, bur rather seeing the 21 on the side of a Chevy.

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Ramsh Racing: The Driver X Gong Show

This is a parody

A hot rumor has Ram, as part of their new Truck Series program, launching a reality tv show competition to find one or more of their next drivers.  Some of you might remember Roush Racing: Driver X, a similar tv show that televised Roush Racing’s old “Gong Show” talent competitions (note: if you remember Roush Racing: Driver X”, you probably should make sure you’re scheduled for a colonoscopy).  Here’s a few of the possible aspects of Ram’s version of this concept:

—It will almost certainly be hosted by An Actor You’ve Never Heard Of, An Attractive Lady Co-Host You Kind of Recognize, and Rutledge Wood.

—With Ram’s new slogan being “Never Stop Being American”, be prepared for a Canadian driver to be presented like a banished outsider or a left-handed bowler.

—I’d expect plenty of quickie characterizations, with certain drivers being labeled “the prankster”, “the short fuse”, “the one with something to prove”, and “like Clint Bowyer, but not as insufferable”.

—There’s sure to be plenty of unnecessary recaps coming back from commercials.  “When we last left our drivers, Jerry was eating a turkey sandwich” (slo-mo of Jerry eating a turkey sandwich).

—There’s sure to be some sort of elimination catch phrase when drivers are removed from competition.  I’d suggest either “Your race is over” or “Indy NXT is hiring”.

—If the winner’s trophy isn’t an anthropomorphic ram/truck hybrid, I’m going to be very disappointed.

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

Well, I’m back from vacation, and I have the suntan/burn to prove it!  It was a great week-plus at the beach with some good food, great friends, and plenty of traffic to and from.

Now, of course, comes the hard part—being back at work.  It’s a cliche, but really, the week back from vacation is always the hardest.  I feel like no matter how much planning I do, there’s still a mountain of work waiting for me when I get back.  Not only that, but I came back to word on a corporate visit coming up in a few weeks.  GAH!  Come on, retail gods, at least give me a week or two to get back into the swing of things!

TRUCK SERIES (4 wins) off 

XFINITY SERIES (1 win) Pit Boss FoodMaxx 250 (Saturday 4:30pm ET on CW) JUSTIN ALLGAIER—Gator IS pretty good on road courses, after all.

CUP SERIES Toyota Save Mart 350 (Sunday 3:30pm ET on TNT) Points Leader picks WILLIAM BYRON.  Favorite (2 wins): KYLE LARSON—counts as a home win, too.  Next Favorite (2 wins): SVG—two wins in one year gets him off the “Dark Horse” line at road courses.  Dark Horse (1 win): AJ ALLMENDINGER—so its back to the Dinger.

www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly

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Spade Racing Opens Six 2017 Donruss Racing Packs: 2 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 2 of 6: Jimmie times three, the older they be, and Bennedy

First Look: In retrospect I think we really took Jimmie Johnson’s Cup Series dominance for granted.  And by “for granted”, I mean “assigned most of the responsibly correctly to Chad Knaus”.

To the Back: Speaking of Jimmie, I feel like Matt Kenseth’s stellar career was overshadowed by those of Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson.  On the plus side, however, he DID get to close out his career in a truly bizarre fashion—half a year back with Roush, then most of a year with Chip Ganassi.

Say What: “Did you just say that I walk around here like I own the place?  Well, funny you should mention that…”

Final Rating: 4 pit stop adjustments out of 10

www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly

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

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Spade Racing’s Stars in Unusual Cars: David Pearson (part 1)

David Pearson, super-sub for Dale Earnhardt (1979)

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).

Courtesy John Betts and Bench Racing from
the Volunteer State

Why? After running for several different teams at the start of his career, David Pearson settled into running a part-time schedule for the Wood Brothers from 1972-1979.  Then, the 1979 spring Darlington race, a miscommunication led to an embarrassing pit road miscue.  Pearson left the team that day, then found himself called into a substitute role for Rod Osterlund when Osterlund’s driver Dale Earnhardt suffered a broken collarbone.

How successful were they? VERY.  Despite having run nothing but Mercurys for the past 6+ years, and having missed the past eleven races, The Silver Fox posted a win, two top-fives, and one top-ten in four races.

What was the aftermath? Pearson went on to run for seven more seasons (albeit still on a partial-schedule) for several different teams.

Ranking on the Strange-O-Meter? 2 Purolator filters out of 10—David Pearson ran for so many teams outside of his Wood Brothers years that the most-surprising thing here was probably his immediate success.

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

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A MOXOC Media production

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