Spade Racing’s Stars in Unusual Cars: Kyle Petty



Kyle Petty fills his schedule with Hoss Ellington (1982)

Courtesy Essentially Sports
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).


Why? Kyle Petty started his career running the 42 car for his family team, Petty Enterprises.  However, the team didn’t seem up for running two cars (the 42 and 43) full-time.  As a result, Kyle would moonlight for six races in the 1982 season in Hoss Ellington’s #1 car.


How successful were they? A disappointing year for Kyle didn’t get any better in a different car, as he failed to crack the top-ten for Ellington.


What was the aftermath? Kyle would return to Petty Enterprises full-time for two more years before setting off on his own for several different teams.  Ellington, meanwhile, continued to field a part-time entry for several drivers through 1989.


Ranking on the Strange-O-Meter? 1 UNO-sponsored car out of 10—it was probably stranger when Kyle returned to Petty Enterprises running the #7 Ford.




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Nascar-afying Monday Night Football


It was recently announced that longtime Nascar on Fox director Artie Kempner will be moving to ESPN to direct Monday Night Football.  Given Fox’s Nascar coverage, here’s what we can expect:


—An extremely irritating bumpkin color commentator, otherwise best-known for being involved in a cheating scandal.


—Making a big deal about going “through the field”, focusing on the effects the game is having on each yard-line.


—“Crank It Up”, an annoucerless segment where viewers can bask in the cheering of the fans (well, not at Cleveland Browns games of course).


—Zip-line camera shots to get really, really close-up zooms of a head coach covering his mouth with a play-calling card.


—Constant promotion of competing leagues despite having disparate fan bases.


—Fair and balanced coverage of each team, unless Rick Hendrick becomes an owner.


—And, of course, what Nascar on Fox is best-known for: missing on-field action for commercials!



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


Uncle Max’s Men’s March Madness Predictions:

BIGGEST FIRST ROUND UPSETS: 11 12 Colorado St over 5 Memphis, 12 McNeese St. over 5 Clemson, 14 UNC-Wilmington over 3 Texas Tech, 15 Wofford over 2 Tennessee.

BIGGEST SWEET SIXTEEN SURPRISES: 5 Michigan (why is everyone picking them to lose in the first round?), 12 Colorado St, 11 VCU, 10 New Mexico

FINAL FOUR: 1 Auburn, 1 Florida, 2 Alabama, 1 Houston

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Auburn 73-Alabama 70


TRUCK SERIES (1 win) Baptist Health 200 (Friday 8pm ET on Fox) ROSS CHASTAIN—I guess competition with March Madness means getting your 3rd-best series on primetime network television.


XFINITY SERIES Hard Rock Bet 300 (Saturday 4pm ET on The CW) KYLE LARSON—its not an upset—more like when a 1 seed pulverizes a school like Northeastern Southwestern.


CUP SERIES Straight Talk Wireless 400 (Sunday 3pm ET on FS1) Points Leader picks WILLIAM BYRON.  Favorite (1 win): CHRISTOPHER BELL—I mean three for five (or three in four) is still pretty damn impressive.  Next Favorite: JOEY LOGANO—it’s a good sign for your career that being winless five races in is surprising.  Dark Horse: BRAD KESELOWSKI—two words: fuel mileage.



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Spade Racing Opens a Blaster Box of 2024 Panini PRIZM Cards—4 of 6


I’m changing things up a bit for 2024, as instead of “hobby boxes”, I will be exploring the world of “blaster boxes” for NASCAR trading cards.



Pack 4 of 6: All-Star, a Funk Car, and Real by Far


First Look: I always liked minimalist trophies like this one—just some lucite and a small logo.  Then again, I could see something like this winding up as a paperweight in a race team’s accountant’s office.


To the Back: Because when you think of “Funk”, you think of an “iRacing enthusiast”.


Say What: “FOR THE LAST TIME, YES THAT’S MY REAL, LEGAL NAME!”


Final Rating: 5 spoilers out of 10




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Spade Racing’s Stars in Unusual Cars: Morgan Shepherd



Morgan Shepherd’s two races with RCR in the 31 car (1998)

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).


Why? Midway through his lengthy career, Morgan Shepherd found himself without a regular ride for the 1998 season.  Shepherd ran for SIX different Cup teams, but his best results came in a two-race injury substitution role for Richard Childress Racing.


How successful were they? In place of an ailing Mike Skinner, Morgan showed that he still had the chance to put together solid runs in good equipment.  Shepherd finished eleventh at Martinsville, then qualified fifth at Talladega before being caught up in the “big one”.


What was the aftermath? Shepherd returned to being a “super-sub” for the rest of the year, then transitioned to an owner/driver role with his own team, Shepherd Racing Ventures, running in the Busch Series as late as 2019.


Ranking on the Strange-O-Meter? 3 “Woods Brothers” out of 10—this was a straightforward injury replacement move, even if Morgan Shepherd might not have been most fans’ first choice.



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Nascar Returning to Canada—Lets Take a Look Back, Eh?


Nascar is rumored to be coming back to Montreal, Canada with its (inter)national touring series, with Xfinity and Trucks next year and Cup following in 2027.  Let’s take a look back at Nascar’s previous excursions north of the border.


Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (Truck Series 2013-19): This road course, better known as “Mosport”, hosted the Truck Series on or about the US Labor Day weekend for seven years before Nascar was effectively kicked out due to COVID-19 protocols.  MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: John Hunter Nemechek and Cole Custer battle for the win in 2016, first in their trucks, then with their fists.  Now both drivers battle for 28th place in the Cup Series.


Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (Xfinity Series 2007-12): The famed island course in Montreal, best known for being F1’s longtime Canadian stop, played host to Nascar’s second-tier series for six seasons before promoter issues halted what had become a popular race weekend.  MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: 2007, when Robby Gordon did the most Robby Gordon thing imaginable by passing under yellow, refusing to heed the black flag, then doing a victory burnout despite having been disqualified.  (honorable mention: 2012’s Montreal Shoe Job)


Exhibition Stadium (Cup Series 1958): Nascar made its first international visit with the then-Grand National Series in 1958, competing at the stadium that would later host the early days of the Toronto Blue Jays.  MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: While Lee Petty won that day, the race became better-known as the debut appearance of his son Richard as a driver.  And while it's ironic that King Richard made his first Nascar start outside of the US, it still doesn’t make up for that terrible song Alabama put out.



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


First win of the year is in the books!  It’s always great to get “off the schneid” early in the season.  Heck, I feel like it took me till summer last year before I got my first Cup win!

On that note, plenty of good stuff is going on lately with me.  I got a new, better schedule at work, I’m already looking at 40+ entries for my March Madness pool, and my most-recent checkup on my car showed no lingering issues—just an oil change!  Here’s hoping I’m not coming back next week whining about how everything went bad on Friday the 13th.


TRUCK SERIES (1 win) Ecosave 200 (Friday 9pm ET on FS1) LAYNE RIGGS—no idea if there’s a Layne Murtaugh.


XFINITY SERIES The LiUNA (Saturday 4:30pm ET on The CW) WILLIAM SAWALICH—no, that’s not a typo, its just “The LiUNA”.


CUP SERIES Pennzoil 400 (Sunday 3:30pm ET on FS1) Points Leader picks WILLIAM BYRON.  Favorite (1 win): CHRISTOPHER BELL—lets go with FOUR in a row.  Next Favorite: DENNY HAMLIN—wonder if he’ll whine even if he wins?  Dark Horse: KYLE BUSCH—wonder if he’ll whine even if he wins?



www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly


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Spade Racing Opens a Blaster Box of 2024 Panini PRIZM Cards—3 of 6


I’m changing things up a bit for 2024, as instead of “hobby boxes”, I will be exploring the world of “blaster boxes” for NASCAR trading cards.



Pack 3 of 6: Car of Old, a “Pot Of Gold”, and a Discount Sold


First Look: I think the only way you can make refractive red, green, and black look even uglier is by using a picture of the original COT.  That wing… *shudder*.


To the Back: So apparently the “pot of gold” is going to a spec series to run against about a dozen oddball drivers on short tracks that don’t mimic any track currently on the Cup schedule besides the Clash.


Say What: “I wonder if I still get my employee discount now that I’m not sponsored by Love’s anymore?  I could sure go for some turkey jerky, but what if I have to pay full price?”


Final Rating: 7 stage breaks out of 10



www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly


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Spade Racing’s Stars in Unusual Cars: Ty Gibbs



Ty Gibbs breaks into Cup with two different 23XI cars (2022)

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).


Why? When Kurt Busch found himself suffering from concussion-like symptoms, doctors would not clear him to return for the rest of the 2022 season.  For a replacement, 23XI turned to their Toyota brethren Joe Gibbs Racing, tabbing Xfinity Series driver Ty Gibbs has a replacement.


How successful were they? Gibbs would struggle somewhat, posting a single top-ten in fifteen races split between the 23 and 45.


What was the aftermath? Ty Gibbs made his full-season Cup debut with his family team in 2023, winning Rookie of the Year in the process.  23XI would hire Tyler Reddick away from RCR to drive the 45 full-time, becoming the team’s biggest championship threat.


Ranking on the Strange-O-Meter? 2 “boy he looks young” comments out of 10—the only oddity was the strange driver swap between the 23 & 45.



www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly


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Visit the store https://www.cafepress.com/spaderacing


Buy the book 100 Stock Car Racing What Ifs Unauthorized


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A MOXOC Media production

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