Spade Racing: 2026

Race Picks Talladega: Spade Racing vs. AI

Join me as I test my wits against various AI programs in picking the 2026 Cup races. Once they’ve made their picks, I’ll make my normal Favorite, Next Favorite, and Dark Horse picks (in addition to my regular O’Reilly & Truck Series picks). At the end of the year we’ll see who knows more—me, or a soulless machine gobbling up water and electricity.

ChatGPT (7 wins) sez: My pick to win the YellaWood 500 at Talladega this Sunday, October 25, is Ryan Blaney!

Truck Series (3 wins) Love’s RV Stop Friday 4pm ET on FS1: COREY HEIM—Heim Time in the Truck Series.

O’Reilly Series (4 wins) The Progress Group 250 Saturday 3:30pm ET on CW: AUSTIN HILL—going away gift, well, until he returns to the O’Reilly Series in 2029.

Cup Series YellaWood 2pm ET on NBC FAVORITE (2 wins): TYLER REDDICK—bookending the season. NEXT FAVORITE (3 wins): CHRIS BUESCHER—being pushed by Brad Keselowski. DARK HORSE (2 wins): AUSTIN DILLON—RCR needs SOMETHING positive in Cup this year.

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Spade Racing Opens Three 2026 Select “Blaster” Boxes—Pack 5 of 18

I’m moving away from Hobby Boxes to three “Blaster” Boxes this time for the 2026 Panini Select cards. Join me as I go through all 18 packs!

Pack 5: Coke, a joke, and yoke-d

First Look: Do you think Nascar drivers go to a class to learn how to wave and hold their sponsor’s beverage at the same time?

To the Back: All that build up for a runner-up finish? Come on, Panini.

Say What: “Try me—I’m stronger than 99% of this crowd.”

Final Rating: 5 old school lugs out of 10

www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly

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

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A MOXOC Media production

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Foundational Bricks—The 1994 Brickyard 400: 42nd, Harry Gant

Join me as I take a look back every Monday at the starting lineup for one of the biggest races in NASCAR history, the inaugural Brickyard 400.

Starting 42nd (provisional): Harry Gant #33 Skoal Bandit Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevy

Finished: 37th

Career Highlights: 18 Cup Series wins, two-time Southern 500 winner, oldest Cup Series race winner, legitimate friend of Burt Reynolds.

Total Brickyard 400 Starts: 1

Gant's 1994 car

Best Brickyard 400 Finish: 37th (1994)

1994 Fun Fact: The 1994 spring Martinsville race would see a stunning DNQ as Harry failed to qualify for the race. How stunning was it? ESPN made Harry’s name about twice the size of everyone else’s on the screen.

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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Nascar to CBS? What to Expect

With the recent Skydance media mega-merger putting TNT Sports and CBS Sports under the same corporate umbrella, Nascar has reached out to CBS about airing (or at least simulcasting) some of TNT’s five Cup races going forward. Here’s what to look out for in a possible return of Nascar to The Tiffany Network:

—30 seconds of highlights of past Nascar on CBS coverage by an AI Ken Squier, followed by the same exact coverage you’d see on TNT.

—Boomer fans stopping their whining for about a minute, followed by them returning to blaming everything wrong in the sport on Bubba Wallace.

—Plenty of locally-placed ads for window replacement, that one independently owned furniture store that’s somehow still in business, and car (well, truck) dealerships.

—Promos for Professional Bull Riding with awkward transitions like “…and you thought the action here at Sonoma was rough!”

—Continuing to treat the in-season tournament like something anyone other than the winning driver cares about.

www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly

www.facebook.com/spaderacing

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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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Spade Racing Opens Three 2026 Select “Blaster” Boxes—Pack 4 of 18

I’m moving away from Hobby Boxes to three “Blaster” Boxes this time for the 2026 Panini Select cards. Join me as I go through all 18 packs!

Pack 4: Leery, teary, and cheery

First Look: No clue why they chose a picture of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. eyeing the crowd like he just saw someone steal a beer out of his cooler.

To the Back: Looking forward to yet another season with no top-tens outside of drafting tracks is enough to make anyone cry.

Say What: “Every day I wake up thankful that I didn’t get stuck running for a backmarker IndyCar team.

Final Rating: 3 sets of tires out of 10

www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly

www.facebook.com/spaderacing

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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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Race Picks Phoenix: Spade Racing vs. AI

Claude AI Sonnet 5.5 (7 wins) sez: My pick is Ryan Blaney. He won the 2025 finale at Phoenix, he was the favorite there in March, and his strength on long green-flag runs suits a track where tires wear out.

Truck Series (3 wins) Zero Carbon 150 Friday 7:30pm ET on FS2 & Fox Business: LAYNE RIGGS—ironic that a Bare Knuckle boxing organization sponsors racers who always wear gloves.

O’Reilly Series (4 wins) Timberland Pro 200 Saturday 7:30pm ET on CW: JUSTIN ALLGAIER—time for him to make a championship push.

Cup Series Freeway Insurance 3pm ET on USA FAVORITE (2 wins): CHASE BRISCOE—I’m sticking with the lost Briscoe brother. NEXT FAVORITE (3 wins): KYLE LARSON—salting away another championship. DARK HORSE (2 wins): SVG—a nice little diversion from Trackhouse’s otherwise putrid season.

www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly

www.facebook.com/spaderacing

www.twitter.com/spaderacing

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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Foundational Bricks—The 1994 Brickyard 400: 41st, Lake Speed

Join me as I take a look back every Monday at the starting lineup for one of the biggest races in NASCAR history, the inaugural Brickyard 400.

Starting 41st (provisional): Lake Speed #15 Quality Care Bud Moore Engineering Ford

Finished: 15th

A 1994 Lake Speed trading
card from the Trading Card
Database

Career Highlights: One Cup Series race win, 1978 World Karting Champion, 1985 Daytona 500 runner-up, has always looked 60 years old.

Total Brickyard 400 Starts: 4

Best Brickyard 400 Finish: 12th (1997)

1994 Fun Fact: After years of running underfunded part-time schedules, Lake posted an eleventh-place points finish in 1994, his best since his RahMoc days in 1985. And then, the following year, SPAM.

www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly

www.facebook.com/spaderacing

www.twitter.com/spaderacing

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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Returning in 2027: Kasey Kahne and…

With Kasey Kahne officially returning full-time to Nascar in the Truck Series in 2027, that got me wondering—what else should come back next year?

—The All-Star Race Plinko Board—yeah, it was gimmicky. And yeah, it never worked. And yeah, inverting the field is kinda passe. But I want it back, dangit!

—Shared Pit Stalls—as inconvenient as it can be, its pretty funny when a random backmarker winds up having to shuffle its decade-old war wagon with the latest technology because a championship contender failed inspection.

—Manufacturer Service Program Sponsorships—no, not the random ToyotaCare ones that show up on Legacy MC cars when they don’t have a real sponsor. I want the return of GM Goodwrench Service Plus! Bring back Ford Quality Care Service! And…um, whatever it is Dodge has!

—Local Sponsors—back in the 90’s Delaware had MBNA (which no longer exists) and DuPont (which is now essentially Axalta). Come on, you’re telling me we couldn’t get a Dogfish Head Brewery or a Gore & Associates sponsorship for one race?

—Derrike Cope—come on, bring him back for another Cup race!

www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly

www.facebook.com/spaderacing

www.twitter.com/spaderacing

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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Race Picks Charlotte: Spade Racing vs. AI

Grok AI (7 wins) sez: Kyle Larson is the strongest favorite to win the Bank of America 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s 1.5-mile oval on Sunday

Truck Series (2 wins) Ecosave 200 Friday 5pm ET on Fox: LAYNE RIGGS—will he wind up in the 6 car next year? Eh, maybe.

O’Reilly Series (4 wins) Blue Cross NC 300 Saturday 4pm ET on CW: JESSE LOVE—he IS moving up to Cup next year with Pensk—er, The Wood Brothers.

Cup Series Bank of America 4pm ET on USA FAVORITE (1 win): CHASE BRISCOE—1-2 or 2-1 or some such finish? NEXT FAVORITE (3 wins): DENNY HAMLIN—he needs to stop the choke NOW. DARK HORSE (2 wins): ROSS CHASTAIN—remember Trackhouse?

www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly

www.facebook.com/spaderacing

www.twitter.com/spaderacing

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

Buy the book 100 Stock Car Racing What Ifs Unauthorized

Does this track have lights?

A MOXOC Media production

www.moxoc.com