Spade Racing Shopping Network--Citizenship in Nascar Nation

An offseason journey through the best buys, premiere products, and special specials for Nascar fans.

The world is a pretty scary place.  Wars, terrorism, strife at home and abroad.  These days it can’t hurt to be too careful.  After all, you have an extra jacket in your car, right?  You have an emergency supply of food in case it snows too, huh?

So why not have a backup citizenship as well?

"We kid because we care!"

Today if your first opportunity to become a dual citizen by becoming a member of Nascar Nation.  That’s right—a chance to proudly align yourself with a sport in addition to your native homeland.  Just think of the possibilities:

Angry with the results of the 2020 US elections?  Pledge YOUR allegiance to a racing organization led by the reclusive and evasive Jim France!

Tired of foreigners thinking you’re South African when you’re REALLY Australian?  Well, nobody will confuse you with being a member of any other nationality when you show them your Nascar Nation passport—and accents are always optional!

Embarrassed to meet the new in-laws because you’re from North Macedonia when they’re from Greece?  Well, localized international rivalries are no more when you proudly fly your Nascar Playoffs flag from your front lawn!

Get it all today—passport, flag, the whole nine yards.  And the best part is, taxes can be paid by attending races!

NEXT TIME ON SRSN: Vintage Waste Management Picking Up The Places giant novelty check

David Pearson: Nascar Hall of Famer Retirements—Who Hung On Too Long?

Unlike other sports, Nascar can see drivers compete well into their 50’s.  While this allows for some pretty cool stories and added fan memories, it also can lend itself to some drivers staying active well past their prime.

With Jimmie Johnson being just the latest driver to announce his retirement from Nascar (effective the end of the 2020 season), I wanted to take a look at drivers who voluntarily retired from the sport to see if they hung on too long or left at just the right time (or maybe even a little too soon).  By “voluntary retirement” that means I’m not including anyone who was killed or seriously injured while driving.

Instead of looking at EVERY driver (even though interest in an analysis of Lake Speed’s latter years could be quite high) I’m limiting it to Hall of Fame inductees—for now.

(Drivers listed in order of their Hall of Fame induction)

NOTE: Those inducted primarily or exclusively for achievements outside of driving (team ownership, crew chiefing, etc.) will not be considered.  Cup performance is all that’s considered for this piece.  Also, the more modern term “Cup Series” will be used instead of Grand National, Winston Cup, etc.

David Pearson

DRIVING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: “The Silver Fox”.  Three-time Nascar Cup Series champion.  105 Cup wins.  1976 Daytona 500 champion.  Three-time Southern 500 champion.  Led Nascar Cup in wins in two years (1973 & 1975) in which he didn’t run the full-schedule.  Six-time leader in season-long poles.

LAST HURRAH: After leaving the Wood Brothers race team midway through the 1979 season, Pearson would win twice more—later that year for Rod Osterlund and in 1980 for Hoss Ellington.  When judging Pearson’s performance its worth noting that he rarely ran the full schedule.

FINAL YEAR(S): Running a very limited schedule through 1986, Pearson’s results would drop off, although he was still capable of recapturing the old magic, as evidenced by his final race result of 10th.  An abortive reunion in 1989 with the Wood Brothers never came to be and he retired to private life.

DID HE HANG ON TOO LONG?: Yes.  As stated above, its hard to judge Pearson since he rarely ran the full-schedule, but if you go solely by wins, he likely should’ve left after the ’81 or ’82 season.

Spade Racing Shopping Network--Digger’s Skeleton

An offseason journey through the best buys, premiere products, and special specials for Nascar fans.

Collectables.  They’ve been around as far back as when Dale Earnhardt Sr. partnered with a former mechanical rodeo salesman to market his image.  But anyone can get a diecast car, a piece of sheetmetal, or an autograph.  The discerning collector wants something more.

And here we have it—the preserved remains of beloved—well, tolerated—Nascar on Fox mascot Digger.  That’s right—the living model of the ingratiating—well, irritating—cartoon character, an almost mint-condition skeleton of the groundhog.

Rescued from the wilds of North Carolina, Digger (real name Diggington Foxworth) spent countless hours in mo-cap suits, allowing Fox Sports to render him to appeal to the slowest of its fanbase.  And now, after his recent death due to particle board poisoning, you can own the Digger skeleton for your very own with this exclusive offer.

Please note that SRSN is not responsible for any communicable diseases transmitted from Digger’s bones and/or carcass.  Display case and pedestal not included.

NEXT TIME ON SRSN: An evening with Kenny Wallace

Ned Jarrett: Nascar Hall of Famer Retirements—Who Hung On Too Long?

Unlike other sports, Nascar can see drivers compete well into their 50’s.  While this allows for some pretty cool stories and added fan memories, it also can lend itself to some drivers staying active well past their prime.

With Jimmie Johnson being just the latest driver to announce his retirement from Nascar (effective the end of the 2020 season), I wanted to take a look at drivers who voluntarily retired from the sport to see if they hung on too long or left at just the right time (or maybe even a little too soon).  By “voluntary retirement” that means I’m not including anyone who was killed or seriously injured while driving.

Instead of looking at EVERY driver (even though interest in an analysis of Stuart Kirby’s latter years could be quite high) I’m limiting it to Hall of Fame inductees—for now.

(Drivers listed in order of their Hall of Fame induction)

NOTE: Those inducted primarily or exclusively for achievements outside of driving (team ownership, crew chiefing, etc.) will not be considered.  Cup performance is all that’s considered for this piece.  Also, the more modern term “Cup Series” will be used instead of Grand National, Winston Cup, etc.

Ned Jarrett

DRIVING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Two-time Cup Series champion.  50 Cup Series wins.  1965 Southern 500 win had the largest margin of victory in Nascar history.  

LAST HURRAH: “Gentleman Ned” won the Cup Series championship for a second time in 1965, which would wind up being his final full-time season.

FINAL YEAR(S): Jarrett returned to the sport on a part-time schedule in 1966.  Concerns about driver safety, combined with Ford’s impending departure from the sport, would see him retire as a driver shortly before the end of the season, making him the only reigning Nascar Cup champion to retire as such.  He’d later go on to forge a successful second career as a broadcaster.

DID HE HANG ON TOO LONG?: Obviously not.  While Ford’s departure would’ve likely meant a manufacturer change (or a move to an independent team), Jarrett likely still had plenty of good years in him on-track.

Richard Petty: Nascar Hall of Famer Retirements—Who Hung On Too Long?

Unlike other sports, Nascar can see drivers compete well into their 50’s.  While this allows for some pretty cool stories and added fan memories, it also can lend itself to some drivers staying active well past their prime.

With Jimmie Johnson being just the latest driver to announce his retirement from Nascar (effective the end of the 2020 season), I wanted to take a look at drivers who voluntarily retired from the sport to see if they hung on too long or left at just the right time (or maybe even a little too soon).  By “voluntary retirement” that means I’m not including anyone who was killed or seriously injured while driving.

Instead of looking at EVERY driver (even though interest in an analysis of Wally Dallenbach’s latter years could be quite high) I’m limiting it to Hall of Fame inductees—for now.

(Drivers listed in order of their Hall of Fame induction)

NOTE: Those inducted primarily or exclusively for achievements outside of driving (team ownership, crew chiefing, etc.) will not be considered.  Cup performance is all that’s considered for this piece.  Also, the more modern term “Cup Series” will be used instead of Grand National, Winston Cup, etc.

Richard Petty

DRIVING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: “The King”.  200 Cup Series wins (most of all-time and likely never to be broken).  Seven-time Cup Series champion (tied for most all-time).  Seven-time Daytona 500 champion (most all-time).  Most Cup Series poles all-time (123).  Most Cup Series wins in a season (27) and in a row (10).  Almost universally considered to be the benchmark for a Nascar superstar, both in on-track accomplishments and fan and sponsor relationships.

LAST HURRAH: After years of declining on-track results (his last championship was in 1979 and his last Daytona 500 win was in 1981), Petty left his family team to drive for Mike Curb in 1984, posting his 199th and 200th Cup Series wins.  After a down year in 1985 he returned to Petty Enterprises in 1986, then would post his last top-ten points finish in 1987 (8th).

FINAL YEAR(S): Petty posted his last top-five race finish in 1988 but continued to race through his “Fan Appreciation Tour” in 1992.  Four “Did Not Qualify”s in 1989 led to the implementation of the “Past Champion’s Provisional” starting spot.  Petty finished out of the top-twenty in points his last five years and was rarely a threat to contend for race wins.  Since retirement he has continued to own his race team with several different co-owners.

DID HE HANG ON TOO LONG?: Yes.  As great as it was for younger fans (myself included) to see The King race, he likely would’ve been better off retiring after the 1987 or 88 season.

Spade Racing Shopping Network--Stenhouse RFR blowout

An offseason journey through the best buys, premiere products, and special specials for Nascar fans.

Here at Roush Fenway Racing we’re having the biggest blowout sale ever! All Ricky Stenhouse Jr merchandise MUST GO NOW!

T-shirts! Hats! Can coozies! Everything is marked down and priced to move!

Get a Stenhouse Fifth Third Bank magnet—normal price $5.99, just 97 cents! A Fastenal vending machine with Ricky’s face on the side—just $99 with shipping included!

And hey—do you want sheet metal? We’ve got hundreds of pieces of wrecked race cars! Use it as garden fencing! Sell it for scrap! Become an avant-garde sculptor!

Order in the next ten minutes and get a free Todd Kluever diecast car!

NEXT TIME ON SRSN: Slightly-used Bubba Wallace drumsticks

Junior Johnson: Nascar Hall of Famer Retirements—Who Hung On Too Long?

Unlike other sports, Nascar can see drivers compete well into their 50’s.  While this allows for some pretty cool stories and added fan memories, it also can lend itself to some drivers staying active well past their prime.

With Jimmie Johnson being just the latest driver to announce his retirement from Nascar (effective the end of the 2020 season), I wanted to take a look at drivers who voluntarily retired from the sport to see if they hung on too long or left at just the right time (or maybe even a little too soon).  By “voluntary retirement” that means I’m not including anyone who was killed or seriously injured while driving.

Instead of looking at EVERY driver (even though interest in an analysis of Derrike Cope’s latter years could be quite high) I’m limiting it to Hall of Fame inductees—for now.

(Drivers listed in order of their Hall of Fame induction)

NOTE: Those inducted primarily or exclusively for achievements outside of driving (team ownership, crew chiefing, etc.) will not be considered.  Cup performance is all that’s considered for this piece.  Also, the more modern term “Cup Series” will be used instead of Grand National, Winston Cup, etc.

Junior Johnson

DRIVING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 50 Cup Series wins.  1960 Daytona 500 champion.  Innovator of drafting.  Subject of “The Last American Hero” by Tom Wolfe, an early exposure of Nascar to the rest of the nation.

LAST HURRAH: Junior won a career-high 13 races in 1965—even more impressively this was his first year running his own equipment as Junior Johnson & Associates.

FINAL YEAR(S): Johnson ran a handful of races in 1966 posting mediocre results, although he did notch a fifth place finish in his last race.  He announced his retirement as a driver, reportedly because driving had lost its luster for the former moonshiner, and embarked on a team-ownership career that would notch six Cup Series championships (as well as bringing in Winston to the sport).

DID HE HANG ON TOO LONG?: No.  As a driver-owner he was able to call his own shots and simply walked away from the driver’s seat when he felt like it. 

Spade Racing Shopping Network--Cookie Cutter Cookie Cutter

An offseason journey through the best buys, premiere products, and special specials for Nascar fans.

Here’s a perfect item for you bakers out there—a cookie cutter cookie cutter!  That’s right, a cookie press shaped like Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kentucky Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway—all your favorite Bruton Smith tracks!  

And hey—break off the removable dogleg attachment, and you can make cookies in the shape of Chicagoland or Kansas!

While you’re baking your kitchen will be filled with the wonderful smells of fresh-baked cookies, while you wonder “Why did they make all these tracks alike?”, “Why didn’t they build a replica of Bristol”, and “Why is my smoke alarm beeping again?”.

And your guests are sure to love your thoughtfulness—you’ll be hearing old racing fans complain about how Nascar died when they took Rockingham and North Wilkesboro off the schedule through your whole Christmas party!

To order call 1-800-POOR-PLANNING.  Offer void in Sonoma and Watkins Glen, no CODs or Z-Max accepted as payment.

NEXT TIME ON SRSN: A gross of Todd Bodine Tabasco 1/64th diecast cars