Foundational Bricks—The 1994 Brickyard 400: 10th, Mark Martin

Join me as I take a look back every Monday at the starting lineup for one of the biggest races in NASCAR history, the inaugural Brickyard 400.


Starting 10th: Mark Martin #6 Valvoline Roush Racing Ford


Finished: 35th


Mark Martin in 2024
Career Highlights: 40 Cup Series wins, four-time Cup Series championship runner-up, two-time Southern 500 winner, world’s longest retirement tour.


Total Brickyard 400 Starts: 20


Best Brickyard 400 Finish: 2nd (1998, 2009)


1994 Fun Fact: Though he won only two races in 1994, Mark finished second in the season points standings.  The keys to the 6 team’s performance were consistency, top-fives at low-attrition races, and preventing anybody from stealing Jack Roush’s hat.



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Patrick Warburton as Grand Marshal Today? “Yeah, That’s Right”


As you may have heard, actor Patrick Warburton and his mustache will be the grand marshal for today’s Cup race at Phoenix.  However, I’ve read through the official press release, and while highlighting some of his voice roles, there’s a DISTURBING lack of Seinfeld quotes.  This from a guy who played David Puddy!  So, to rectify that, here’s some of Puddy’s best quotes put into a Nascar context:


“Feels like an Arby’s night” —reaction after Justin Allgaier’s win yesterday.


“Gotta support the team” —Alex Bowman fans still rooting for the 48 today.


“High five” —Kyle Larson when he wins and/or gets airborne.


“I’ll come back, we’ll make out” —Tony Stewart to Leah Pruitt just before a race.


“You got a question, you ask the 8-ball” —Kyle Busch pointing to his destroyed race car that finishes 32nd”


“All signs point to YES!” —Mike Joy answering the question ‘What’s your favorite prog rock band?”


“Don’t boss me!” —championship drivers on the radio when spotters who barely qualified for Busch Series races tell them what to do.


“Sorry, ‘thou shalt not steal’” —JGR fans acting high and mighty about the whole Spire/Gabehart thing.


“That’s a misprint” —reading said press release with its dearth of Seinfeld quotes.



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Race Picks Phoenix: Spade Racing vs. AI


Join me as I test my wits against various AI programs in picking the 2026 Cup races.  Once they’ve made their picks, I’ll make my normal Favorite, Next Favorite, and Dark Horse picks (in addition to my regular O’Reilly & Truck Series picks).  At the end of the year we’ll see who knows more—me, or a soulless machine gobbling up water and electricity.

AI (1 win) Google Gemini 3 sez: “Front-Runners to Watch

Tyler Reddick: He is arguably the hottest driver in the garage right now, having already won the Daytona 500 and the Autotrader 400 at Atlanta earlier this season.”

Meanwhile, here’s MY human picks:


Truck Series (1 win) off


O’Reilly Series GOVX 200 Saturday 7:30pm ET on CW: COREY DAY—he’s gotta be more than just a road course ringer, right?


Cup Series StraightTalk Wireless 500 Sunday 3:30pm on Fox  FAVORITE: DENNY HAMLIN—maybe it’s just going to be a Toyota kind of year.  NEXT FAVORITE: KYLE LARSON—sticking with Larson as my next favorite because AI keeps picking Tyler Reddick.  DARK HORSE: SVG—no road course required (well, this week).


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Spade Racing Opens 2 Blaster Boxes of 2025 Panini Prizm Cards—Pack 1 of 12


Rather than a “hobby box”, I decided to go with the more economical choice of two “Blaster Boxes” for the 2025 Panini Prizm cards (although they were bought in January 2026.  With six packs of five cards each in each box, that’s twelve packs to open!


Pack 1: First first look, by the book, and what’s the hook?


First Look: As usual, the Prizm cards look great.  And as usual, they don’t always photograph well.  And and as usual, I’ll remind you that I didn’t take photography in school.


To the Back: How long till people start to act like Ross Chastain was Trackhouse’s first Cup driver?


Say What: “Why am I on a Nascar and and why don’t I have any logos on my shirt and why the HECK am I on a Nascar card?”


Final Rating: 3 pace laps out of 10



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Foundational Bricks—The 1994 Brickyard 400: 9th, Sterling Marlin

Join me as I take a look back every Monday at the starting lineup for one of the biggest races in NASCAR history, the inaugural Brickyard 400.


Starting 9th: Sterling Marlin #4 Kodak Morgan-McClure Motorsports Chevy


Marlin in 1994
Finished: 14th


Career Highlights: Two-time Daytona 500 winner, 10 Cup Series wins, first winner for Dodge’s Cup program 2.0, Steve Byrnes’ impression of him.


Total Brickyard 400 Starts: 13


Best Brickyard 400 Finish: 2nd (2001)


1994 Fun Fact: Sterling ended a lengthy winless streak in the 1994 Daytona 500 with his maiden win.  It was like Michael Waltrip only much less irritating.



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Joey Hand on Standby for Keselowski, Puns


This is a parody

Experienced sports car racer Joey Hand is on standby this weekend for both Brad Keselowski (recovering from a broken right femur this past winter) and puns (because everybody likes puns).

“Having Joey here will provide us with a backup plan if Brad (Keselowski) has to get out of the car mid-race”, said an RFK Racing spokesman.  “Furthermore, we couldn’t be happier to have him on HAND this weekend.  Get it?  Hand?!?”

Hand, best known for his exploits in IMSA and the American Le Mans Series, last raced in Nascar Cup in 2024, posting a fourth-place finish at the Chicago Street Course race for RFK’s test team.  He also has a last name that’s pretty funny in certain contexts.

“Joey knows the focus will be on Brad Keselowski running and finishing the race at COTA (Circuit of the Americas), but we might need Joey in an emergency to get in the car”, said an RFK public relations agent.  “So I guess you could say that he’ll be waiting on Brad Keselowski HAND and foot this weekend, huh?  Get it?  HAND and foot?!?”.

Hand, for his part, seemed to understand his limited role as possible substitute/pun-fodder when interviewed earlier this morning.  

“Nobody likes to get a ride due to another driver’s injury, but we’re all aware of the challenges of racing with an injured leg on a road course”, Hand said.  “If called upon I’ll be ready, and I guess it won’t be the first time Brad (Keselowski) will hang out with a guy named Joey, right?  Oh, ok…’lets give him a Hand’”.



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Race Picks COTA/St. Pete: Spade Racing vs. AI


Join me as I test my wits against various AI programs in picking the 2026 Cup races.  Once they’ve made their picks, I’ll make my normal Favorite, Next Favorite, and Dark Horse picks (in addition to my regular O’Reilly & Truck Series picks).  At the end of the year we’ll see who knows more—me, or a soulless machine gobbling up water and electricity.


iAsk sez: “The Case for Tyler Reddick

Tyler Reddick enters the DuraMAX Grand Prix as the statistical favorite. Historically, Reddick has demonstrated elite proficiency on road courses, a skill set documented in modern racing compendiums as essential for the "Next Gen" car era.  Reddick won at COTA in 2023 and has consistently been a front-runner on technical layouts.  His 2026 season has begun with unprecedented momentum; by winning the first two races of the season, he became the first driver since Matt Kenseth in 2009 to achieve this feat.  If Reddick wins at COTA, he will become the first driver in NASCAR history to start a season with three consecutive victories.  His No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota has shown remarkable durability, winning the previous race at Atlanta despite losing a right-front fender in a mid-race incident.”

Meanwhile, here’s MY human picks:


Truck Series (1 win) OnlyBulls Green Flag 150 Saturday 12pm ET on Fox: CHANDLER SMITH—I think we have a new winner for “Oddest Race Name”.


O’Reilly Series Focused Health 250 Saturday 3pm ET on CW: JUSTIN ALLGAIER—glad to see Creed get off the schneid, but its back to normal at COTA.


Cup Series DuraMax Grand Prix Sunday 3:30pm on Fox  FAVORITE: SHANE VAN GISBERGEN—yeah it’s an easy pick, but I want a win in Cup.  NEXT FAVORITE: KYLE LARSON—a real “ok, the season’s back to normal” moment if a Hendrick or Gibbs driver wins.  DARK HORSE: CONNON ZILISCH—if any rookie can do it, he can.



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Spade Racing Opens Two Blaster Boxes of 2025 Panini Prizm Cards—Preview



Rather than a “hobby box”, I decided to go with the more economical choice of two “Blaster Boxes” for the 2025 Panini Prizm cards (although they were bought in January 2026.  With six packs of five cards each in each box, that’s twelve packs to open! 




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Foundational Bricks—The 1994 Brickyard 400: 8th, Ricky Rudd

Join me as I take a look back every Monday at the starting lineup for one of the biggest races in NASCAR history, the inaugural Brickyard 400.


Starting 8th: Ricky Rudd #10 Tide Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 


Finished: 11th


Career Highlights: 23 Cup Series wins, 1990 Cup Series championship runner-up, first owner-driver to win the Brickyard 400, successfully identified Kevin Harvick’s “little yip-yap mouth”.

Rudd's 1994 car

Total Brickyard 400 Starts: 13


Best Brickyard 400 Finish: Winner (1997)


1994 Fun Fact: Ricky was the top-finishing owner-driver for the 1994 season, coming home fifth.  And NO, I don’t count Rusty Wallace as an owner-driver, sorry.

Signed by longtime RPM crew chief Bill Ingle





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Chase Bank Clarifies Lack of Relationship with Nascar


This is a parody

Multinational banking firm Chase (a division of JPMorganChase) has issued a statement clarifying that, despite the word “Chase” being used frequently in association with Nascar, they have no formal relationship with the sport.

“We at Chase Bank are happy to see our name out there, but we wanted to set the record straight”, the statement read.  “We love motorsports as much as any monolithic corporation, but we currently have no agreements with anybody in Nascar.  In fact, we haven’t had any official sponsorship since that weird AARP deal we did with Jeff Gordon, which even WE didn’t understand at the time.”

Nascar has seen a sharp uptick in searches associated with “Chase” and “the Chase”, with the sport moving back to the so-called “Chase” post-season format in 2026.  Furthermore, two of the Cup Series’ top drivers are Chase Elliott and Chase Briscoe.

“We wish nothing but the best for Mr. Elliott and Mr. Briscoe, although we have no financial or promotional relationship with either driver”, the statement read.  “Actually, Briscoe is sponsored by a competitor of ours, so we wish him less than the best—like when you order a burger at Five Guys and they put mushrooms on it by mistake.”

The banking firm did not rule out a formal relationship with Nascar down the road.

“We’re always looking at new ways to connect with customers and prospective customers, so we might do some business in the motorsports field in the future”, the statement said.  “But hey—it’s not 2005, so we’ll make our own decisions on if we should get involved in Nascar.”

When reached for comment about Chase, Elliott responded with “That’s my name!  Well, not really.”



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