Race Picks (the last season?), Uncle Max vs. The Points Leader: DOVER



The heat is on…and I don’t just mean the run up to the Nascar playoffs.  I mean the heat is on outside—it’s hot out there!

I’ve never been someone who does great in the heat (or the cold for that matter), and of course the air conditioner in my townhouse doesn’t exactly match up to the heat wave here.  And of course my job location doesn’t let the A/C get below 75 degrees.  So thankfully my car has air conditioning!  Sometimes a long drive with the cold air blasting in my face is the best antidote to Triple-H weather: Hazy, Hot, and Humid.


TRUCK SERIES (4 wins) off 


XFINITY SERIES (1 win) Bet Rivers 200 (Saturday 4:30pm ET on CW) ARIC ALMIROLA—He gets us.  And “He” is the set-up guys at JGR, and “us” is Dover.


CUP SERIES AutoTrader 400 (Sunday 2pm ET on TNT) Points Leader picks WILLIAM BYRON.  Favorite (2 wins): KYLE LARSON—doesn’t count as a home win, unless Kyle’s secretly bought a house in Milford.  Next Favorite (3 wins): DENNY HAMLIN—11 vs. Delaware?  I think the 11 could win.  Dark Horse (1 win): BRAD KESELOWSKI—the return of BradK.



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Spade Racing Opens Six 2017 Donruss Racing Packs: 3 of 6


Here’s my latest haul—a “blaster box” containing six ten packs of 2017 Donruss Racing cards.  So join me as I take a look back about eight years ago with some cost-effective card packs


Pack 3 of 6: Burger King, three championship rings, and one more thing


First Look: I’ll never forget my trip to Concord North Carolina where a bunch of media members were camped outside Nascar R&D waiting for the results of a Chad Knaus penalty appeal.  Landon Cassill brought Burger King (his quasi-sponsor at the time) for the assembled crowd.


To the Back: I feel like Joey’s career is somehow under appreciated—dude has THREE Cup championships.  Maybe it’s the format.  Maybe it’s the lower level of popularity.  Or maybe its just his voice.


Say What: “Here—SHAKE HANDS WITH DANGER” *jangly guitar*


Final Rating: 6 car lengths to the lead out of 10



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Spade Racing’s Stars in Unusual Cars: David Pearson (part 2)



The end of David Pearson’s career in the OTHER 21 (1985-86)

Join me throughout this year as I take a look at when some of the sport’s biggest stars drove some unusual cars! (Presented in no particular order).

Courtesy Fine Art America


Why? As part-time drivers were becoming rarer and rarer, David Pearson found it difficult to find a place to run only a few races each season.  Meanwhile, Wood Brothers Racing (where Pearson had dominated in the 1970s) was not using their famous #21 due to 7-Eleven sponsorship.  So Pearson was able to use the famed 21 on cars first owned by Hoss Ellington, then owned by himself.


How successful were they? Pearson was obviously past his prime here, but the results are still glaring—a best finish of tenth place (twice) and numerous DNFs.


What was the aftermath? David Pearson retired, and the famed 21 returned back to the Wood Brothers, who had just picked up primary sponsorship from Citgo.


Ranking on the Strange-O-Meter? 3 silver foxes out of 10—probably the oddest-thing here wasn’t Pearson, bur rather seeing the 21 on the side of a Chevy.




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Ramsh Racing: The Driver X Gong Show



This is a parody


A hot rumor has Ram, as part of their new Truck Series program, launching a reality tv show competition to find one or more of their next drivers.  Some of you might remember Roush Racing: Driver X, a similar tv show that televised Roush Racing’s old “Gong Show” talent competitions (note: if you remember Roush Racing: Driver X”, you probably should make sure you’re scheduled for a colonoscopy).  Here’s a few of the possible aspects of Ram’s version of this concept:


—It will almost certainly be hosted by An Actor You’ve Never Heard Of, An Attractive Lady Co-Host You Kind of Recognize, and Rutledge Wood.


—With Ram’s new slogan being “Never Stop Being American”, be prepared for a Canadian driver to be presented like a banished outsider or a left-handed bowler.


—I’d expect plenty of quickie characterizations, with certain drivers being labeled “the prankster”, “the short fuse”, “the one with something to prove”, and “like Clint Bowyer, but not as insufferable”.


—There’s sure to be plenty of unnecessary recaps coming back from commercials.  “When we last left our drivers, Jerry was eating a turkey sandwich” (slo-mo of Jerry eating a turkey sandwich).


—There’s sure to be some sort of elimination catch phrase when drivers are removed from competition.  I’d suggest either “Your race is over” or “Indy NXT is hiring”.


—If the winner’s trophy isn’t an anthropomorphic ram/truck hybrid, I’m going to be very disappointed.



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Race Picks (the last season?), Uncle Max vs. The Points Leader: SONOMA



Well, I’m back from vacation, and I have the suntan/burn to prove it!  It was a great week-plus at the beach with some good food, great friends, and plenty of traffic to and from.

Now, of course, comes the hard part—being back at work.  It’s a cliche, but really, the week back from vacation is always the hardest.  I feel like no matter how much planning I do, there’s still a mountain of work waiting for me when I get back.  Not only that, but I came back to word on a corporate visit coming up in a few weeks.  GAH!  Come on, retail gods, at least give me a week or two to get back into the swing of things!


TRUCK SERIES (4 wins) off 


XFINITY SERIES (1 win) Pit Boss FoodMaxx 250 (Saturday 4:30pm ET on CW) JUSTIN ALLGAIER—Gator IS pretty good on road courses, after all.


CUP SERIES Toyota Save Mart 350 (Sunday 3:30pm ET on TNT) Points Leader picks WILLIAM BYRON.  Favorite (2 wins): KYLE LARSON—counts as a home win, too.  Next Favorite (2 wins): SVG—two wins in one year gets him off the “Dark Horse” line at road courses.  Dark Horse (1 win): AJ ALLMENDINGER—so its back to the Dinger.



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Spade Racing Opens Six 2017 Donruss Racing Packs: 2 of 6


Here’s my latest haul—a “blaster box” containing six ten packs of 2017 Donruss Racing cards.  So join me as I take a look back about eight years ago with some cost-effective card packs


Pack 2 of 6: Jimmie times three, the older they be, and Bennedy


First Look: In retrospect I think we really took Jimmie Johnson’s Cup Series dominance for granted.  And by “for granted”, I mean “assigned most of the responsibly correctly to Chad Knaus”.


To the Back: Speaking of Jimmie, I feel like Matt Kenseth’s stellar career was overshadowed by those of Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson.  On the plus side, however, he DID get to close out his career in a truly bizarre fashion—half a year back with Roush, then most of a year with Chip Ganassi.


Say What: “Did you just say that I walk around here like I own the place?  Well, funny you should mention that…”


Final Rating: 4 pit stop adjustments out of 10




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Spade Racing’s Stars in Unusual Cars: David Pearson (part 1)



David Pearson, super-sub for Dale Earnhardt (1979)

Join me throughout this year as I take a look at when some of the sport’s biggest stars drove some unusual cars! (Presented in no particular order).

Courtesy John Betts and Bench Racing from
the Volunteer State


Why? After running for several different teams at the start of his career, David Pearson settled into running a part-time schedule for the Wood Brothers from 1972-1979.  Then, the 1979 spring Darlington race, a miscommunication led to an embarrassing pit road miscue.  Pearson left the team that day, then found himself called into a substitute role for Rod Osterlund when Osterlund’s driver Dale Earnhardt suffered a broken collarbone.


How successful were they? VERY.  Despite having run nothing but Mercurys for the past 6+ years, and having missed the past eleven races, The Silver Fox posted a win, two top-fives, and one top-ten in four races.


What was the aftermath? Pearson went on to run for seven more seasons (albeit still on a partial-schedule) for several different teams.


Ranking on the Strange-O-Meter? 2 Purolator filters out of 10—David Pearson ran for so many teams outside of his Wood Brothers years that the most-surprising thing here was probably his immediate success.



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The Hero Card Project 2025 Part 6

 Click here for Part 5


Hero Cards!  They’re collectable, they’re colorful, and they’re free!  I have SASEs (Self Addressed Stamped Envelopes) going out to every Cup, Xfinity and Truck team, as well as a few major ARCA operations as well.  If you’re new to hero card collecting, check out my guide at herocardguide.com for step-by-step instructions on how to request hero cards, how to receive them, and how to store them.


Here’s my third batch of Hero Cards—these arrived on Monday June 30th:

Two autographed cards from Timmy Hill's team

A card from the Wood Brothers

A BOUNTY of cards (some of them signed!) by
ARCA team FastTrack





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Race Picks (the last season?), Uncle Max vs. The Points Leader: CHICAGO


EDITOR’S NOTE: Uncle Max is on his way back from vacation.  He texted me his picks a few minutes ago.



TRUCK SERIES (4 wins) off 


XFINITY SERIES (1 win) The Loop 110 (Saturday 4:30pm ET on CW) CONNOR ZILISCH—Saturday, in the park, I think it was the Fifth of July.


CUP SERIES Grant Park 165 (Sunday 2pm ET on TNT) Points Leader picks WILLIAM BYRON.  Favorite (2 wins): CHASE ELLIOTT—people racing, people wrecking.  Next Favorite (2 wins): KYLE LARSON—a real celebration.  Dark Horse: SVG—singin New Zealand songs.


www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly


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Spade Racing Opens Six 2017 Donruss Racing Packs: 1 of 6



Here’s my latest haul—a “blaster box” containing six ten packs of 2017 Donruss Racing cards.  So join me as I take a look back about eight years ago with some cost-effective card packs


Pack 1 of 6: JHN, Earnhardt again, and Bobby’s end


First Look: Here’s a look at the basic design of the 2017 cards.  Personally, I like it, although the silver foil script doesn’t show up that well in pictures—just like how JHN’s sponsor logo doesn’t show up well behind those shades on his hat.


To the Back: Ralph Earnhardt had drive.  Dale Earnhardt had drive and talent.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. had talent.  Jeffrey Earnhardt had neither.


Say What: “I followed in my brother’s footsteps to Nascar, then to a Cup Series championship, and finally to obscurity with Go FAS Racing.”


Final Rating: 3 awkward grid walk interviews out of 10


www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly


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