Monday, October 27, 2008

A few more suggestions for NASCAR…

Not that they are listening. Is anyone else sick of seeing qualifying for Sprint Cup races rained out? I know I am and I’m sure the fans at the track for the weekend are even more so. That was the story this past weekend at Atlanta once again. According to Jayski, this was the 10th qualifying rain out of the year out of 33 races. 30% are you kidding me? Of course when this happens, they line up by points which obviously translates into a major gift for those near the top of the standings. Of those 10 races, every winner had a starting position inside the top 10. I can understand if it rains for two or three days straight, but they could have easily qualified on Saturday this past weekend. If they did this, Joey Logano may already have his first Sprint Cup win by now.

While we’re on the subject of qualifying, please let’s get rid of this “top 35 make the race regardless of how slow they qualify” rule. Make every competitor qualify on speed. If someone crashes on their qualifying run, allow them a second lap with a backup car.

On another note, I think it would be interesting to see fewer tires used during the race similar to Nationwide. If there was a rule allowing only a certain amount of tire sets per team for the race, this would allow much more strategy and give teams with lesser funding more of a fighting chance. Say for instance they have a 300 lap race and the tires last 50-60 laps. Allow each team 7 sets of tires maximum for the race. This will keep the big money teams from going to new tires if there are cautions every 20-30 laps. It will force them to think about no tires or two tire stops versus always coming in for four tires.

My two cents…feel free to post your comments!

PS – lots of great comments posted about the Legends blog/contest below. However, many of you posted without leaving any type of contact information either in your profile or your post. It’s time to pick some winners so if you could please update your profile with an email, phone, or other method of contact! Thanks

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Preview: Legends Nickname and Inscription Autographs

For the collector that’s looking for a little something extra, you’ll want to check out the upcoming release of Press Pass Legends. Drivers were asked to sign a handful of their Legends Autograph cards with an added nickname or inscription, and they didn’t disappoint!

NASCAR drivers have some pretty interesting nicknames, several of which you’ll find in Press Pass Legends 2008…you’ve got “Texas Terry” (Terry Labonte), “Sliced Bread” (Joey Logano), “Rowdy” (Kyle Busch), “Mr. September” (Harry Gant), and “The Fox” (David Pearson) to name a few.

Many drivers chose to include an inscription about some of their career defining accomplishments such as “2006 & 2007 Champ” (Jimmie Johnson), “69 Indy 500 Winner” (Mario Andretti), “2003 Champion” (Matt Kenseth), “85 Cup Wins!” (Bobby Allison) and “2 Time NASCAR Cup Champion” (Ned Jarrett).


The driver with one of the most unique Press Pass Legends Autographs is Darrell Waltrip. In addition to his signature plus #17, his wife Stevie Waltrip has also added her signature to some of his cards.

Click on the images below for a look at some of the inscription and nickname autograph cards available.

Leave us a comment and tell us which one is your favorite. Two winners will be selected to receive a free box of 2008 Press Pass NASCAR Legends trading cards.




Press Pass Legends releases in late October. Check our website www.presspassinc.com each week to find out more information about this product that uniquely combines legendary racers from the past along with current stars and up and coming legends of the future.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Don’t let me down, Kyle

I’m a Kyle Busch fan. Yeah, I said it. Now I know 80% of you reading this probably despise Kyle, and you’re rolling your eyes as you sit in your National Guard pajamas and take another sip of your Amp Energy drink. Your loyalty will always remain with the driver of the #88, and I respect that. But I like being different. I also like the fact that the guy can wheel a race car around a track like no one I’ve ever seen. I had a Camry in high school, and I guarantee you it wouldn’t have made nearly as many trips to victory lane as the #18 did this year. Apparently not all Camrys are the same.

After being replaced with a "better driver" at Hendrick Motorsports, Busch found refuge in a stable of other drivers who are also driven by their innate desire to win. It didn’t take long for Wild Thing to make sure Joe Gibbs didn’t regret adding him to the team. With eight wins in the Cup Series and 19 total wins across all three series in the regular season, I was confident going into New Hampshire that Kyle would have a championship trophy to add to his collection come November.

Enter race four of the Chase and Kyle finds himself in last place, behind four drivers who failed to visit victory lane even once during the season. Kyle won eight times! How did this happen? I’ll admit that in previous years, Kyle’s recklessness and inexperience severely contributed to his demise, but with those issues resolved, or should I say seemingly under control, this was going to be Kyle’s year! What happened?!

There are seven races left, and sitting in 12th place in the standings Kyle has nothing to lose. But, maybe that’s how he wanted it. Maybe he was so bored with being all alone at the top of the field that he wanted to create some excitement and wanted a challenge. Maybe he thrives off of racing like he’s got nothing to lose. Maybe there’s a reason he feels at home in the middle of a three-wide pack. Maybe he wants to give fans of other drivers a glimmer of hope that their precious driver might win the title before he dominates the field once again.

The next few weeks will determine how this chapter in Kyle Busch’s racing career will unfold. No, I’m not burning my Kyle Busch man purse just yet, and I may or may not be mischievously lobbing M&M’s at the #88 car when the field comes to Charlotte in a few weeks. In the meantime, I’ll reflect on the highlights of a dominating 2008 season.

Remember this?