(Editor’s Note: My sincere thanks and gratitude to everyone who has supported me from the beginning here at Spade Racing, going way back to The Outside Groove days. The first 1,000 articles have been a blast—let’s see if we can do 2,000!)
Hi all—its me, Uncle Max! As the resident picker here (along with the mysterious Mystery Picker), I’ve learned a lot about Nascar in the past few years. I also know a lot about my nephew, going way back to when he was just an irritating little kid (sorry Mike, but it was true). But there’s plenty about this site that I don’t know about, or thought you the readers would like to know. So here it is: Mike answers my questions, which hopefully were some of yours, too.
OK, lets start with some personal stuff:
Just who the heck are you? Well, I’m Mike Mackler. I’m 37, single, and I live in Northern Delaware. I’m a sales rep by day and a neurotic Nascar fan by night.
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| Cheers! |
Any cool hobbies outside of writing? Well I’ve done some amateur acting—I’ve done a short film and I’m in a documentary on beer (naturally) that’s being released locally this fall. I love modern art and good standup comedy. And I’m always down for a journey down a Wikipedia wormhole.
How’d you get into Nascar? My dad became a fan after he started setting up his concession trailer at a few races. He later opened up a permanent Nascar store (since closed) that I worked at. That’s also how I wound up getting pit passes a few times back in my college days.
Who’s your favorite driver? Of all time its Kyle Petty, who won the first race I ever went to (Spring Dover 1995), and promptly never won again. I was also a big Adam Petty fan before he passed away. Since then I’ve followed three drivers particularly closely: Ryan Newman (stopped when he left Penske), Marcos Ambrose, and Bubba Wallace.
What’s your all-time favorite race? Fall Dover 2001, the first race after 9/11. I was lucky enough to have pit passes and got to experience it up-close and personal.
OK, enough about you, now onto the site:
Please explain this to me—WHAT’S WITH ALL THE DERRIKE COPE JOKES?!? Years ago my dad was watching a race with a friend of his. When Derrike Cope appeared on the telecast, my dad’s friend said “Derrike Cope’s so good-looking, he gets ALL the ladies!”. For some reason that always stuck with me and he’s become a cult hero of mine.
So Derrike Cope’s just a joke to you? Oh heavens no. I’ve met him a few times and he’s been a great, friendly guy, and I have a ton of respect for his helping to start a race team from the ground up. Plus, I sponsored his Xfinity team a few years back!
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| A special pre-race post-race due to the late start at The Glen |
Why do you always complain about late race starts? Two reasons—I live on the East Coast and work has me getting up crazy-early (4am!). So a race that ends around 7pm is NOT very convenient for me.
Why don’t you do as many traditional “race recaps” immediately after the race anymore? Refer back to the previous question.
What’s with all the wrestling references? Like most guys I went through a pro-wrestling fandom phase in the late-90’s. I’m still a casual fan (although I love podcasts and YouTube series that focus on wrestling’s past) and try to work in wrestling references whenever I can.
How much money do you make off this site? Not much. I get a very small amount from people who click on the ads on here, but otherwise I don’t get much of anything (the money I made from my book went right back into promotion. And I don’t want to brag, but that number was in the mid-two-figures).
Why do you do it? Because I honestly love Nascar, and I’ve always loved comedy, and writing is my favorite hobby. Its a great way to combine the three, and if I can make someone’s day a little better by making them laugh or informing them of some new facts, all the better.
OK, now some rapid-fires:
What race tracks have you been to? Dover (many many MANY times), Richmond, Bristol, and Charlotte (oval and Roval). I’ve also been to Daytona for a track tour.
What track would you most like to go to? Watkins Glen, Martinsville, or Indianapolis.
Toyota, Ford, or Chevy? Toyota (since its what I drive).
Favorite food? Broiled crab cake at Jimmy’s Famous Seafood or a really good pastrami sandwich.
Least favorite food? Mushrooms.
Boxers or briefs? Boxers.
Beatles or Rolling Stones? Pink Floyd, but Beatles if I have to make a choice.
Beer or wine? Beer.
WCW or WWF/E? WCW.
The mountains or the beach? The beach.
Favorite teams outside of Nascar? University of Maryland football and basketball (I’m an alum), New York Giants, Baltimore Orioles (in roughly that order).
Favorite TV shows? Pardon the Interruption, Seinfeld, The Simpsons, Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Alright, let’s wrap this up:
What’s your current goal with the website? To keep it (and my other site, Race Shop Reviews) going into the near future and to keep improving as a writer. Getting paid to do it would simply be a bonus.
Any big plans coming up? Yep—I’ll be returning to the pits at Dover for the fall Xfinity race!