Spade Racing Opens Six “Fat Packs” of 2021 Donruss Nascar Cards, 4 of 6

Join us (well, me) as we/I continue going through 2021 Donruss Nascar Cards with six “Fat Packs”.

Fat Pack 4—Golden Bobby, Denny’s Camry, and Reed Looks Goofy

FIRST LOOKS: This card is a nice reminder of how cool the old Miller High Life colors were on stock cars and fire suits.  Almost makes up for their beer always exploding out of the can when you open it.  On the flip side the orange-and-white of Poppy Bank kind of just looks like a knockoff of Tony Stewart’s early Home Depot looks…or possibly a tribute to the late-80’s Baltimore Orioles uniforms.

TO THE BACKS: Even with today’s cars looking more and more the same, its nice to see Donruss still referring to them by their proper make and model.  And look—Ben Rhodes is even referred to properly as a “…racer from Louisville”.  I’m guessing they’d call me a “…weirdo from Delaware” in my “Prius covered in dings”.

SAY WHATS: “I never know how to pose for these things.  Is this good enough?”  “No, you gotta get a BIG SMILE!  Like fifth grade picture day!”

RATING: 4 flags out of 10

52 Pickup Racing Celebrates Moral Victory

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Boogertown, North Carolina)

Its been said that “in racing you win some, you lose some, you wreck some”.  And despite mostly doing the last two in their inaugural season, 52 Pickup Racing triumphed this past weekend with a moral victory at the race track.

“Moral victories—they’re not as good as regular victories, but we’ll take ‘em”, said team principal Miles Krieger, one of the fifty-two co-owners of the team.  “We had a chance to take something that wasn’t ours, but we didn’t.  And that’s what its all about.”

“The notebook, it was sitting right there on the pit wall”, said the team’s driver, T.B. Dee.  “I mean, we could’ve just taken it and gained all sorts of knowledge about how Team Penske does its car setups, strategies, who knows what.  But instead I returned it to a member of the 2 crew.”

“T.B. absolutely did the right thing”, said Krieger.  “Its good to know that we have such an upstanding, virtuous driver in our cars.  And even if he doesn’t win, or get a top-ten, or finish on the lead lap, or even finish the (darn) race, at least there’s that.”

“I hope the Penske crew realized what a service we were doing for them”, said Dee.  “I mean, sure, the notebook said ‘CREW BREAKFAST MENU’, but who KNOWS what was actually inside there.”

QUOTES: “I came here to win, but only by doing things the right way.  I’m not going to compromise my soul.” —T.B. Dee, driver of the 52 Pickup Racing Monday Cigarettes race car.

“On an unrelated note, come out to the track for our sponsor Monday Cigarettes’ sampling event.  Bring the kids!” —Miles Krieger, 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 who was kicked out of Webelos for failing the knot-making test.  Repeatedly.

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

Spade Racing’s 2021-2022 Cup Silly Season Debrief Part 1 of 2: The Teams

With a brand-new car coming into play for 2022 plenty of Nascar teams are using the upcoming offseason as a chance to make some pretty serious changes.  In place of “Lap Zero”, here’s a two-part look at where we stand so far in an already wild “Silly Season”

PART 1: The Teams

SO WHAT’S THIS ABOUT A NEW CAR?  Nascar is introducing a new basic model of race car in 2022, dubbed the “NextGen” car (think “Gen6” or “The Car of Tomorrow”).  It is promising the usual—better racing, cost control, looks cool, etc.—while worrying people about the usual—aero issues, start-up costs, driver safety, etc.  Needless to say this will make every team’s current inventory of cars obsolete, so the time is right for new teams (and owners) to enter the sport to get in on the ground floor.

WHAT NEW TEAMS ARE ENTERING CUP IN 2022?  So far, there’s two: Kaulig Racing (moving up from Xfinity) and GMS Racing (moving up from Cup).

WHAT ARE THEIR CHARTER SITUATIONS?  The Kaulig one is a little confusing—Spire Motorsports has three Charters—the two its run this year for its 7 & 77 cars, plus one they leased out to Trackhouse Racing.  Two of those Charters were bought by Kaulig.  However, this purchase does NOT include any race cars, equipment, driver contracts, or intellectual property.  Spire will continue to run the 7 car, likely as a single car team, in 2022 with Corey Lajoie.  GMS, meanwhile, has not yet acquired a Charter.

WHY ARE CHARTERS SO IMPORTANT?  Nascar’s current revenue sharing model with race teams gives a bigger cut to Chartered teams.  So while it might not be hard for a mid-level or higher team to qualify for a race outside of the Daytona 500, it might be harder to make the finances work without a Charter.

ANY OTHER BIG CHANGES?  Well, two of them.

OK, WHICH ONE WAS ANNOUNCED FIRST?  Trackhouse Racing has purchased Chip Ganassi Racing’s Nascar operations, effective the end of the season.  Unlike the Kaulig-Spire transaction, this WILL include the Ganassi race shop, cars, equipment, and both of its Charters (remember, Trackhouse only leased a Charter for this year).  Trackhouse will run as a two-car team in 2022, likely continuing to run one car numbered 99.

AND THE OTHER ONE?  The worst-kept secret in Nascar over the past few months has been Brad Keselowski agreeing to join Roush Fenway Racing in an owner/driver role.  Made official earlier this week, Keselowski will take an ownership stake, a leadership role, and a Cup ride at RF(K)R.

HOW ABOUT ANY OTHER NEW TEAMS?  JR Motorsports has said they’re considering a long-rumored move to Cup Racing, but are stymied by the inability to acquire an all-important Charter.  Beyond that, no other new teams seem to have any substantial plans in the works.

YEAH, BUT IS ANYONE EXPANDING?  23XI is said to be wanting to add a second car to their stable for 2022.  Toyota has long been rumored to want six full-time Cup teams so this would fill out their roster.

HMM—ANYONE CONTRACTING?  Well the 37 car of JTG-D is running this year without a Charter.  It remains to be seen if they’ll return in 2022—Chartered or not—or will contract back to a one-car operation (perhaps in tandem with another team).

OK, I THINK I’M CAUGHT UP FOR NOW—WHAT’S THE NEXT “DOMINO TO FALL”?  Things are likely to hinge for the rest of the season on Charter transactions—will GMS get one, will 23XI get a second, what will JTG-D do, will Rick Ware Racing sell any, etc.  Ultimately it looks like the 2022 Cup field will be a little bit stronger in terms of cars capable of contending for top-20s and occasional wins, while the cars capable of contending for championships will likely stay the same.

WAIT—WHAT DRIVERS ARE MOVING WHERE?  Come back next weekend for Part 2!

Spade Racing Opens Six “Fat Packs” of 2021 Donruss Nascar Cards, 3 of 6

Join us (well, me) as we/I continue going through 2021 Donruss Nascar Cards with six “Fat Packs”.

Fat Pack 3—Mr. E, William B, and Mystery (…wait)

FIRST LOOKS: Chase Elliott gets the “Elite Series” treatment here, and its hard not to wonder why so many drivers have their names across their belts.  Do drivers tend to confuse their fire suits back at the race shop?  Tyler Reddick gives us the same treatment, but at least he has a CAT on his belly.

TO THE BACKS: William Byron’s Daytona win was, in fact, Action Packed.  Although using that term for a subset might just be a way to maintain their copyright from the old card set from the 90’s.  And there’s more Daytona talk on Tony Stewart’s card back as part of the “Dominators” set.  And dig the litany of Mobil copyright info in the fine print!  Yeah, I’m an IP nerd.

SAY WHATS: “Hello, you might be wondering who I am.  Well, I don’t know who I am either.”  “Yeah, who is that guy, and how’d he get to be a Rated Rookie?”

RATING: 5 helmets out of 10

52 Pickup Racing Presents: Ask The Driver

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Boogertown, North Carolina)

Earlier last week 52 Pickup Racing opened up its social media channels to questions for T.B. Dee, driver of the Monday Cigarettes race car.  Here’s three:

“Hey T.B.—I know the season isn’t over yet, but I was wondering, what’s your plans for 2022?  Will you be returning to 52 Pickup Racing?” —Pat Williamson, Saleswoman (Anaheim, California)

“Thanks Pat—obviously most drivers are on one-year deals nowadays, and I’m no different.  But there’s an option the 52 Pickup Racing people can pick up, and if they’ll have me, I’d like to come back.  If not, I am prepared to duct-tape myself into my racing seat.” —T.B.

“Long time reader, first time asker—have you ever done any sim-racing online?” —Jim Flanagan, Statistician (Ottawa, Canada)

“Honestly, not really.  I used to be into video games, but I got kicked out of the local arcade after some…unpleasantness  I could never go back, so I just lost interest.” —T.B.

“Do you have any pets, T.B.?” —Mike Poole, Student (Miami, Florida)

“Well I used to have a dog, but once I moved out to North Carolina for racing, my parents adopted him.  They said he’s on a big farm now where he’s really happy.  So its really just my hamster Rocco and me.” —T.B.

QUOTES: “I always love answering questions!  ‘Where are you from?’ “How fast were you going?’ ‘Could you step out of the car, please?’” —T.B. Dee, driver of the 52 Pickup Racing Monday Cigarettes race car.

“Interacting with our fans is a great way to build our brand.  And maybe even attract a sponsor or seven.” —Fred Walden, 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 has up to seven prime sponsorship opportunities available for interested companies.

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 Hendrick Completes Tense Sponsorship Negotiations with Rick Hendrick

Earlier this week Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, managed to re-sign driver Kyle Larson to a multi-year extension.  However, the deal was contingent on him finalizing a sponsorship agreement with Hendrick Cars owner Rick Hendrick.

“This was one of the toughest negotiations I’ve ever been a part of”, Hendrick said.  “Owning a race team, you know you have to really sell yourself out there—and the way Kyle (Larson)’s been racing this year, it makes him pretty enticing to a corporate partner.  But closing the deal with Hendrick Cars really forced me to use every ounce of persuasion I have.”

“We’re really proud of what we’ve been able to do this year, but we don’t enter any partnership lightly”, said Hendrick.  “Here at Hendrick Cars, we pride ourselves on giving the customer the best price possible, and we keep costs down by getting the most for our marketing dollar.  I know Hendrick Motorsports was expecting us to just open up the checkbook, but we needed to make sure we got value for our dollar.”

Larson’s comeback has been one of the biggest stories of the 2021 Nascar Cup season, sitting second in points on four race wins.  Hendrick indicated that he had multiple offers from other sponsors besides Hendrick.

“We’ve had lots of companies show interest in being on the hood of the 5 car”, Hendrick said, “but we really wanted to keep our momentum going with what we have.  With multiple wins and a rehabilitated public image, we knew we could present Kyle Larson to Hendrick Cars as the once and future face of the company.”

“Mr. Hendrick had some good points in the negotiations”, Hendrick said, “but I had to take a night to sleep on it.  I don’t know if he’d want me telling you this, but Rick wound up texting me a few times that night to see if he could close the deal.  By the morning, we had an early meeting where I shook my hand and closed.”

Hendrick said that once a press conference with Hendrick was completed, he would move towards re-signing associate sponsor Nations Guard, owned by Rick Hendrick.

Spade Racing presents Uncle Max vs. Repeat Winners: New Hampshire

So Nascar has an Olympic break now?  OK, but since I won’t be talking to ya for the next two weeks, here’s some Olympic betting advice:

—don’t do it.

Really, the Olympics are a total crapshoot.  When national pride is involved, all bets are off (literally).  Heck—even the vaunted USA Men’s Basketball team lost an exhibition last week to Nigeria.  So sit back, relax, and try to figure out a system to win betting on baseball instead.

Saturday Afternoon XFINITY SERIES Get Vaccinated 200 (1 win): Justin Allgaier—would SOMEONE get me that second win?!?

Sunday CUP SERIES Foxwoods 301. Repeat winner (2 wins)—Kurt Busch.  FAVORITE (2 wins): Alex Bowman—might be a sign, but I’ve been seeing a lot of 48’s lately. NEXT FAVORITE (2 wins): Kyle Busch—avenging last week.  DARK HORSE (3 wins): Tyler Reddick—time for a breakthrough win.

Spade Racing Opens Six “Fat Packs” of 2021 Donruss Nascar Cards, 2 of 6

Join us (well, me) as we/I continue going through 2021 Donruss Nascar Cards with six “Fat Packs”.

Fat Pack 2—Mr. Brown, He of the Hometown, and Smile of Renown

FIRST LOOKS: This picture from what is likely Clint Bowyer’s final year as a driver appears to be taken while he got a vision of a future of pretending to argue with Jeff Gordon every Sunday.  Meanwhile here’s Dale Jarrett—its funny how he won numerous Daytona 500’s, a Cup championship, and made the Hall of Fame, yet is still pretty much best-known for a series of funny UPS commercials.  Oh well, there’s worse things to be known for—like being at the center of a massive cheating scandal, right Clint?

TO THE BACKS: I’m surprised that they didn’t mention Dover being one of Martin Truex Jr’s dozen or so home tracks.  And while Aric Almirola isn’t from Indiana, he dreamt of racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Because who doesn’t dream of three hours of follow-the-leader “racing” at a track with no banking?

SAY WHATS: “I’m sick and tired of people making fun of my teeth.  Why don’t they make fun of me for something else, like my sucking up to pit reporters by calling them by name?”  “I love my smile—Mouth of the Month at the dentist in April 2015!”

RATING: 6 cookie-cutter tracks out of 10

EXCERPT: T.B. Dee Interviewed by Legendary NASCAR Writer Arthur Mills

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Boogertown, North Carolina)

Recently T.B. Dee, driver of the 52 Pickup Racing Monday Cigarettes race car, sat down for an interview with legendary racing journalist Arthur Mills in Mills’ assisted living facility.  Here’s an excerpt from that interview:

Arthur Mills: “Hello, B.T., and welcome to my house, I’m glad you stopped by.”

T.B. Dee: “Thank you, its an honor to be interviewed by such a legend as yourself.  Oh, and its T.B.”

AM: “Well, tell me a little about yourself.  How’d you get started?”

TB: “Oh, the usual way.  Go-karts led to late models, which led to a run in some local series—the Southern United Challenger Kings Series and the Birmingham-Leeds Outlaw World Series.

I think it was what I showed I could do in the SUCKS and BLOWS that got the team’s attention.”

AM: “Say, do you know Darrell Waltrip, G.T.?”

TB: “Uh, not really.  I think I met him once.  And its T.B.”

AM: “That guy still owes me $20!”

TB: “That’s, uh, that’s too bad, Mr. Mills.  Anything you’d like to know about me, like the race team, the fifty-two co-owners, the sponsors…”

AM: “—say, remember that guy with the hair and the sunglasses?”

TB: “Um, what?”

AM: “You know, Z.T.—the guy in victory lane, they called him The Hat Man, I think.”

TB: “Uh, yeah, I mean I’ve heard of him.  And its T.B., please.”

AM: “He was a great guy.  Drove me home after a race at Rockingham once, heck of a nice car, too.”

TB: “Alriiiiiight.  Look, is there anything you want to ask me about racing today?”

AM: “There’s a race today?”

TB: “No, there isn’t.  I mean racing in the modern age, you know, in 2021.”

AM: “21?  You know who should’ve gotten a better chance in the 21 car?  Dan Gurney.  Wish he’d stayed in NASCAR, he was a great talent, P.C.”

TB: “AGAIN, it’s T.B.  TEE-BEE.  That’s my name.  Oh, good, the door.”

Nurse: “OK, Arthur, 5pm, time for bed.”

AM: “Oh, but I was learning all about my new friend C.D.!”

QUOTES: “It was great to be interviewed by such a legend in his field, but I wish I didn’t have to eat so much caramel candy to keep him happy.” —T.B. Dee, driver of the 52 Pickup Racing Monday Cigarettes race car.

“Arthur Mills—didn’t he get beat up by Sandra McKee a few decades back?” —Jess Doyle, 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 has a really good feeling about those ten lottery tickets it bought for tonight’s Powerball.

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

Kyle Busch Unveils New “Re-Tiring” Service for Xfinity Series

Clearing up a common misconception about his past announcements, Kyle Busch announced and unveiled his newest business concept: A tire recycling service for Xfinity Series teams dubbed “Kyle Busch Re-Tires”.

“I don’t know where people got the idea that I was going to quit running Xfinity Series races”, said Busch at the announcement, flanked by “Tirey The Recycled Tire”, the venture’s mascot.  “I clearly stated that after 100 wins I would re-tire from Xfinity Series racing.  Well, its a week late, but here I am, ready to give back to this series that’s given me so much by supplying recycled, retreaded, and resurfaced tires at a reasonable price.”

Busch adds the new racing tire remanufacturing service to a number of other racing ventures, including Kyle Busch Motorsports, Rowdy Manufacturing, and Mr. Busch’s Charm & Grooming School.

“Teams go through lots of tires every week—I remember that from when I ran my own disastrous Xfinity Series team”, Busch said.  “If I had a source like this for inexpensive yet resilient tires, I never would’ve had to shut things down, and Parker Kligerman would still have a full-time ride.  OK, so its not ALL positive, but still, on the balance, you get the idea.”

Busch’s plans for the organization have apparently been in the works for some time.

“I always said I wanted to do this after 100 wins, going way back to my days with a cheesy soul-patch”, Busch explained.  “It took 100—well, 102—wins for me to get the confidence I needed to start this new company.  So starting next week, be ready to see some teams spending less money on brand-new tires and more money on…well, whatever it is teams with no Cup affiliation spend extra money on.”

Busch then spotted Todd Bodine and left in a huff.

Spade Racing presents Uncle Max vs. Repeat Winners: Atlanta/Knoxville

Kind of odd how Nascar runs a few races on dirt, isn’t it?  Its really not like anything other sports do, changing up the field/surface of play.  Just think about it:

—an NBA game played on blacktop

—an NFL game played through a dozen back yards

—an NHL game played on crappy outdoor ice!  Oh, wait, they actually do that.

I guess the closet we get are those random college basketball games they play on aircraft carriers.  Because nothing says “America” like a random mid-autumn game of hoops played on the water.

Friday Night TRUCK SERIES Corn Belt 150 (3 wins): Ben Rhodes—second at Bristol on dirt, first in Knoxville on dirt.

Saturday Afternoon XFINITY SERIES Credit Karma 250 (1 win): Harrison Burton—REALLY need to add an “s” to that “win”.

Sunday CUP SERIES Quaker State 400. Repeat winner (2 wins)—Chase Elliott.  FAVORITE (2 wins): Brad Keselowski—then has a really awkward victory lane celebration with his (current) team. NEXT FAVORITE (2 wins):  Kyle Larson—keeps the HMS train a-rollin.  DARK HORSE (2 wins): Kurt Busch—if the Chevy’s are strong, this is possible.

Spade Racing Opens Six “Fat Packs” of 2021 Donruss Nascar Cards, 1 of 6

Join us (well, me) as we/I continue going through 2021 Donruss Nascar Cards with six “Fat Packs”.

Fat Pack 1—Derrike Cope, Misplaced Hope, and I’m Kinda a Dope

FIRST LOOKS: Here we see Derrike Cope in all his glory.  You can mock him as a “one hit wonder” all you want—even though he actually won two races—but remember that 99.99% of the population has zero Cup wins, making Derrike infinitely better than most of the universe.  Meanwhile, Jesse Little’s card is an example of the “Carolina Blue” parallel variant series limited to 2021 “Fat Packs”.  Because if there’s one thing modern collectable cards need, its more variety.

TO THE BACKS: While Natalie Decker’s top-five finish in the Truck Series race is nothing to sneeze at, it was really the highpoint of her season in which she struggled to make the top-20.  But, to be fair, she was racing for—NIECE MOTORSPORTS?  That makes it even harder to defend any hope for her performance improving.  Speaking of misplaced hope, Gray Gaulding.

SAY WHATS: “This guy really doesn’t know how to take pictures, does he?  Its like I’m surrounded by an LSD-infused hallucination.”  “Stick with the professional photogs—they know how to make us look eight feet tall.”

RATING: 8 overtimes out of 10

52 Pickup Racing Now Offering Race Shop Tours

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Boogertown, North Carolina)

In a move a long time coming, 52 Pickup Racing is pleased to announce that they are finally allowing race shop tours for NASCAR fans.

“One of the big draws to our sport is how close the fans can get to the teams”, said Russ Bauers, one of the fifty-two co-owners of 52 Pickup Racing.  “And we’re proud to finally offer that to fans of our race team.”

“Oh, its a great opportunity for the fans”, said Ben “Moose” Milacki, the team’s hauler driver and tour leader.  “I mean, seeing those huge shops in Concord and Mooresville, its really something.”

Fans can come Monday through Thursday at 9am for the tours to begin.

“We get moving around 9:15ish”, Milacki said.  “I take them in my old Club Wagon van—its a little worn down but its still got a great sound system.  We go past all the big time race shops—Hendrick, Gibbs, Stewart-Haas.  Its really something to show fans how the sport operates…at least at the highest level.”

Fans are encouraged to bring a light lunch with them on the tours, as well as to use the bathroom before arriving in the 52 Pickup Racing race shop parking lot, as fans are still not allowed inside due to a town licensing dispute that has yet to be resolved.

QUOTES: “Wait—we’re not letting fans in here, are we?  We still haven’t gotten all the insulation put in, the ceiling leaks on rainy days, and nobody can figure out where that smell’s coming from.” —T.B. Dee, driver of the 52 Pickup Racing Monday Cigarettes race car.

“I go on the tours sometimes.  Just gazing out at a mega-shop like Team Penske and wondering how that could’ve been me, if only about nine hundred things in my life had gone differently.” —Russ Bauers, 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 considering trademarking the term “NASCAR Cup’s newest race team”, so don’t steal it.

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

Spade Racing Presents The Sophomores: JULY RANKINGS

Last year Spade Racing took a look at the six drivers competing for Rookie of the Year.  This year we continue to look at that vaunted class (sans John Hunter Nemechek and Brennan Poole) as they strive to establish themselves while avoiding the “sophomore slump”.  Returning for 2021 is the PRETTY grade: Performance Relative to Equating Team’s Typical Year (its pretty much how well each driver is doing considering their equipment).  Here’s how things look going into Road America:

1. Tyler Reddick (Richard Childress Racing).  Best finish: 2nd (Homestead).  PRETTY grade: A.  Tyler Reddick has been a model of consistency this year—no sub-20th place finishes since ATLANTA.  Not even Ty Dillon himself could take this ride from him now!  Well, I mean, I don’t think he could.  Oh, no—don’t let this happen next year!

2. Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing).  Best finish: 1st (Daytona Road Course).  PRETTY grade: B+.  How’s this for strange—Denny Hamlin is the only JGR driver without a win, but he’s leading the points standings.  However, if the Playoffs were to start today, C.Bell would be seeded ahead of Denny—although the tear in the time-space continuum by shifting our collective narrative would likely render such things meaningless.

3. Cole Custer (Stewart Haas Racing). Best finish: 10th (Talladega/Dover).  PRETTY grade: C+.  SHR is struggling this year—Kevin Harvick is still winless, and the rest of the team will be lucky to make the Playoffs.  Time will tell if its a temporary setback or the dreaded “fall off year” for this powerhouse three-car team.

4. Quin Houff (StarCom Racing).  Best finish: 24th (Martinsville).  PRETTY grade: D-.  Quin is a mere two points ahead of Josh Bilicki for last-place amongst full-time Cup drivers in the points standings.  But there’s no Quit in Quin—even though my spell check constantly confuses the two.

Spade Racing presents Uncle Max vs. Repeat Winners: Road America

So, I like to think that I’ve picked up a decent amount of knowledge over the past few years making these picks.  But with a new track like Road America, I’m a bit confused—not by the track itself, but by the name.

When you think about it, isn’t “Road America” a pretty dull name?  I mean, of course its a road—that’s the whole point of road course racing.  And its in America, so yeah.  But really, doesn’t it sound like one of those names you’d see in a knock-off racing video game, like “Racing Speedway” or “The Country Short Track”?

Maybe they could work on a more-evocative name like “Elkhart Lake Raceway” and call it “The Elk” for short.  Or call it what most people know it as: That Track With the “Speedville” Bridge.

TRUCK SERIES (3 wins): off

Saturday Afternoon XFINITY SERIES Henry 180 (1 win): Austin Cindric—really trying to make that win total plural.

Sunday CUP SERIES Pocono Mountains 350. Repeat winner (2 wins)—Kyle Busch.  FAVORITE (2 wins): Kyle Larson—nice to be able to pick him again. NEXT FAVORITE (1 win):  Chase Elliott—he IS a good road course driver.  DARK HORSE (2 wins): Michael McDowell—strangest two-time race winner since Derrike Cope?