Race Picks Talladega: 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.

Meta/Facebook AI (1 win) sez: “Nobody can guarantee a winner at Talladega — it’s a superspeedway where drafting packs and last-lap chaos decide it — but here’s who the oddsmakers and experts are circling:

Ryan Blaney: Team Penske is stacked at superspeedways. Blaney has 3 career Talladega wins and since the Next Gen car arrived in 2022 he’s got the most top-3s and leads the most laps behind only Logano. He also won Daytona in August.”

Truck Series (1 win) off

O’Reilly Series (1 win) Ag-Pro 300 Saturday 4pm ET on CW: RYAN SIEG—if its gonna happen anywhere, it’ll be here.

Cup Series Jack Link’s 500 Sunday 3pm on Fox  FAVORITE (1 win): BRAD KESELOWSKI—it just might be…  NEXT FAVORITE: ERIK JONES—I think it is…  DARK HORSE (1 win): MICHAEL MCDOWELL—it is!  An all-dark horse picks weekend.

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

Spade Racing Opens 2 Blaster Boxes of 2025 Panini Prizm Cards—Pack 8 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 8: Underbird, nobody’s heard, and a quick word

First Look: Plenty of words have been used to describe Alan Kulwicki: Underdog.  Independent.  Resourceful.  Standoffish.  Winner.  Hard-headed.  Entrepreneur.  Genius.  Champion.  But until today, never has ANYONE called him “Groovy”.

To the Back: I don’t know if its a sign of aging or developing something resembling a social life, but I honestly had no idea who Luke Fenhaus was until I read this card.

Say What: “Want a word?  Ok, here’s one—‘gator’”.

Final Rating: 6 sets of tires 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

www.moxoc.com

Foundational Bricks—The 1994 Brickyard 400: 16th, Dave Marcis

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 16th: Dave Marcis #71 Termite Construction Marcis Racing Chevy

Finished: 41st (DNF—Crash)

Marcis' 1994 car

Career Highlights: Five-time Cup Series race winner, 1975 Cup Series championship runner-up, “The Last of the Independents”, made wingtip shoes standard racing equipment.

Total Brickyard 400 Starts: 4

Best Brickyard 400 Finish: 35th (1996)

1994 Fun Fact: 1994’s spring Bristol race would see Dave’s last-ever top-ten race finish, albeit FOURTEEN LAPS DOWN to the winner.  Again, parity=exciting.

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