Spade Racing Opens a Box of 2024 Select ’24 Cards, Pack 10 of 12

PACK 10: Three memories of my younger days

FIRST LOOK: Kind of hard to see here, but this car was co-sponsored by the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation.  Cal Jr. was my hero growing up—like Jeff Gordon was to other 90’s kids.  And Billy Ripken was an endless source of hilarity—like Robby Gordon was to other 90’s kids.

TO THE BACK: I’ve never moved out of the country, but moving remains a recurring stress dream of mine from my earlier days.  Strangely, they never involve me trying to figure out what to do with all my racing cards.

SAY WHAT?: “Much like this author, I too struggle with piloting a race car.”

RATING: 6 associate sponsors 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

Spade Racing Opens a Box of 2024 Donruss Cards, Pack 23 of 24

PACK 23: Doubletime, dropping a dime, and a quick mime

FIRST LOOK: Two slightly different versions of the same card in the same pack?  Booo.

TO THE BACK: Oh wait—so the point of racing is to get the front?  Thanks Kev!

SAY WHAT?: “Get me, I’m a skyscraper!”

RATING: 1 post-race argument 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

Spade Racing’s Stars in Unusual Cars: Matt Kenseth

Matt Kenseth comes out of retirement for Chip Ganassi (2020)

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? Kyle Larson’s career with Chip Ganassi Racing came to a sudden end when he said a racial slur online.  Needing a replacement, CGR turned to Matt Kenseth, who had run a partial schedule in a reunion with Jack Roush in 2018 before taking the entire 2019 season off.

How successful were they? Considering they’d signed Matt “off the couch”—and the sport was in uncharted waters thanks to the COVID-19 Pandemic—the combo did pretty well, typically running in the top-twenty and posting a runner-up finish at Indianapolis.  All together, the 42 car finished 22nd in points.

What was the aftermath? Matt Kenseth returned to retirement, while Ganassi put Ross Chastain in the 42 car, which has since become the #1 Trackhouse entry.

Ranking on the Strange-O-Meter? 9 robots out of 10—the whole Larson incident was stunning, and it was made even-stranger by replacing him with someone with zero attachment to the team, sponsor, or manufacturer…who wound up doing ok for himself.

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