Spade Racing Opens a 2025 Donruss Hobby Box: Pack 15 of 16

It’s back to new cards, with a “hobby box” of 2025 Donruss racing cards.  There’s sixteen packs, so join me as I go through each of them!

Pack 15 of 16: Big Cat, Jokes about That, and Where it Sat

First Look: From the looks of things Alex is posing in front of a black light poster for an early-80’s prog rock band that never really made it (I’ll call them “Teal”).

To the Back: I’m sure Austin’s heard all the jokes about his last name, so let’s instead make fun of his FIRST name with a bunch of 3:16 jokes.

Say What: “I’ll put this on the end table in the tv room—just gotta make sure Chase doesn’t knock it over.”

Final Rating: 3 spinouts out of 10

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Spade Racing’s Stars in Unusual Cars: Cale Yarborough

Cale Yarborough leaves Junior Johnson for MC Anderson (1981-82)

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 NASCAR Legends/Pinterest

Why? It seemed strange—why would Cale Yarborough leave a team where he’d finished first or second in points six out of the past eight years to run a part-time schedule?  Well, the answer was simple—Yarborough didn’t want to miss watching his daughters grow up, and a partial Cup schedule allowed him to spend more time at home.

How successful were they? Quite successful—Cale won five races in two part-time seasons for Anderson, including the 1982 Southern 500.

What was the aftermath? Yarborough continued to run part-time schedule, now doing so for Rainer-Lundy Racing, from 1983 through 1986, winning two Daytona 500s in the process.  He’d retire after two final years in his own car.

Ranking on the Strange-O-Meter? 3 consecutive championships out of 10—as odd as it might have looked in 1981, Cale would spend the rest of the decade running part-time, oddly enough in cars 27, 28, and 29.

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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AUTO-Biographies: Swerve or Die: Life at My Speed in the First Family of NASCAR Racing

Author(s): Kyle Petty & Ellis Henican

Copyright Date: 2022

The Good: Nobody, with the possible exception of Dale Earnhardt Jr., has lived a life more surrounded by NASCAR than Kyle Petty has.  This book covers just about all of it—growing up Petty, his early days in racing, dealing with the tragedy of his son Adam’s death, and making his way with his new family as a philanthropist and media figure.  We also get the trademark Kyle Petty incisiveness and self-criticism—no self-pity or excuse making here.

The Not-so-good: Much like in other Kyle Petty projects, he kind of skips over his most-successful Cup years.  The third quarter or so of the book is focused almost-exclusively on Adam Petty’s brief career and his passing, which kind of takes the book in an odd detour.  Kyle’s first marriage (and subsequent divorce) is glossed-over to the point it almost felt like it was left out completely.  And the final chapter—a sort-of manifesto on the future of the sport—is incisive but doesn’t fit in well with the rest of the book.

What I’d Change: Not much, but if I was the co-writer or editor, I’d have prodded Kyle to focus more on his early-90’s run as a consistent race-winner.  Also, perhaps some asides from friends and competitors could’ve added further insight.

Read It?: Yes if you’re a NASCAR fan who became a fan in the 90’s, a huge yes if you’re a fan of all things Petty.

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

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