19. Advocare, facial hair, and a name to share
OVERVIEW: Dueling mustaches in this pack as Kerry Earnhardt goes against Ernie Irvan (I’d give Kerry a slight edge in this competition). Also note how Clint Bowyer and Erik Jones wound up with pretty much the exact same pose, just with different facial expressions.
BACK OF THE CARD BONUS: I don’t know what’s worse—bragging about Trevor Bayne’s tenth-place finish in the 2017 Daytona 500, or the fact that that WAS one of his season highlights.
PICK OF THE PACK: Chase Cabre gets some love in the “Next in Line” series. One of these days I’ll figure out why those in the racing industry (fans, drivers, etc.) all started naming their sons “Chase” in the early-90’s.
FINAL RATING: 6 Chases out of 10
20. More Cope, Ragan’s mope, and little hope
OVERVIEW: There’s…not much in this pack. You know how when you were a kid opening up baseball cards, there was always one guy who seemed to pop up in every-other pack? That’s Derrike Cope for me in this box. There’s not much star power here, nor much future potential here beyond Alex Bowman and Erik Jones.
BACK OF THE CARD BONUS: “You can bank on Denny Hamlin to deliver when the pressure’s on.” No wonder he has so many championships…
PICK OF THE PACK: David Ragan gets a backhanded compliment on the back of his card, lauded for his prowess on Daytona and Talladega, two tracks that tend to produce winners both random (Derrike Cope) and obscure (David Ragan). Maybe THAT’S why he looks so depressed in his picture.
FINAL RATING: 1 start-and-park excuse out of 10