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Spade Racing Opens Classic “Blaster Boxes” and Premiere Sets


Recently I acquired a collection of Nascar cards from the past thirty years.  Most of it was unopened “Blaster Boxes” (those things you see near checkout at big box stores) as well as a few early-90’s “Premiere Sets”.  Lets open them and see what’s inside!


Tracks 2007 Box 3 Part 2—Late period Sterling, playing out the string, and a CART thing


FIRST LOOK: It kinda stunk that Sterling Marlin didn’t get to end his career racing for a winner.  On the plus side, its better than Rusty Wallace retiring a contender and then whining about it for years on end.


TO THE BACK: Speaking of drivers at the ends of their careers, I still have no idea why Ricky Rudd came back after a year off to race for a declining Robert Yates Racing.  Maybe he really, really, REALLY liked Snickers?


SAY WHAT: “For the last time I’m NOT Paul Tracy!”


RATING: 1 side skirt out of 10


Spade Racing Opens Classic “Blaster Boxes” and Premiere Sets


Recently I acquired a collection of Nascar cards from the past thirty years.  Most of it was unopened “Blaster Boxes” (those things you see near checkout at big box stores) as well as a few early-90’s “Premiere Sets”.  Lets open them and see what’s inside!


Tracks 2007 Box 3 Part 1—Double A, the other way, and Labon-tay


FIRST LOOK: Pictures taken moments before disaster. (Helicopter hovers over track)


TO THE BACK: I always thought that the Bass Pro Shops 1 car was the best example of Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s preference for car numbers that “leaned forward” instead of being italicized back.  Either way its better than the current Ganassi “standing 1” which looks like it had either five months or five seconds of planning.


SAY WHAT: “Its LabonTEE, not LabonTAY—no wonder you guys haven’t won anything in a decade.”


RATING: 3 scuffs out of 10


Spade Racing: The Interview!



Hey, ever wanted to learn more about Spade Racing?  Yeah, yeah, I know, but its near the end of the year, everyone’s running out of content, and we all have long car rides.


So listen to THIS PODCAST, starting at the 13-minute mark, for my interview discussing my background, my experiences outside and, uh, outside Nascar, and my book!

Spade Racing Opens Classic “Blaster Boxes” and Premiere Sets


Recently I acquired a collection of Nascar cards from the past thirty years.  Most of it was unopened “Blaster Boxes” (those things you see near checkout at big box stores) as well as a few early-90’s “Premiere Sets”.  Lets open them and see what’s inside!


Tracks 2007 Box 2 Part 3—Dinger, through the wringer, and the sponsor bringer


FIRST LOOK: It would be hard to find a driver with a stranger career than AJ Allmendinger.  And strange isn’t bad—I mean, that’s what my girlfriends tell me.


TO THE BACK: Juan (Pablo) Montoya was a modern-day Mario Andretti or AJ Foyt, even if he didn’t see a ton of success in a talent-heavy Cup Series.  And he’s still worlds better than Jacques Villeneuve.


SAY WHAT: “Why do these sponsors keep leaving me?  Maybe its my hair.”


RATING: 4 sticker tires out of 10


Spade Racing Holiday Update

Cards will continue to be posted
throughout the offseason!

Well, the holidays are fast-approaching (or, if you’re part of the tribe, already here).  While the 52 Pickup Situation remains up in the air (they’d better honor my PR contract through the end of 2022!) here’s a few things to count on this December:

NEED A GIFT?  Buy my book HERE.  But some Spade Racing merch HERE. Spend your money THERE.


WANT TO GET INTO NASCAR?  If you’re new to the sport and want to get caught up before the bizarre 2022 Clash, visit my NASCAR FOR NEWBIES series HERE.  Everything you need to know to become a fan in an easy-to-read ten-part series.


PLANNING A NASCAR VACATION?  Yeah, most of the race shops are still closed, but plan ahead for when they reopen at Race Shop Reviews!

Spade Racing Opens Classic “Blaster Boxes” and Premiere Sets


Recently I acquired a collection of Nascar cards from the past thirty years.  Most of it was unopened “Blaster Boxes” (those things you see near checkout at big box stores) as well as a few early-90’s “Premiere Sets”.  Lets open them and see what’s inside!


Tracks 2007 Box 2 Part 2—Soul patch, a bad batch, and “got a match?”


FIRST LOOK: What’s more difficult to fathom—that a journeyman driver like Martin Truex Jr. would wind up a Cup Series champion?  Or that anyone thought that soul patches were a good idea in the 00’s?


TO THE BACK: Yikes—RoushFenway wasn’t exactly the best at finding development drivers, were they?


SAY WHAT: “If one more ‘fan’ makes fun of my buzzcut I’m gonna sic the Mears Gang on them.”


RATING: 3 roof flaps out of 10


Spade Racing Opens Classic “Blaster Boxes” and Premiere Sets


Recently I acquired a collection of Nascar cards from the past thirty years.  Most of it was unopened “Blaster Boxes” (those things you see near checkout at big box stores) as well as a few early-90’s “Premiere Sets”.  Lets open them and see what’s inside!


Tracks 2007 Box 2 Part 1—Trucks of old, Monster to scold, and solid gold


FIRST LOOK: Its a strange feeling to look back at someone like Timothy Peters and think of them as a member of the “old guard”.  Time marches on, and waits for no man.  Sorry to bring the party down.  Um, something something Bodines are funny?


TO THE BACK: Ryan Newman really whipped Miles the Monster (real name Miles Theodore Monstervicz).


SAY WHAT: “I’m gold.  My career is gold.  My race team is gold.  My investments are gold.  My reputation…well, probably more like high-grade aluminum.”


RATING: 5 stage points out of 10


52 Pickup Racing Faces Uncertain Future


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Boogertown, North Carolina)


A year ago—almost exactly to the date—52 Pickup Racing was founded after fifty-two investors pooled their resources to start a NASCAR Cup race team.  Now, this team founded on a Charter found on the street and a dream, faces a very uncertain future.


“I’d love to have a more-positive outlook, but I can’t say for sure what’s going to happen in 2022”, said Herbert Perry, one of the team’s co-owners.  “Without a primary sponsor, a full roster of team members, a functional race shop, a track record of success, a contract to purchase new race cars, or any outside funding, we find ourselves in a very precarious position.”


“I’ve heard a lot about the future of the team, but I’m waiting to hear it directly from one of the fifty-two owners”, said T.B. Dee, the team’s driver for the 2021 season.  “I wish we could’ve done more, I do, but I feel that we really surprised some people out there with our consistency.  We showed up every week, qualified every week, and finished around 35th every week.  Not everybody can say that.”


“We want to give T.B. the kind of race car that can contend for lead-lap finishes, but to do that we need more money”, said Perry.  “We’ve already been pinching pennies around here so much we’re getting copper poisoning.”


“I’m a racer.  That’s what I am”, said Dee.  “If I have to go back to the Southern United Challenger Kings Series (SUCKS) or the Birmingham-Leeds Outlaw World Series (BLOWS), I will.  But I think I’ve proven I belong—I mean, I’ve already renewed my apartment lease here in North Carolina.”


Further information on the status of the team will be released as soon as it is known.


QUOTES: “Have race helmet, will travel.  But not too far, my daily driver has a real bad alignment.” —T.B. Dee, driver of the 52 Pickup Racing race car.


“If you bet on the 52 car to finish below 30th every weekend, you’re likely a wealthy man.  Heck, you could probably buy the team by now.” —Davy Hendricks, racing analyst, Sports Betting Daily


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…but for how long?


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 Opens Classic “Blaster Boxes” and Premiere Sets


Recently I acquired a collection of Nascar cards from the past thirty years.  Most of it was unopened “Blaster Boxes” (those things you see near checkout at big box stores) as well as a few early-90’s “Premiere Sets”.  Lets open them and see what’s inside!


Tracks 2007 Box 1 Part 3—A silly hat, a card sans stat, and what is that?


FIRST LOOK: I mean, its cool that Marcos Ambrose has love for his home country, but who the heck wears a green-and-yellow bucket hat with a blue-and-red firesuit?


TO THE BACK: This card is a great way to avoid saying much of anything about a driver.  And far be it from me to criticize THIS driver in particular.


SAY WHAT: “Hike hut hike!  Time to throw this footingball for a field goal!”


RATING: 6 rain delays out of 10


52 Pickup Racing to Hold First-Ever “Yard Sale” on Saturday


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Boogertown, North Carolina)


Following in the footsteps of several major race teams’ “Fan Days” and “Fan Club Carnivals”, 52 Pickup Racing will be holding its first ever “Yard Sale” for fans this upcoming weekend at its race shop in Boogertown, North Carolina.


“We’ve got some great deals here—look at all this Monday Cigarettes swag”, said Carl East, one of the fifty-two co-owners of 52 Pickup Racing, referring to the team’s now-former sponsor.  “These t-shirts are 100% cotton, and we have them at $5 each, 3 for $12—you can’t beat that deal.”


“I was up late last night pricing all the merchandise we have for sale”, said driver T.B. Dee.  “I put a listing on Craigslist so hopefully we get a few ‘yard sale pros’ who can take some of these old springs off our hands.  They’d make dandy lawn chairs.”

In addition to normal yard sale items like clothing, small appliances, and tungsten, items only from a race team are available for purchase.


“We have a whole race car for sale—a whole race car!” said East, pointing to the team’s primary race car for the 2021 NASCAR Cup season.  “Of course we had to return the engine to our leasing partner.  So if you buy it, you should probably bring a tow-truck.”


The yard sale starts at 8am Saturday—please, no early birds.  All purchases of $20 or more come with a free cup of water OR a signed T.B. Dee “hero card”.


QUOTES: “Pro tip—used lug nuts make great paper weights.  And at 5 cents each you can’t afford NOT to buy.” —T.B. Dee, driver of the 52 Pickup Racing race car.


“Most of this stuff goes out of date with the new 2022 rules package, so if you ever wanted to start a mid-level ARCA team, this is your opportunity.” —Carl East, 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 asks that all yard sale patrons avoid blocking their neighbor’s driveway.


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 Opens Classic “Blaster Boxes” and Premiere Sets


Recently I acquired a collection of Nascar cards from the past thirty years.  Most of it was unopened “Blaster Boxes” (those things you see near checkout at big box stores) as well as a few early-90’s “Premiere Sets”.  Lets open them and see what’s inside!


Tracks 2007 Box 1 Part 2—In-between, the Truck Series mean, and ownership is keen


FIRST LOOK: Some newer fans might not remember this, but there was a period in-between the Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Pay Driver Bonanza at RCR.


TO THE BACK: I mean, four top-fives are nice—if you’re running for a mid-level team.  If you can’t pull off a win in a Cup-affiliated team, maybe this isn’t the field for you.  Then again, its better than sitting in an apartment in Delaware making snotty comments.


SAY WHAT: “They say I own this track.  Which is good, but why won’t anybody let me borrow against the equity?”


RATING: 4 restart zones out of 10


52 Pickup Racing, Monday Cigarettes to Part Ways


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Boogertown, North Carolina)


52 Pickup Racing regrets to inform its fan base that as of the upcoming NASCAR Cup season finale, Monday Cigarettes will no longer be serving at the team’s primary sponsor into 2022.


“Its definitely a disappointment, but these things happen”, said Ray Hayworth, one of the fifty-two co-owners of 52 Pickup Racing.  “We thank Monday Cigarettes and everyone at Monday Tobacco for their generous support this year.  We wish we could’ve had a top-ten, top-twenty, or top-thirty finish to give them, but we’ll close out this season as strong as we can.”


“This is certainly a melancholy day for us”, said T.B. Dee, driver of the 52 Pickup Racing race car.  “Monday Cigarettes has done a lot for us, and I’d like to think that we’ve built some friendships that will last a lifetime.  But I’m already looking to the positives—look, I got ‘melancholy’ as my word of the day on my calendar.  I never knew what it meant.”


A representative for Monday Tobacco said that “…we are always looking to adjust and refine our marketing budget.  As of 2022, we will no longer be allocating any funds to the ‘OTHER’ portion of our expenditures.”


52 Pickup Racing is seeking new primary sponsors for the 2022 season.


QUOTES: “It’ll be tough not saying I’m the driver of the ‘#52 Monday Cigarettes race car’ anymore.  Who knew that cigarettes could be so difficult to quit?” —T.B. Dee, driver of the 52 Pickup Racing Monday Cigarettes race car.


“We have nowhere to go but up.  Unless, of course, we just stay here at the bottom.” —Ray Hayworth, 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 would really, really, REALLY appreciate any sponsorship leads.


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 Post Season Preview



Well, another season is in the books.  Granted nobody really uses books for record keeping anymore, but…anyways, what’s important is the season is over.  So here’s what’s on tap for the offseason:

—Cards will continue to be posted weekly (on Tuesday unless something comes up/I forget)

—52 Pickup Racing is rumored to be ready to sell their Charter.  Well, I still have a PR contract tied to that Charter, so I don’t think I’m going anywhere on that.

—Stay tuned on Twitter and Facebook for other posts on an irregular basis this offseason.

Believe it or not, next season is less than a 100 days away!  So don’t go anywhere, because the 2022 season has a new car, some new teams, and a race at a football stadium (for some reason).  So let’s hope 2022 is another fun and exciting year for Spade Racing!




UNCLE MAX VS. REPEAT WINNERS: FINAL STANDINGS


TRUCK SERIES 4 wins


XFINITY SERIES 2 wins


CUP SERIES


REPEAT WINNER 6 wins


FAVORITE 2 wins


NEXT FAVORITE 6 wins


DARK HORSE 3 wins


Next Favorite wins the nonexistent Spade Racing Trophy on the basis of a tiebreaker for picking the Championship winner.


Spade Racing Presents The Sophomores: FINAL 2021 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 now that the season has ended:


1. Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing).  Best finish: 1st (Daytona Road Course).  PRETTY grade: B.  C.Bell had a fantastic start to the season, followed by a solid if not spectacular rest of the year.  Kinda like most of my relationships.


2. Tyler Reddick (Richard Childress Racing).  Best finish: 2nd (Homestead).  PRETTY grade: A.  Here’s hoping that RCR can continue its rebound with the new cars in 2022.  But lets hope that the team doesn’t become TOO attractive, or we could have brothers as teammates.


3. Cole Custer (Stewart Haas Racing). Best finish: 10th (Talladega/Dover).  PRETTY grade: D+.  This was NOT a good year for anyone at SHR.  Issue is that its all relative—no wins for Harvick is bad, but not even remotely contending for Cole is bad.


4. Quin Houff (StarCom Racing).  Best finish: 19th (Talladega).  PRETTY grade: D-.  Well, I mean, at least nobody can ever outdo him in this ride.

Spade Racing Opens Classic “Blaster Boxes” and Premiere Sets



Recently I acquired a collection of Nascar cards from the past thirty years.  Most of it was unopened “Blaster Boxes” (those things you see near checkout at big box stores) as well as a few early-90’s “Premiere Sets”.  Lets open them and see what’s inside!


Tracks 2007 Box 1 Part 1—Kahne’s car, son of a star, and going far


FIRST LOOK: On the one hand I always liked this paint scheme—a nice interplay of red and white with some black accents.  On the other hand, that front splitter—YEESH.


TO THE BACK: So Steve(n) Wallace has two career Bristol starts, an average starting position of second, and one first.  So he started third in his other race.  Yay public school math skills.


SAY WHAT: "Ah, geez, the trash can’s so far away—what am I gonna do with this tear-away?"


RATING: 3 on-screen graphics out of 10