52 Pickup Racing Debuts Minimalist “Art Car”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Boogertown, North Carolina)

Following in the tradition of race teams from numerous worldwide racing series, 52 Pickup Racing will be competing in this weekend’s NASCAR Cup race with an “art car” designed by one of the team’s fifty-two co-owners.

“The world is my canvas”, said team co-owner and conceptual artist Pat Burke.  “To see my ideas of a white void, of nothingness, on a stock car that I co-own, is the culmination of a dream wholly supported by my parents.”

The team will run the completely white car, devoid of all decals besides the car numbers and “NASCAR Race Car” decal, thanks to the support of primary sponsor Monday Cigarettes.

“We’re glad that Monday Cigarettes has allowed us to remove their logos for a weekend”, said Burke.  “After all, partnering with a corporation for artistic expression is so bourgeoisie.  That’s why MY exhibitions are only at the Art Scape Amphitheater, sponsored by the Boogertown Bank.”

“Its pretty amazing to see such a stark race car”, said T.B. Dee, the team’s driver.  “Its pretty much the opposite of Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s famed Peter Max car, and to be honest, way less ugly.”

QUOTES: “I don’t know much about art.  Well, I mean, I have a cousin named Art, but I only see him around the holidays.” —T.B. Dee, driver of the 52 Pickup Racing Monday Cigarettes race car.

“There’s plenty of artists in the region, and Pat Burke is certainly one of them.” —Mike Sutcliffe, Carolina Art Focus.

ABOUT 52 PICKUP RACING: 52 Pickup Racing is NASCAR Cup’s newest race team.  Based out of Boogertown North Carolina, the team employs up-and-coming driver T.B. Dee and is currently seeking a cheaper supply of white paint.

For more information please visit the 52 Pickup Racing website at www.52pickupracing.com

For all media inquiries please contact Moxoc Media at moxoc(at)moxoc.com

Casey Mears Admits He Forgot He Won 2007 Coca-Cola 600

Fourteen years ago, journeyman racer Casey Mears broke through to win his first-ever Cup Series race in the 2007 running of the Coca-Cola 600.  When reached for comment, Mears admitted that he had forgotten that he ever won the race.

Mears in Victory Lane, of
which he seems to only
have faint memories

“Really?  I won the 600?  Huh…you know what, I think you’re right”, Mears said when reached at his North Carolina home.  “No, wait, that can’t be right—I know I won a Cup race, but I think it was at some other track like Kansas or Chicagoland, right?”

The 2007 Memorial Day Weekend race—which multiple sources confirm was won by Mears driving for Hendrick Motorsports—was the lone Cup Series win for Mears, which one would think would make it even more memorable for the since-retired driver.

“So what you’re saying is that I won one of the ‘Crown Jewel’ races?  I mean, I know I won once, but I really think—and don’t take this the wrong way—that you’re confusing me with someone else.  I could’ve sworn my win came in some kind of ‘400’ race.”

Mears began to relent once details of the race were relayed to him.

“Oh, right”, Mears said while looking off into the distance after being told that he won on fuel mileage.  “I think I remember it now—we beat the 18 car, I think (note: Mears did indeed beat runner-up JJ Yeley in the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing car).  Jeez—you’d think I’d remember that better, especially since I’m usually pretty sharp on stuff like that.  Kinda weird, huh?”

Mears then admitted that he’d won the 2007 iteration of the World 600, then went into great detail about his four straight DNQ’s in 2010 for Keyed-Up Motorsports, calling it “the dumbed-named race team I ever race for.”

Spade Racing presents Uncle Max vs. Repeat Winners: Charlotte

Well, last week’s race was a disaster, wasn’t it?  I admit that I’m still not as big of a Nascar expert as I should be, but why were they racing when they couldn’t see?  From the looks of things they couldn’t see anything—it would be like if a football game was played with the players in blindfolds.

Oh well, on the plus side my vacation officially begins tomorrow!  I’ll still be providing my picks as usual, but by race day Sunday I’ll be manning the BBQ at my friend’s shore house, trying yet again to explain to someone why well done steak is basically just warm beef jerky.

Friday Night TRUCK SERIES NC Education Lottery 200 (1 win): John Hunter Nemechek—three names, three wins.

Saturday Afternoon XFINITY SERIES Alsco 300: Austin Cindric—come on AC—help get me off the schnide!

Sunday CUP SERIES Coca-Cola 600. Repeat winner—Chase Elliott.  FAVORITE (1 win): Alex Bowman—he’s won enough to move from Dark Horse to Favorite. NEXT FAVORITE: Kyle Larson—a home track for almost everyone, but especially for HMS.  DARK HORSE (2 wins): Cole Custer—nice rebound after a scary wreck at COTA.

Spade Racing Opens a Box of 2021 Donruss Nascar Cards, Pack 11 and 12 of 24+

Join us (well, me) as we/I go through a box of 2021 Donruss Nascar Cards, pack-by-pack, week-by-week.

Pack 11—Old Jeff Burton, Confidence That’s Hurtin’, and a Facial Curtain  

FIRST LOOK: I…don’t really know why they chose this particular image of Jeff Burton for this card.  I’m guessing they wanted to combine the awkward stare when your team is working on your car and the pain of having a really bad haircut.

TO THE BACK: Zane Smith said he didn’t expect to make the Truck Series Playoffs last year.  But he WASN’T surprised by his team speed.  And that’s as far as we can go due to printing deadlines!

SAY WHAT: “I’m gonna get some new masks made up with the phonetic pronunciation of my first name—well, middle name.”

RATING: 8 sets of sticker tires out of 10

Pack 12—Riley, Joey, and Pinchy

FIRST LOOK: I really like the color contrast between the neon green of Monster and the bright red of the limited edition parallel insert.  Almost makes up for there being about a dozen different cards available for Riley freakin’ Herbst.

TO THE BACK: While I know that companies are cutting back more than ever, and that trading cards aren’t exactly a profitable enterprise, and that Nascar isn’t a priority for Panini/Donruss, putting a Twitter quote on the back of a card is pretty dang lazy.

SAY WHAT: “It is I, Pinchy the Lobster, who is the TRUE dominator!  Bow down before me as I reign over Victory Circle!”

RATING: 2 field fillers out of 10

52 Pickup Racing Raising Awareness of Hay Fever

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Boogertown, North Carolina)

Continuing the new team’s focus on raising awareness of serious health conditions frequently overlooked by other, larger race teams, 52 Pickup Racing announced today that it will be helping to bring attention to the scourge of Hay Fever.

“Seasonal Allergies affect many of those close to us, including several members of our race team”, said Paul Speraw, one of the fifty-two co-owners of 52 Pickup Racing.

“We hope that through our advocacy, more people will realize that they don’t have a low-grade head cold—they actually have overactive histamine receptors.”, Speraw continued.  “Knowing what situations to avoid, combined with proper care, can help even the worst allergy sufferer lead a long, productive life.”

“At first, I thought we might want to focus on something a little more urgent”, said T.B. Dee, driver of the #52 Monday Cigarettes race car.  “But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the most-serious diseases were all claimed by NASCAR’s ‘big boys’.  So as a smaller, newer team, I support attacking this non-life threatening condition that affects millions of people every day.  Together, we can work to lessen the effects by up to 5% over the next decade.”

The team is currently working on creating an awareness ribbon to draw attention to the affliction, as well as a catchy slogan such as “Hay Fever—Its Kinda Irritating”.

QUOTES: “Through the small amount of research I’ve done since we introduced this program, I’ve learned how to say ‘God Bless You’ in six other languages.” —T.B. Dee, driver of the 52 Pickup Racing Monday Cigarettes race car.

“If we succeed with this, next could be a plan to help wipe out flat feet by the year 2050.” —Paul Speraw, co-owner of 52 Pickup Racing.

ABOUT 52 PICKUP RACING: 52 Pickup Racing is NASCAR Cup’s newest race team.  Based out of Boogertown North Carolina, the team employs up-and-coming driver T.B. Dee and is now the proud owner of a second-hand air purifier.

For more information please visit the 52 Pickup Racing website at www.52pickupracing.com

For all media inquiries please contact Moxoc Media at moxoc(at)moxoc.com

For Hero Card Requests, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the address below:

52 Pickup Racing

Attn: Hero Card Request

3911 Concord Pike

PO Box 7795

Wilmington DE 19803

Nascar Debuts at COTA—The Drinking Game

As is tradition here at Spade Racing for Cup track debuts, here’s a handy drinking game you can play with your favorite beverage.

SIP whenever

Road courses are compared to short tracks 

Clips of Jeff Gordon or Clint Bowyer on road courses are shown 

Any references to the Austin music scene are made

Any RWR car causes a caution

Rick Hendrick’s win total is mentioned 

DRINK whenever

A caution comes out during a commercial

Anyone alludes to the Brad Keselowski to Roush rumors

Any mentions of the Monaco GP are made

There’s a red flag

CHUG whenever

The race comes down to fuel mileage

Someone curses live on their in-car camera (aka Pulling a Petty)

A road course ringer takes the lead

A road course ringer is in contention to win and Mike Joy DOESN’T mention Mark Donahue

SMASH THE BOTTLE OVER YOUR HEAD if

This drinking game gets mentioned on air. 

Spade Racing presents Uncle Max vs. Repeat Winners: Circuit of the Americas

I know I shouldn’t complain, but here I go:

Really?  I pick Justin Allgaier AND Kyle Larson last week?  REALLY?!?  Its hard enough trying to pick at a wildcard track like Dover, and NOW I have to pick the first time Nascar goes to COTA?  REALLY?!?

OK, with that out of my system, here’s a fun fact: preparing for one’s vacation from work is just as irritating (well, ALMOST as irritating), as not getting a vacation.  So many notes to write, so much extra work to do, and so much training to get done.  That’s right—the guy who’ll be backfilling my position is brand-new to the job, so this will be a real “trial by fire”.  Here’s hoping I don’t come back to my place being burned to the ground.

Saturday Early Afternoon TRUCK SERIES Toyota Tundra 225 (1 win): Sheldon Creed—well, why not?

Saturday Late Afternoon XFINITY SERIES Pit Boss 250: Kevin Harvick—no Ross Chastain to spoil it.

Sunday CUP SERIES EchoPark Grand Prix of Texas. Repeat winner—Alex Bowman.  FAVORITE (1 win): Martin Truex Jr.—good enough on road courses to overcome a d v e r s i t y. NEXT FAVORITE: Kyle Larson—the HMS train keeps rolling on (outside of 1.5 milers, of course).  DARK HORSE (2 wins): AJ Allmendinger—when its the first race someplace, the DARKEST of horses can win.

Spade Racing Opens a Box of 2021 Donruss Nascar Cards, Pack 13 and 14 of 24+

Join us (well, me) as we/I go through a box of 2021 Donruss Nascar Cards, pack-by-pack, week-by-week.

Pack 13—Harry Gant, a Homeschool Rant, and Brandon Just Can’t 

FIRST LOOK: Here we see Harry Gant in all his glory.  It’s pretty impressive that he raced virtually his entire Cup career with a single sponsor.  It goes to show you that even something as gross as chewing tobacco has redeeming qualities.

TO THE BACK: With more and more racers being homeschooled to allow for a more active driving schedule in their teens, the sport’s roster is going to be getting more and more antisocial and aloof.  So, basically, IndyCar but with less cool accents and less failed F1 dreams.

SAY WHAT: “Just look at those JRM and JGR cars.  So sleek and powerful.  Oh well, at least MY car has a big cartoon bird on the side.”

RATING: 3 stage points out of 10

Pack 15—An Awkward Smile, High School Kyle, and Anger & Bile

FIRST LOOK: This is…not a good look for Joey Gase.  I hold nothing against Joey, who’s a racer, not a model.  So how the HECK did the photographer let this happen, and why did the editor at Donruss choose it?  HELLO?!?

TO THE BACK: Kyle Busch in high school.  I’m guessing it was a lot of “Hey, how’s your older brother holding up after getting punched in the face by that fat guy in a wig?”

SAY WHAT: “Take the (darn) picture and get out of here—I KNOW you stole my sandwich from the break room fridge, Gary.”

RATING: 5 engines out of 10

52 Pickup Racing Picks up Sponsorship by Blank White Paint Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Boogertown, North Carolina)

52 Pickup Racing will be running a very special paint scheme this weekend in partnership with its newest sponsor—The Blank White Paint Council.

“We’re all about activation of sponsorship goals here at 52 Pickup Racing”, said Claude Gouzzie, one of the team’s fifty-two co-owners.  “And we feel that by seeing a nearly ‘naked’ car riding around the track, people won’t be able to avoid thinking about Blank White Paint and how it benefits them every day.”

“We’re glad that our primary sponsor, Monday Cigarettes, has given up its space this weekend to allow us to bring aboard such a dynamic advocacy group”, driver T.B. Bell said.  “We hope race fans will realize not to take Blank White Space for granted anymore.”

The Blank White Space Council, established in 1982, works to increase awareness of the benefits of of said Blank White Spaces throughout the world.  Such advantages of Blank White Spaces include movie theater screens, art canvases, and public spaces perfect for graffiti.

The race car will only feature the bare minimum markings, namely its car number of 52, its “NASCAR Race Car” decal, and the shadows from where the previously planned decals were removed.

QUOTES: “I really learned a lot this week.  ‘Blank White Space And You’ is really an educational film.” —T.B. Dee, driver of the 52 Pickup Racing Monday Cigarettes race car.

“We hope to continue our relationship later this year with a car promoting the annual ‘Blanky Awards’.” —Claude Gouzzie, co-owner of 52 Pickup Racing.

ABOUT 52 PICKUP RACING: 52 Pickup Racing is NASCAR Cup’s newest race team.  Based out of Boogertown North Carolina, the team employs up-and-coming driver T.B. Dee and finally filled-in that ditch in front of the entrance to their race shop.

For more information please visit the 52 Pickup Racing website at www.52pickupracing.com

For all media inquiries please contact Moxoc Media at moxoc(at)moxoc.com

The Hero Card Project: Part 2

CLICK HERE FOR PART 1

Nascar’s unique in that there’s a pretty cool way to get a (relatively) free souvenir from virtually every team—the hero card.  For the uninitiated, Hero Cards are large, well, cards printed on, well, card stock, containing driver, car, and team information.  Big and glossy, they work great for autographs, or just to collect.

Now normally I can get a good selection of Hero Cards from team race shops or at the track in the garage.  But with the whole pandemic going on, that’s a no-go.  So instead I’m mailing out a slew of Self-Addressed-Stamped-Envelopes (SASE’s) to every major and minor race team in the three national touring series.

Who’ll be the first to respond?  Who’ll have the best Hero Cards?  Who’ll send the most?  Will anyone still have outdated 2020 info?  And will anyone slip in a few goodies or even an autograph?  SEE BELOW!

So here’s what I’ve gotten since my last entry, through May 15th.  Some good stuff pictured in order of when they arrived.  Bonus points to those who included autographs!

First hero card (autographed!) from Timmy Hill

Brandon Brown with a twofer (this might be from
a request I sent in last year)

Graf Paper (sorry)

Nice cards from Xfinity powerhouse Kaulig Racing

A polite note from JGR

Nice haul from Stewart-Haas Racing...

...followed the same day by an even bigger
haul from Hendrick Motorsports!

Nice collection of cards from DGM

And full-circle with more Timmy Hill

Spade Racing presents Uncle Max vs. Repeat Winners: Dover

Finally—my next vacation is within sight!

Just a couple of weeks till I make my long-overdue trip to my friend’s beach house for a whole week!  Last year’s annual trip was (understandably) postponed, then cancelled, due to the pandemic, but this year we’re all going to be there—vaccinated and safe.

All I have to do till then is keep working extra hours at work, make sure my car’s left front tire doesn’t go flat, get my fantasy baseball team back on track, and find somewhere that isn’t selling meat for an arm and a leg!

TRUCK SERIES (1 win) off

Saturday Afternoon XFINITY SERIES Drydene 200: Justin Allgaier—in THIS series I can pick back-to-back winners.

Sunday CUP SERIES Drydene 400. Repeat winner—Martin Truex Jr.  FAVORITE (1 win): Kyle Larson—something something high side something. NEXT FAVORITE: Kevin Harvick—hopefully he gets his season back on track right here.  DARK HORSE (2 wins): William Byron—outside pole.

Spade Racing Opens a Box of 2021 Donruss Nascar Cards, Pack 9 and 10 of 24+

Join us (well, me) as we/I go through a box of 2021 Donruss Nascar Cards, pack-by-pack, week-by-week.

Pack 9—A Swatch, An Awesome Watch, And a Picture Botch 

FIRST LOOK: Here we get a slightly-used Jimmie Johnson race tire.  Of course its hard to tell where it came from—could be anything from his last-ever Cup race to a random mid-race run at Homestead.  Eh, probably the latter.

TO THE BACK: Agreed—Bill Elliott is the template for the down-home Nascar star.  Every sport needs a good-guy (Elliott), a bad-guy (Earnhardt Sr.), and a whiny guy (Rusty Wallace).

SAY WHAT: “Oh yeah, GREAT photo you idiot.”

RATING: 7 splitters out of 10

Pack 10—Truex, The King’s Flex, and Superior Essex

FIRST LOOK: Martin Truex Jr. has the facial expression of a man who’s been asked to narrow his list of “hometown tracks” down to the single-digits.  Or a man who’s been asked why the “A” on the hood of his Auto-Owners sponsored car keeps getting bigger every year.

TO THE BACK: Its tough to boil down Richard Petty’s mind-boggling career down to the back of a trading card, but Donruss does a pretty good job here.  Its amazing to think you can sum up a stellar career and NOT include his seven Cup championships, seven Daytona 500 wins, and seven times he wanted to punch Brian Scott in the head.

SAY WHAT: “I appreciate the sponsorship, but how do I REALLY know if this Essex is truly Superior?  I mean, I’ve been to the one near Baltimore and its pretty lackluster.”

RATING: 7 championship trophies out of 10

52 Pickup Racing Beats the “Crash Clock” in Major Victory

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Boogertown, North Carolina)

Competing in NASCAR Cup requires teamwork, speed, and precision.  52 Pickup Racing’s road crew showed that this past weekend as they were able to beat the so-called “Crash Clock” after suffering on-track damage.

“We were really forced up into the wall there”, said T.B. Dee, driver of the #52 Monday Cigarettes race car.  “So I didn’t know if we’d be able to get things fixed in time once I pulled into the pit stall.  But our boys really showed what they were made of, and we got back on track with a few seconds to spare and only twelve laps down.”

Team co-owner H.W. Meine agreed.

“There’s plenty of things to take pride in as a team owner—prestige, camaraderie, getting free samples of sponsor products.  But seeing everyone pull together to fix a car you own 1/52nd of really makes you feel special”, Meine said.  “Sure we might not be competing for wins, but its nice to know we can compete against our greatest competitor—our own expectations.”

“I like to think I did my part by parking the car just far enough from the pit wall to allow the work to be done”, Dee added.  “Our crew might not be paid the most, or be paid at all, or even get basic necessities like room and board, but they can pull together like nobody’s business when the situation arises.”

QUOTES: “I was really impressed with how smooth the bear bond tape was too.” —T.B. Dee, driver of the 52 Pickup Racing Monday Cigarettes race car.

“Some of these guys have a real future in this sport—ARCA, here they come.” —H.W. Meine, co-owner of 52 Pickup Racing.

ABOUT 52 PICKUP RACING: 52 Pickup Racing is NASCAR Cup’s newest race team.  Based out of Boogertown North Carolina, the team employs up-and-coming driver T.B. Dee and is looking for an apparel company to outfit the team, preferably in fire suits that haven’t been thrown out by Roush Fenway Racing.

For more information please visit the 52 Pickup Racing website at www.52pickupracing.com

For all media inquiries please contact Moxoc Media at moxoc(at)moxoc.com

Rick Ware Racing Announces Comprehensive Partnership with Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

Nascar team Rick Ware Racing has announced a new partnership, working through IndyCar team Dale Coyne Racing to partner with Formula 1 powerhouse Mercedes-AMG F1.

Proposed logo

“This is a game-changer for us here at Rick Ware Racing”, said RWR spokesman Jay Stephens.  “To have one of the most-successful race teams of the past decade working with us, there’s no reason why we can’t challenge for top-30 finishes on a regular basis going forward.”

The partnership came about thanks to the help of former F1 driver Romain Grosjean.

“Romain was really the lynchpin in this deal”, Stephens explained.  “We partnered with Dale Coyne Racing in Indycar to field an entry with a 5 in the number, as is required by law.  Then, Romain was able to get a demonstration and test session with Mercedes-AMG F1.  So as you can see, Cody Ware is practically a co-worker of Lewis Hamilton.”

Stephens said that they plan to follow in the footsteps of Stewart-Haas Racing, another team that has a partnership—albeit more concrete—with a Formula 1 squad.

“Oh, SHR, there’s a good bunch, but we feel like we can improve on that”, Stephens boasted.  “I mean, we’re with the best team in all of F1—who’s SHR with?  Haas, the worst team in F1.  Haas has an all-rookie lineup this year—heck, even we wouldn’t do that in Nascar.”

The RWR-Mercedes partnership is expected to yield immediate dividends for the independent Nascar squad.

“We’re already working on some commemorate merchandise”, Stephens said, while holding up a mock-up of the partnership’s new logo.  “Besides that, we’re looking at incorporating Mercedes’ F1 pit strategy into our Nascar race plans—just think what we could do with a sub-3-second pit stop.  Really, the sky is the limit for RWR/Mercedes going forward.”

When reached for comment, a Mercedes-AMG F1 Team spokesman repeatedly asked if the interviewer was high.