Spade Racing Opens a Box of 2022 Chronicle Nascar Cards, Pack 3 of 6

Join us (well, me) as we/I go through a box of 2022 Chronicle Nascar Cards.  This set is Panini’s “upscale/exclusive” line—lets see if they live up to those expectations.

Pack 3—23XI and two of the same guy

FIRST LOOK: Boom—a big hit!  Not ONLY is this a memorabilia card, and not ONLY is it autographed, but its an extra-large firesuit swatch as well!  This is a pretty damn good find.

TO THE BACK: Is it just me or does Ty look like a younger version of the bad guy in Raiders of the Lost Ark here?

SAY WHAT: “Yeah, getting two of me in a set of 48 cards is pretty lame, especially in the same set.”

RATING: 10 “big one”s at Talladega out of 10

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Musically Declined: Stock Car Racing’s Entertainers of the Year, Me and the Rookie

Stock Car Racing and Country Music—two pillars of culture in the Southern United States.  And the two have mingled throughout the years.  So put on your racing shoes, make sure they match your cowboy hat, and settle in for a look back at some of Nascar’s biggest stars turned Nashville wannabes!

The Song: Me and the Rookie by Billy Arr & Elroy Kahanek

The Star: Benny Parsons 

The Clip: 

The Review: MORE talk-singing!  And on the longest track on the album!!! Don’t get me wrong—its a little better than someone who can’t sing trying to sing, and putting it down on vinyl for all eternity.  But if you can’t sing, maybe just DON’T APPEAR ON A MUSIC ALBUM.

The Verdict: Unnnnbelievable-ly bad.

Chris Buescher to Well-Wishers: Please Stop Calling me James

Chris Buescher won big at the Bristol Night Race last Saturday, earning RFK Racing’s maiden win under its current name and ownership structure.  However, while Buescher has received hundreds of messages of congratulations, he had a plea to the sport this week:

Chris Buescher, photo by 
Zach Catanzareti via
Wikipedia

“Please stop calling me James”, Chris Buescher said while standing outside his team’s trailer this morning.  “James is my cousin, a great racer in his own right, but it seems like most people think (James) and I are the same person.  So please, while I appreciate all your well-wishes, be aware that my first name is Christopher, or Chris for short.”

Chris Buescher tallied his first Cup win since a rain/fog-shortened victory at Pocono in 2016.  While far from a superstar, he seems to have felt that his accomplishments would be enough so people wouldn’t confuse him with his Truck Series racing cousin.

“I mean, I don’t want to be obnoxious, but I have five national touring series wins—that should be enough so people know who the heck I am, right?” Chris Buescher said.  “I mean its not like people confuse Kurt and Kyle Busch—which reminds me, its Buescher, with two e’s.  Its not ‘Buscher’ or ‘Busher’”.

Chris Buescher said he will continue to show that he belongs in the Cup Series and is far from a two-race wonder—which, in theory, will allow fans to avoid confusing him with his semi-retired cousin James.

“This is just the beginning for the 17 team and RFK Racing”, Chris Buescher said.  “We want to be out there competing for wins on the regular, and top-tens every weekend.  And maybe THAT will remind people that I’m the Xfinity Series champion, not the Truck Series champion.  And come on, folks—quit asking me where Matt Kenseth is, I honestly don’t know.”

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UNCLE MAX vs. REPEAT WINNERS vs. THE ROULETTE WHEEL: Texas

So my nephew’s prediction of ten different non-Playoff drivers in the ten Playoff races is three-for-three so far.  That’s pretty amazing—both for Nascar AND for him—but I’m thinking we settle back down to normal this weekend at Texas.

After all, Texas is a 1.5 miler, a “cookie-cutter”, a Bruton-build qual oval.  The top teams like HMS and JGR are built for tracks like these, and I don’t think you’ll see anyone pull off a major upset on Sunday.  And even if they do, it’ll STILL be less of an upset than my knockoff NFL pool, where I was knocked-out in week two!

TRUCK SERIES off

Saturday Afternoon XFINITY SERIES Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 (9 wins): Noah Gragson—sticking with Gragson in my quest for double-digit wins.

Sunday CUP SERIES AutoTrader 500: LAST RACE’S WINNER (1 win) picks Chris Buescher.  THE ROULETTE WHEEL picks 22nd in points Justin Haley.  FAVORITE (2 wins): Ross Chastain—melon man with a clutch win.  NEXT FAVORITE (2 wins): Kyle Larson—further proof of Chevy’s dominance this year on 1.5 milers.  DARK HORSE (2 wins): Austin Dillon—a week too late, but hey—its a nice consolation prize.

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Spade Racing Opens a Box of 2022 Chronicle Nascar Cards, Pack 2 of 6

Join us (well, me) as we/I go through a box of 2022 Chronicle Nascar Cards.  This set is Panini’s “upscale/exclusive” line—lets see if they live up to those expectations.

Pack 2—Tyler two-times and Brittney gets rhymes

FIRST LOOK: And we have our first memorabilia card!  Number 4 of 25 of this particular firesuit piece.  Normally I prefer to get one with different pieces of material/lettering on it, but hey—this will still be accurate when Tyler leaves for 23XI.

TO THE BACK: There’s many-a Zamora card, so these captions are getting quite hard.  I’ll try to be quick, with this limerick—you can see why I’m never a bard.

SAY WHAT: Huh, why did they go for v a p o r w a v e  a e s t h e t i c?

RATING: 8 giant Texas scoreboards out of 10

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SPAD3 RACING CREW CHIEF DECLINES JOB OFFER

Despite baseless rumors of rancor within the Special Protective Advance Defense Department Detachment (SPAD3) Racing team, crew chief Mike Henshaw confirmed today that he declined an offer from a rival team.

“I have decided to stay.  There are no issues here”, a tired-looking Henshaw said while holding up today’s newspaper.  “They are treating me very well.  I have no reason to leave.”

Crew Chief Mike Henshaw

Last week rumors spread that Henshaw was considering taking a competition director role with another team.  However, it seems that those were just that—rumors.

“Our crew chief Mike Henshaw is an integral part of our plans here at SPAD3 Racing”, said team principal Kent Simms, “and we aim to keep him here until those goals are achieved.  Whatever it takes to keep him happy—whether that’s reassigning crew members, a reallocation of resources, or reminding him that his house is in a very, shall we say, ‘rough’ neighborhood.”

Henshaw was later seen staring off into the distance in the SPAD3 Racing team shop break room, seemingly trying to decipher a mystery.  This could be him figuring out how to escape a figurative prison, but is likely more-closely related to planning out next week’s race set-up.

“We’re getting closer every day to having a real breakthrough here”, said shape foreman Rodney Tillman.  “I don’t see why anyone would want to leave, even if they could.”

And YOU won’t want to leave SPAD3.com

Kyle Busch: Choice of “Look Away” by Chicago for Intro Music a Coincidence

Bristol Motor Speedway is one of the few tracks that allows drivers to choose “Intro Music” to be played during driver introductions.  And while most drivers pick something from the hard rock or country genres, the choice of song by Kyle Busch has raised more than a few eyebrows.

Who knew that a churlish
personality would drive away
so many sponsors? (image
 courtesy TaurusEmerald
via Wikipedia)

“What can I say—I love power ballads written by Diane Warren”, Kyle Busch said, explaining his choice of “Look Away” by Chicago for his intro music.  “I’m lucky in that I married the love of my life, but we’ve all dealt with heartbreak in one way or another, be it losing a group of friends due to something out of our control, or the ending of a fifteen year professional relationship.”

The song, which reached #1 in 1988 for the long-running pop/rock group, is about a man who publicly is happy for his ex moving on with a new boyfriend, but privately deals with feelings of rejection and regret.

“We all deal with regret, don’t we?”, Busch said.  “I regret all sorts of things, from bad race setups to agreeing to mentor a little snot-nosed kid who will likely take over my ride at a team I spent over a dozen years building.  But the important thing is to learn how to move on, even if you know deep down that things will never be as good as they once were.”

Busch, who is considered a favorite at The World’s Fastest Half-Mile, seemed to think the odd choice of intro music could work towards his advantage.

“Everyone else has some bland party-rock or bro-country song, but I wanted to be different”, Busch explained.  “The passionate vocals of Bill Champlin will help to soothe my psyche as I walk onto the stage, helping me to remember that, but for a few more fleeting weeks, I will be a part of a professional family that I helped build.  And what better mindset to have before a race than wistful melancholy?”

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