Spade Racing 2x4: Christopher Bell vs. Tyler Reddick, July Report

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 going into the Atlanta race:

Custer, South Dakota

Coal

POINTS STANDINGS: Christopher Bell rebounded from his May slide with four straight top-twenty finishes to keep himself solidly in the top five in points.  Meanwhile, Tyler Reddick has has four straight finishes OUTSIDE of the top-twenty, falling to twelfth.  On the plus side I recently realized that 23XI’s car numbering system goes in numerical order (23,45,67) so theres’s that.  Advantage: BELL

BEST FINISH: Both Bell and Reddick have one win each, so this is still a tie.  Barring a hot streak from one of the drivers, this might have to be settled by the drawing of lots, whatever THAT is.  Advantage: push

PERFORMANCE RELATIVE TO TEAMMATES: Amazingly all four Joe Gibbs Racing teams are in the top-sixteen in points (yes, even Ty Gibbs).  Tyler Reddick, however, has slid back towards teammate Bubba Wallace.  This is a tough one to quantify, but Advantage: BELL

FINAL SCORE: Its close on all three counts, but CHRISTOPHER BELL maintains his slight lead over Tyler Reddick heading into the summer stretch, aka when TNT used to come in and screw things up.

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A MOXOC Media production

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Nascar Race Picks: Uncle Max vs. The Tarot Deck—Atlanta/Mid-Ohio

Well I came back from my shore vacation a few days ago, and all I have to say is “OW”.  Yeah, that’s right—I got sunburned (sunburnt?) on my last day.  These things happen when you have a little too much beer to drink and don’t feel like walking a mile down to the nearest drug store.  So of course as soon as I went back to work I had to deal with “Boy, YOU got some sun!” comments from every other customer.  Here’s a free piece of advice—if you think someone’s heard something 800 times, they’re probably heard it 8,000 times.  Anyways, here’s hoping my bad luck in picking races this year fades away with my reddish skin.

Saturday Afternoon TRUCK SERIES (2 wins) O’Reilly 150: Grant Enfinger—Grant, Grant, Grant, Enfingerrrrrrrr for the win (OWW!).

Saturday Night XFINITY SERIES (1 win) Alsco 250: Sheldon Creed—yeah, and maybe this time they’ll actually race to the finish.

Sunday CUP SERIES Grant Park 220:  The Tarot Deck (1 win) selects the Knight of Swords, Noah Gragson.  FAVORITE: Joey Logano—back to normal. NEXT FAVORITE: Kevin Harvick—feel good win.  DARK HORSE: Daniel Suarez—Three straight Trackhouse winners in three weeks.

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

Spade Racing Opens a Box of 2021-22 Panini Prizm Nascar Cards, Pack 9 of 12

Join us (well, me) as we/I go through a box of 2022 Panini Prizm Nascar Cards.  Because there’s 12 cards per pack, each pack is split in two.

Pack 9 Part 1—A Newman, An Old Man, and A Lucky Man

FIRST LOOK: I’m tired of people claiming that I write these things months in advance.  Almost as tired as I am of Ryan Newman***not having a ride in 2022 (NOTE: Insert “still hanging on in Cup” in the *** if necessary).

TO THE BACK: How long ago did Terry Labonte race?  So long ago that you could easily lift a race winner trophy with one hand—just try that with Miles the Monster.

SAY WHAT: “Better to be lucky than good, but best to be both at Daytona or Talladega”

RATING: 4 caution laps out of 10