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Spade Racing Opens a Box of Panini PRIZM Cards, Part 8 of 12



Pack 8: A Guy Named Ryan, An Independent Tryin’, and Cole Ain’t Cryin’


FIRST LOOK: A nice picture of Ryan Ellis here, promoting longtime former GoFAS sponsor Keen/Corvette Parts.  I always thought it was funny that they sponsored a Ford.


TO THE BACK: Good on Corey for helping out a fan.  He seems like a good guy who always tries to do his best with average equipment.  And yet, I can’t help but wish he’d get a haircut.


SAY WHAT: “Make fun of me all you want—I still get to live out my dream.”


RATING: 9 Sparks out of 10



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Musically Declined: The Music of Kyle Petty (PREVIEW)



Who was the most-successful musician to cross over into Nascar racing?  Well that’s an easy one: Marty Robbins.  But did you know that Marty helped shape the musical talents of the most-successful Nascar racer to cross over into music?  That’s right—Marty helped to inspire the musical aspirations of Kyle Petty.  Now granted, you probably won’t find anyone ranking Kyle up there with Johnny Cash, but if you grade on a curve, Kyle had some decent stuff—or did he?  Join me as we take a look back at the early musical contributions of Kyle Petty, Son of Richard. 


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Spade Racing 2x4: Christopher Bell vs. Tyler Reddick, post-Daytona Preview



AND THEN THERE WERE TWO.

Spade Racing has watched the 2020 Cup Series Rookie Class winnow down from six full-time drivers to only two entering their fourth season at the sport’s highest level: Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick.  We’ll keep following them, but here’s how things look coming out of Daytona:


LAST YEAR’S RESULTS: Christopher Bell established himself as a championship contender, making the Final 4 and coming home third.  Tyler Reddick, meanwhile, had a breakout year, finishing 14th in points for an ascending RCR…which he has since left.  ADVANTAGE: BELL.


CAREERS CUP WINS: C.Bell has four to his name while T-Redd has three.  ADVANTAGE: BELL.


CONSISTENCY: Bell is back with his #20 Joe Gibbs Racing team, making them look like geniuses for releasing the talented yet not-as-talented Erik Jones years ago.  Reddick is going to a relatively new 23XI Racing, replacing a former Cup Champion.  ADVANTAGE: BELL.


TEAM PECKING ORDER: Joe Gibbs Racing is the top Toyota squad.  23XI Racing receives engines, technical support, and, well, ownership from JGR.  ADVANTAGE: BELL.


OWNER’S SUCCESS IN OTHER SPORTS: Joe Gibbs is a three-time Super Bowl champion, an offensive innovator, and was the coach of such legendary squads as the “Fun Bunch” and “The Hogs”.  Michael Jordan was a terrible baseball player who never got beyond class-AA.  ADVANTAGE: BELL.


TEAMMATES: Bell has two former Cup champions and the reigning Xfinity Series champion.  Reddick has a guy who cries a lot and won’t apologize for wrecking someone on purpose.  ADVANTAGE: BELL.


DAYTONA 500 RESULTS: Christopher Bell finished fourth.  Tyler Reddick finished 36th.  ADVANTAGE: BELL.


FINAL SCORE: Christopher Bell edges out Tyler Reddick—barely—seven to zero.



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Nascar Race Picks: Uncle Max vs. The Tarot Deck—Auto Club (California)


Nothing like starting off the season with an oh-for-three (or oh-for-five) at Daytona.  Oh well.  Unlike the rest of the whiners I rather enjoyed the 500—I missed both the Truck & Xfinity races for work but I thought the Cup race was pretty decent.

Speaking of things people love to whine about, Nascar’s heading to a track with corporate naming rights.  To which I say—ok, who cares?  Too many sports fans treat naming rights deals as the devil, and for the life of me I can’t figure out what the big fuss is.  If you don’t like it, call it (team name) stadium/arena and call it a day.  I guess some people just love to complain…much like me and my crappy start to the season.


TRUCK SERIES : off—back next week


Saturday Evening XFINITY SERIES PAG 300: Justin Allgaier—redemption starts with ol’ reliable.


Sunday CUP SERIES Pala Casino 400:  The Tarot Deck selects The Four of Cups, 14th in points Austin Cindric.  FAVORITE: Chase Elliott—a popular winner and one of Nascar’s least-popular tracks.  At least its being completely redone soon.  NEXT FAVORITE: Tyler Reddick—if you can’t make a good first impression, your second is second-best.  DARK HORSE: Kevin Harvick—breaking out of the slump at last!




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Spade Racing Opens a Box of Panini PRIZM Cards, Part 7 of 12



Pack 7: Joey Lo, Carson Ho, and Vroom Vroom Go


FIRST LOOK: Let’s take this moment to appreciate how much Joey Logano turned his career around after leaving Joe Gibbs Racing, becoming a two-time champion.  But I still wonder—with no Menards nearby, does he shop at Lowe’s now?


TO THE BACK: Um, you like watching people get yelled at on TV, Carson?  I’ll keep that in mind when your crew chief is chewing you out for overshooting your pit stall.


SAY WHAT: “Rrrrrrrrrrrr.  What else do you expect me to say, I’m a car”.


RATING: 5 Rain Delays out of 10


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Track “Facts”: Charlotte




Nascar races on all sorts of tracks, from short to long, oval to road course, concrete to asphalt.  Here’s a bi-weekly look at all the tracks of Nascar’s National Touring Series.


CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY (original layout)


1.5 mile asphalt quad oval


Opened 1960


Lights?  Yes


Series: Cup, Xfinity, Trucks


Nicknames: America’s Home for Racing, Lowe’s Motor Speedway, The Monument to Bruton Smith’s Ego


THREE FUN FACTS:

1. Charlotte Motor Speedway was the first track built by Bruton Smith, founder of Speedway Motorsports Inc.  The organization owns several tracks Nascar races on, and has provided Nascar’s France Family with an immeasurable amount of heartburn over the decades.


2. This track pioneered the inclusion of trackside condos, which afforded well-heeled race fans the chance to brag about having a REALLY loud backyard.


3. A drag racing facility and a dirt track are located on the property as well.  This makes CMS the racing equivalent of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, except there aren’t a bunch of food distributors next door.


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Kyle Busch Surprised How Nice Everyone Is to Him Lately


It’s a year of new beginnings for Kyle Busch, who has a new team owner (Richard Childress), new car number (8), and a new car (Chevy).  But in an exclusive sit-down interview, Busch has said that the most-surprising new thing about the 2023 Nascar season has been how friendly and deferential everyone has been to him so far.

“Its really refreshing just how nice and polite everyone has been to me since we got to the Busch Light Clash”, Busch said.  “Everyone is saying they’ll give me whatever they want, putting their hands up for high-fives, and even emptying their pockets.  It’s almost like they’re scared of angering me for some reason.”

Busch, nicknamed “Rowdy” for his wild driving style, has been known in the past for a somewhat standoffish personality, occasionally rubbing drivers the wrong way.  But according to Busch, everyone seems to have forgiven and forgotten his churlish ways.

“Look, I know I haven’t been the friendliest guy in the sport”, Busch admitted, “but it seems like everyone wants to turn over a new leaf with me.  Just the other day I reached into my pocket to get my keys, and a bunch of crew members started crying and saying they’d do whatever I wanted them to do.  It was so refreshing to finally be getting some respect in the garage.”

Busch has said that he hopes to see the new attitude the garage is exhibiting transfer onto the track as well.

“Daytona is going to be a big test for me, but I’m hoping the field is ready to let me run my own race”, Busch said.  “Why, just yesterday I walked up to my old Joe Gibbs Racing crew, and they immediately said they’d give me anything I wanted.  They even raised their hands up for high-fives—isn’t that something?”

Busch then left the interview to discuss running a Charlton Heston-themed special paint scheme later this year.



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Nascar Race Picks: Uncle Max vs. The Tarot Deck—Daytona


And now I’m officially back!  Had a heck of a Super Bowl party here at the townhouse—who knew how popular cheesesteak egg rolls with barbecue sauce would be?  But its time to move on from the Super Bowl to The Super Bowl of Auto Racing, the Daytona 500.  Annnnnd some other races too.

I’m thinking we see a happy medium between last year’s mass of race winners and a small cadre of contenders—3 or 4 drivers win a majority of the races with another 5-7 winning a race a piece.  I’m thinking we see Team Penske and Hendrick Motorsports dominate, with a small uptick in performance by Stewart-Haas and a slight downturn for Joe Gibbs Racing.  And I’m thinking no matter what happens, bitter old race fans will find a way to complain.

With that out of the way, onto the picks!


Friday Night TRUCK SERIES NextEra Energy 250: Chase Elliott—Chase steps down to the Truck Series and gets a win.  Heck of a way to spend your Friday night.


Saturday Evening XFINITY SERIES Beef 300: Sam Mayer—Number One finally breaks through.  And boy do I miss those Beef Checkoff commercials from the 90s.


Sunday CUP SERIES Daytona 500:  The Tarot Deck selects The Ten of Cups, 20th in points (from last year) Aric Almirola.  FAVORITE: William Byron—an exciting race ends with a relatively dull winner.  NEXT FAVORITE: Ross Chastain—and he won’t even need to run the wall this time (most likely).  DARK HORSE: Ryan Preece—reminder that a “dark horse” is pretty much any driver not anticipated to win, typically someone who hasn’t won yet this year or last.



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2023 Truck Series Preview: There’s No Truck in Team



The Truck Series is always the most-volatile Nascar series in terms of driver lineups.  So instead of listing each DRIVER, I’ll be ranking each TEAM, as well as their expected (or confirmed) rosters for 2023.


NOTE: No part-time teams listed

Teams are listed in their predicted order of points finish.  Information provided is as accurate as possible.

Ranking. TEAM, #’s, (Drivers)

Chevy, Ford, Toyota, Multiple Manufacturers

*expected to use multiple drivers

Thanks to Jayski for the info and Wikipedia for the team logos, all of which are property of their respective teams


1. THORSPORT RACING, 13 Hallie Deegan, 66 Ty Majeski, 88 Matt Crafton, 99 Ben Rhodes.  The standard-bearer of the Truck Series returns with three bonafide championship contenders (and yes, Matt Crafton is STILL a contender).  But there’s two big changes that could affect the team this year—a switch back to Ford as their manufacturer (which shouldn’t affect them that much), and the addition to Hallie Deegan, which COULD weigh the team down with poor performance and wrecks.  Note that I have nothing against HD personally, but I also am not one of those creepy Stans who act like a twelfth-place race finish is cause for celebration.


2. FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS, 38 Zane Smith.  The Z-Man is the only driver of the Front Row Motorsports Truck Series operation, but he won the championship last year.  This just goes to show you that if you have a talented driver, a good relationship with your manufacturer, and you can shuttle off Todd Gilliland to your Cup operation, you don’t need a bunch of trucks to win it all.


3. KYLE BUSCH MOTORSPORTS, 4 Chase Purdy, 51 Jack Wood Kyle Busch and more.  For the first time the KBM Truck operation will NOT be affiliated with Toyota, as Rowdy’s move to RCR dictated a switch to Chevrolet.  And don’t worry oldsters—there was ZERO chance of RCR becoming a Toyota team, so feel free to go on whining about how much Nascar’s changed even though it really hasn’t.


4. GMS MOTORSPORTS, 23 Grant Enfinger, 24 Rajah Caruth, 43 Daniel Dye.  GMS is always a solid contender in the Truck Series, but they’ll have their hands full with a pair of rookies joining veteran Grant Enfinger.  Here’s hoping they can live up to the lofty standards set by the team’s flagship star driver, Spencer Gallagher.


5. NIECE MOTORSPORTS, 40 ???, 42 Carson Hocevar, 44 ???, 45 ???.  Niece would likely be higher on this list if they had their driver lineup set a bit earlier.  But you can expect that Carson Hocevar and his teammates will contend for the Playoffs and be on the edge of legality in inspection.


6. TRICON Garage, 5 Dean Thompson, 11 Corey Heim, 15 Tanner Gray, 17 Taylor Gray and more. 
The former DGR operation switched to Toyota, becoming their top team almost by default.  A roster of young drivers could put this team at a competitive disadvantage, but at least they all have a clear path towards Denny Hamlin whining about them being rumored to take his ride.

7. HATTORI RACING ENTERPRISES, 16 ???, 61 ???.  HRE has quietly grown from an independent into arguably the second-best Toyota team, which is nothing to sneeze at.  Here’s hoping they fill these rides with a veteran driver and a rookie—or as I like to call it, “The 80’s Buddy Cop Combo”.


8. HALMAR FRIESEN RACING, 52 Stewart Friesen.  Slow and steady has been the improvement of the Canadian dirt-track standout and his team.  And while they might not quite be a championship contender yet, you know they’ll bring their Eh-game.  And yes, I have no shame for making that joke almost every year.


9. MCANALLY-HILGEMANN RACING, 19 Christian Eckes, 35 Jake Garcia (except Daytona).  This mid-level team is primed to take a big step forward in 2023 with both a veteran (Eckes) and a rookie (Garcia), both backed with solid sponsorship.  Speaking of sponsorship its nice to see NAPA expanding their sponsorship beyond Cup, and for that we’ll all agree to forget the whole Michael Waltrip thing in gratitude.


10. Rackley WAR, 25 Matt DiBenedetto.  Its tough to be an independent team in any series, but this newer team has risen to the challenge.  So good on them, even though Matty D is still bitter about his Cup Series experience.


11. REV RACING, 2 Nick Sanchez.  This stalwart of Nascar’s regional series makes the move to the national stage with promising rookie Nick Sanchez.  And its only in Nascar that you’ll see this happen—you’ll never see a random minor league basketball team move up to the G-League.


12. AM RACING, 22 ???.  A Truck Series competitor since 2015, they’ll also be fielding an Xfinity Series ride in 2023.  How will that affect the Truck operation?  Well, hopefully they’ll give me something more to write about for next season.

13. YOUNG’S MOTORSPORTS, 12 Spencer Boyd.  At this point its tough to find ANYTHING to write about, so just let me take this time to mention how much I enjoy tortellini. 



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Track “Facts”: Atlanta




Nascar races on all sorts of tracks, from short to long, oval to road course, concrete to asphalt.  Here’s a weekly look at all the tracks of Nascar’s National Touring Series.


ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY


1.54 mile asphalt quad oval


Opened 1960


Lights?  Yes


Series: Cup, Xfinity, Trucks


Nicknames: Hotlanta, Real Racing Real Fast, Home of the 1992 Season Finale


THREE FUN FACTS:

1. Despite being called “Atlanta Motor Speedway”, the track is actually located in the suburb of Hampton, making Atlanta like your buddy who says they’re from New York despite growing up in Edison, New Jersey.


2. Atlanta has been reconfigured twice—in 1997, when its layout was flipped and a quad-oval was added, and in 2021, when the turns were reprofiled to make the track more of a complete crap-shoot.


3. Atlanta was used as a stand-in for Charlotte Motor Speedway in the movie “Logan Lucky”.  For those of you who haven’t seen it, don’t.


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Uncle Max vs. Tarot Cards: Season & Super Bowl Previews



EDITOR’S NOTE: My Uncle Max is back again to make picks for all three Nascar national touring series.  This year he’ll be picking against random selections from a deck of tarot cards.  Here’s Uncle Max’s first missive of the year:


And I’m back!  Its great to be making picks again for my nephew.  So far I’ve beaten a 60-sided die, repeat winners, last year’s winners, and a roulette wheel, so I think I have a pretty good shot against tarot cards (see card assignments and rules here).  Hey—the only cards I care about are in a game of draw poker.

Things have been pretty low-key for me—work, as usual, slowed down after the holidays, and I’ve wrapped up another great year of my longest-running fantasy football league.  Speaking of which, my annual Super Bowl Commercial Bingo cards are posted below!  Its pretty simple—you see something listed in a commercial, you mark it off.  You can only use a commercial once though—so if you see old people sitting behind the wheel of a car, you have to choose which square to mark off, not both.  Play for five in a row, then play for “cover all”.  And my pick?  Chiefs 42-Eagles 24.













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