Well folks, it’s down to one races and three drivers. With the excitement of the beef between Gordon and Burton two weekends ago in Texas, (Did you guys see the brawl? It was AWWWWE-SOME!) and the excitement in Phoenix fans are sure to tune into the Homestead events this weekend to see if Denny Hamlin holds onto the points lead or if Kevin Harvick or Jimmie Johnson can catch him.
Hamlin started off the year a little rough with him having to have knee surgery in April. Amazing everyone, Hamlin got in the car the next week and got his first win of the year two weeks later, all the while still nursing his knee back to health. Quite a feat I have to give him the credit for. Not quite sure I could’ve handled 250 laps with a “peg leg” that’s for sure.
Needless to say it’s going to be an interesting last race! Can the young overtake the old-er? Can Jimmie and the #48 crew do the unthinkable and take back the lead to win consecutive championship number five? A feat that’s never been done once in the history of NASCAR? Or will a quiet third place Harvick step up and capture the title? I for one will be glued to the TV watching to find out.
Tonya Clarkston
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Life After Five...
Let me start off by saying this is not going to be your typical Press Pass blog about trading cards, die-cast or NASCAR racing, I have worked for Press Pass Inc. for about 12 years and have moved through the entire office working in all departments except the Art Department and trust me you don’t want me to go there! I am now located in the Customer Relations department and look forward to excelling there and making my knowledge stronger with this business.
With that said, I do enjoy my work at Press Pass Inc. although my greatest passion is animals. After a long busy day I exit the Press Pass building and head north on I-77 towards Lake Norman where I reside and I retire to taking care of my 2 dogs and cat Macy, Biff and my adopted dog Major whom I rescued from a neighbor from being PTS! Major was severely abused at the young age of 2 or 3 by a mean male person, so he has issues with certain men but loves women. Since I have adopted him he has changed so much and has become a great companion. His only flaw is that he is terrified of thunderstorms! During one storm back this summer he ran out of the house and down my neighborhood street. I looked for hours for him and just knew he was gone. I continued to call out his name over and over again and finally heard his cry coming from a home under their deck, he was so afraid he would not come out! So the homeowner allowed me to go under their deck and coax him out, it took a lot of time and reassurance on my part but he finally jumped in my arms like he was holding on for dear life. That’s when I knew I made the right decision to take him in.
Along with my animals I also care for pets working my second job “Pet Sitting”. When I got into pet sitting it was something I thought I would like to do in my spare time (what little I have) and boy have I loved it so far. I have been at it for almost 2 years now working week nights and weekends for clients that are on vacation or just have another occasion to be away from home. It is really rewarding to visit the pets at their homes or stay over night with them and make sure they are well and happy for the hour or night I am with them each visit.
Most of them are really glad to see you when you arrive, just to see someone, anyone since their masters are gone away. Its fun and relaxing for me because you get the calmness and unconditional love from these pets no matter what kind of day you are having and no matter how many times you have to poke them with medication or injections for what ever they may need it for. I have found myself on occasion saying I will feel a lot better about whatever is bothering me that day or night once I visit “Cody, Maddie, Roxie, Tinkerbell or any of the other 114 pets I care for regularly. They have become like my step children and I find you can have the greatest love for those little fur babies and miss them when its time to leave that visit, but knowing you will be back the next day, night or in a few weeks gives me a good feeling.
The pet sitting is not limited to just dogs and cats, I also care for a 40-50 pound pot belly pig named Daisy, who has finally warmed up to me and stopped charging at me when I let her out of her luxury room to go outside and an African Grey bird named Pickles that recites to me the “Meow” sound of the owners cat Spooky! The first time I heard that bird say “Meow” and “here kitty kitty” I thought someone else was in the home. I have had so many laughs and fun times with this part-time job to fill my spare time.
So there you have it my life outside of Press Pass trading cards! It keeps me busy and sometimes when I don’t want to be busy but I love it and knowing those little ones need the care of someone when they are home alone!
Lisa Shelby
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Five Star Autographs
I’m not a writer by any means. I don’t blog, I rarely tweet; it just isn’t something I do often. Funny for someone whose job is opening her big mouth everyday and communicating with people to get cards approved huh? Give TC a pencil to draw- I’m good for hours. Give TC a pencil to write – not only is the paper in front of me blank but so is my mind. Don’t ask me to write copy, EVER! That’s like asking Kyle Busch to quit whining, it’s never going happen! Because I love our PP peeps SO much, I’m going to take a stab at this thing called blogging and tell all you out there what I’ve been up to for the past month.
I’m sure you’ve all heard and are SO excited about the upcoming release of our Five Star product. Who isn’t right?! I know I am! Timing has been everything with this product. With the sport deep within the Chase and the year almost over, most of our drivers’ schedules are bombarded with public appearances and 2011 photoshoots. Not the most perfect timing to request an autograph session that’s for sho! Thankfully we have great licensors that we work with in the industry who’ve made it happen for us to get these special cards signed in time for the product release in November. What would we do without our licensors?!
Didn’t mean it hasn’t taken any sweat or tears on the PP side of things though…the tears, you’ll have to ask Jesse (NASCAR Product Manager) about. ;) Jesse and I have both worn the soles off of our shoes traveling around getting cards signed. We’ve been all over the South, as far as Daytona, FL and Palmetto, SC to smaller towns like Randleman and Kernersville, NC meeting up with drivers. I would still be lost in some small country town in South Carolina if it hadn’t been for my Garmin.
As a true follower of the sport since I was a wee one, I’ve had opportunities to sit down with some of the best ever in the sport the past few weeks. Something not many people can say they’ve had the chance to do or will ever do. Something I can’t wait to talk to my own chitlins/grand chitlins about. I’ve met up with Legends like Richard Petty, The Silver Fox, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough to current Legends like Kevin Harvick and Danica Patrick. Yes I got to meet Danica Patrick! You can freak out now. I’ll give you a minute to calm down. ;) And yes, she’s as short as you think she is and a real fireball.
Most sessions have taken anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour to do. During this time, amongst the rumbles and grumbles of everyday shop talk, I’ve chit chatted about everything from the emergence of the Dodge Charger and Ford Mustang into the sport down to what local store serves the best hot dogs. If you’re ever in Charlotte for the race, Richard Petty highly recommends the dogs at Celebrity Hotdogs in Concord. Their walls hold as many autographs as our products do! And he’s right. The dogs are pretty dang good.
But I wouldn’t change all the hectic, chaotic work that has went into the project for anything! I grew up watching these guys fight it out on the track for years. Some of them were watched fighting it out off the track. But they are who have made this sport what it is today and with that said I am honored and very privileged to have worked with them all.
Peace and chicken grease my PP peeps,
Tonya Clarkston
I’m sure you’ve all heard and are SO excited about the upcoming release of our Five Star product. Who isn’t right?! I know I am! Timing has been everything with this product. With the sport deep within the Chase and the year almost over, most of our drivers’ schedules are bombarded with public appearances and 2011 photoshoots. Not the most perfect timing to request an autograph session that’s for sho! Thankfully we have great licensors that we work with in the industry who’ve made it happen for us to get these special cards signed in time for the product release in November. What would we do without our licensors?!
Didn’t mean it hasn’t taken any sweat or tears on the PP side of things though…the tears, you’ll have to ask Jesse (NASCAR Product Manager) about. ;) Jesse and I have both worn the soles off of our shoes traveling around getting cards signed. We’ve been all over the South, as far as Daytona, FL and Palmetto, SC to smaller towns like Randleman and Kernersville, NC meeting up with drivers. I would still be lost in some small country town in South Carolina if it hadn’t been for my Garmin.
As a true follower of the sport since I was a wee one, I’ve had opportunities to sit down with some of the best ever in the sport the past few weeks. Something not many people can say they’ve had the chance to do or will ever do. Something I can’t wait to talk to my own chitlins/grand chitlins about. I’ve met up with Legends like Richard Petty, The Silver Fox, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough to current Legends like Kevin Harvick and Danica Patrick. Yes I got to meet Danica Patrick! You can freak out now. I’ll give you a minute to calm down. ;) And yes, she’s as short as you think she is and a real fireball.
Most sessions have taken anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour to do. During this time, amongst the rumbles and grumbles of everyday shop talk, I’ve chit chatted about everything from the emergence of the Dodge Charger and Ford Mustang into the sport down to what local store serves the best hot dogs. If you’re ever in Charlotte for the race, Richard Petty highly recommends the dogs at Celebrity Hotdogs in Concord. Their walls hold as many autographs as our products do! And he’s right. The dogs are pretty dang good.
But I wouldn’t change all the hectic, chaotic work that has went into the project for anything! I grew up watching these guys fight it out on the track for years. Some of them were watched fighting it out off the track. But they are who have made this sport what it is today and with that said I am honored and very privileged to have worked with them all.
Peace and chicken grease my PP peeps,
Tonya Clarkston
Monday, November 1, 2010
Fall Spectacular
Aaah, fall. After 90 plus summer days of temperatures above 90 degrees, this is a long awaited time of year. This is my favorite time of the year – it’s brisk, cool and with that comes more energy and a desire to be outdoors.
I had a short time this weekend to experience up close and personal – a different kind of sport - Hot Air Balloons.
The first Hot Air Balloon flight was on June 5th, 1783 in Annonay, France by the Montgolfier brothers. (Did they play golf too?)
Fast forward 227 years . . . . . . .
My hometown hosted the 37th Annual Carolina Balloon Fest on Oct. 22 – 24, 2010. The National Balloon Rally got its start in 1974 at Aerial Ascensions in Statesville, NC. The owner at that time - invited Balloon Works customers from across the US to come to Statesville for a week of camping, flying and telling ballooning tales.
In 1978, the facility moved near Love Valley, NC – and thus began the week-long gathering of balloon enthusiasts, and local spectators. Curious about love Valley? Take a peek: http://www.townoflovevalley.com/
Anyway, late Friday afternoon I took a short ride up I-40 West, and like all the other cars around, in front, and in back of me – I had to pull over. There were 37 of the most awesome, and beautiful balloons – drifting right over the Interstate. More were coming! Some were low enough you could talk to Balloonist in the basket. What a color spectacular!!! What a breath taking experience.
If you’ve ever been to a Balloon Rally, you know what I mean – and it can’t really be described in words. It’s an experience. If you’ve never been to one – you just have no idea what you are missing. (Don’t think because you’ve seen “a” hot air balloon in the distance somewhere that you have an idea of what it’s all about. You don’t)
The next few Rally’s will be the Taos Mountain Balloon Rally 10/29 – 10/31 in Taos, New Mexico; Ballunar Liftoff Festival 10/29 – 10/31 Houston Texas; and Balloons Over Anderson 11/5 – 11/7 in Anderson, SC.
If these aren’t close to you, you can check the following site, and look up the schedule to hopefully find one near you:
www.festivals-and-shows.com/hot-air-balloon-festivals.html
You never know – you might find a new sport to watch.
Debbie Smith
I had a short time this weekend to experience up close and personal – a different kind of sport - Hot Air Balloons.
The first Hot Air Balloon flight was on June 5th, 1783 in Annonay, France by the Montgolfier brothers. (Did they play golf too?)
Fast forward 227 years . . . . . . .
My hometown hosted the 37th Annual Carolina Balloon Fest on Oct. 22 – 24, 2010. The National Balloon Rally got its start in 1974 at Aerial Ascensions in Statesville, NC. The owner at that time - invited Balloon Works customers from across the US to come to Statesville for a week of camping, flying and telling ballooning tales.
In 1978, the facility moved near Love Valley, NC – and thus began the week-long gathering of balloon enthusiasts, and local spectators. Curious about love Valley? Take a peek: http://www.townoflovevalley.com/
Anyway, late Friday afternoon I took a short ride up I-40 West, and like all the other cars around, in front, and in back of me – I had to pull over. There were 37 of the most awesome, and beautiful balloons – drifting right over the Interstate. More were coming! Some were low enough you could talk to Balloonist in the basket. What a color spectacular!!! What a breath taking experience.
If you’ve ever been to a Balloon Rally, you know what I mean – and it can’t really be described in words. It’s an experience. If you’ve never been to one – you just have no idea what you are missing. (Don’t think because you’ve seen “a” hot air balloon in the distance somewhere that you have an idea of what it’s all about. You don’t)
The next few Rally’s will be the Taos Mountain Balloon Rally 10/29 – 10/31 in Taos, New Mexico; Ballunar Liftoff Festival 10/29 – 10/31 Houston Texas; and Balloons Over Anderson 11/5 – 11/7 in Anderson, SC.
If these aren’t close to you, you can check the following site, and look up the schedule to hopefully find one near you:
www.festivals-and-shows.com/hot-air-balloon-festivals.html
You never know – you might find a new sport to watch.
Debbie Smith
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
You Never Know...
I grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. Raleigh is the home of North Carolina State University and is the capital city of North Carolina. Athletes and coaches like Bill Cowher, Lou Holtz, Phillip Rivers, David Thompson and Jim Valvano have made their way through N.C. State. But Raleigh has also turned out some other celebrities as well. Emily Proctor (who currently stars in CSI Miami) and Sharon Lawrence (former NYPD star) are also from my hometown.
But two of the funniest people around today lived a few houses away from me. David and Amy Sedaris grew up a rock’s throw from my front door. Their older sister Lisa was my family’s babysitter. Never heard of them? Google the two of them and you’ll discover that they are both major celebrities. Amy pops up on David Letterman’s show with regularity and David is a staple on NPR. Both are playwriters.
My parents still live in the house I grew up in. Lou Sedaris (Amy and David’s Dad) still lives in the house they grew up in so our parents are still friends. Dad and Mr. Sedaris both worked together for years for IBM.
So what’s my point here? To let you know I know the Sedaris siblings? Nope…growing up I can honestly say I never in my wildest dreams would have predicted that either of them would become famous people. They just seemed like the rest of us kids. Okay that may not quite be the truth (Amy in particular was always very dramatic) but there wasn’t something that just cried out “a star is born.”
We all walk through live surrounded by extraordinary people (we ourselves may be extraordinary.) Extraordinary can be demonstrated in a number of ways but its meaning is obvious. Whether it is a famous doctor, actor or athlete they all come from somewhere. Perhaps the next Justin Bieber is hanging out at your local Mall…
I’m currently reading David’s latest book Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: a Modest Bestiary and that’s what prompted this blog. Every time I see Amy cracking up David Letterman I wonder when did it happen? When did she discover that she had “it”? Because when we were kids she was just a neighborhood kid like the rest of us. But read one of David’s books and you’ll wonder how in the world I did not notice that he was a bit different than the rest of us!
DJ Kazmierczak
But two of the funniest people around today lived a few houses away from me. David and Amy Sedaris grew up a rock’s throw from my front door. Their older sister Lisa was my family’s babysitter. Never heard of them? Google the two of them and you’ll discover that they are both major celebrities. Amy pops up on David Letterman’s show with regularity and David is a staple on NPR. Both are playwriters.
My parents still live in the house I grew up in. Lou Sedaris (Amy and David’s Dad) still lives in the house they grew up in so our parents are still friends. Dad and Mr. Sedaris both worked together for years for IBM.
So what’s my point here? To let you know I know the Sedaris siblings? Nope…growing up I can honestly say I never in my wildest dreams would have predicted that either of them would become famous people. They just seemed like the rest of us kids. Okay that may not quite be the truth (Amy in particular was always very dramatic) but there wasn’t something that just cried out “a star is born.”
We all walk through live surrounded by extraordinary people (we ourselves may be extraordinary.) Extraordinary can be demonstrated in a number of ways but its meaning is obvious. Whether it is a famous doctor, actor or athlete they all come from somewhere. Perhaps the next Justin Bieber is hanging out at your local Mall…
I’m currently reading David’s latest book Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: a Modest Bestiary and that’s what prompted this blog. Every time I see Amy cracking up David Letterman I wonder when did it happen? When did she discover that she had “it”? Because when we were kids she was just a neighborhood kid like the rest of us. But read one of David’s books and you’ll wonder how in the world I did not notice that he was a bit different than the rest of us!
DJ Kazmierczak
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
My Sports Life
I love this time of year. It’s absolutely insane – for some reason life heats up to a crazy pace on October 1, but it’s worth it. Not only is does the weather improve (although I admit that I am not looking forward to the cold winter temps), but fall is the apex of the sports year.
I love sports. Not all of them equally, but I will watch just about anything on TV. It’s amazing too, when you consider the recent and not-too-recent track records of some of my favorite teams. I’ve been a Royals fan ever since I went to college – I’m dating myself, but it was 1985 and the Royals were at their peak. It’s been a long painful slide since then.
My two NFL teams are the Carolina Panthers and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are actually showing a glimmer of respectability this year, but it’s going to be a long cold winter in Charlotte.
The Charlotte Bobcats are (still) an expansion team – not much else to say about that.
I’ve had more luck with college sports…my beloved Jayhawks won the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship two years ago. They also won in ’88 when I was in college – it’s a feeling that is beyond description. The football team won the Orange Bowl in 2008. If you know anything about the history of football at Kansas, you know what an accomplishment that was. I’m not even going to talk about this year’s football team.
And then there’s NASCAR. It’s never been a sport that I followed or watched and when I started at Press Pass, I had to take a crash course in drivers, sponsors and fans. In my almost nine years here, I have come to appreciate, not just the skill and talent of the drivers, but the passion and enthusiasm of the fans. I believe that the people who buy our NASCAR trading cards are more than collectors – they are true fans of the sport and the drivers they follow.
I think that’s the best part about what we do. We help people who are already fans become even bigger fans of their sport. It’s why we have (sometimes) heated discussions in our office about who attends the National and other opportunities to talk to fans – it is an incredible feeling to find out how excited people are about the product we produce. It’s not an opportunity many companies have. Of course, the downside is when people are not happy about an experience with our product, but that is also part of the job. You listen, you learn and you make the next product better.
We love hearing from you. Keep the comments and thoughts coming – through phone calls, email, Facebook, etc. Good and bad, we want to hear from you.
Terri Rehkop
I love sports. Not all of them equally, but I will watch just about anything on TV. It’s amazing too, when you consider the recent and not-too-recent track records of some of my favorite teams. I’ve been a Royals fan ever since I went to college – I’m dating myself, but it was 1985 and the Royals were at their peak. It’s been a long painful slide since then.
My two NFL teams are the Carolina Panthers and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are actually showing a glimmer of respectability this year, but it’s going to be a long cold winter in Charlotte.
The Charlotte Bobcats are (still) an expansion team – not much else to say about that.
I’ve had more luck with college sports…my beloved Jayhawks won the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship two years ago. They also won in ’88 when I was in college – it’s a feeling that is beyond description. The football team won the Orange Bowl in 2008. If you know anything about the history of football at Kansas, you know what an accomplishment that was. I’m not even going to talk about this year’s football team.
And then there’s NASCAR. It’s never been a sport that I followed or watched and when I started at Press Pass, I had to take a crash course in drivers, sponsors and fans. In my almost nine years here, I have come to appreciate, not just the skill and talent of the drivers, but the passion and enthusiasm of the fans. I believe that the people who buy our NASCAR trading cards are more than collectors – they are true fans of the sport and the drivers they follow.
I think that’s the best part about what we do. We help people who are already fans become even bigger fans of their sport. It’s why we have (sometimes) heated discussions in our office about who attends the National and other opportunities to talk to fans – it is an incredible feeling to find out how excited people are about the product we produce. It’s not an opportunity many companies have. Of course, the downside is when people are not happy about an experience with our product, but that is also part of the job. You listen, you learn and you make the next product better.
We love hearing from you. Keep the comments and thoughts coming – through phone calls, email, Facebook, etc. Good and bad, we want to hear from you.
Terri Rehkop
Friday, October 8, 2010
Goodbye
I’m sure this will shock most of you but before I came to work here at Press Pass I didn’t even know that NASCAR Trading Cards existed. I know, I know, for most of you that doesn’t make sense because you’re so passionate about NASCAR Trading Cards. Even though I lived in Charlotte, which to some is the center of the NASCAR world, I was blind to almost all things NASCAR and that included NASCAR trading cards.
I never collected trading cards myself and I didn’t know much about the trading card industry in general. I quickly learned that my husband, my father, my brother in-law and pretty much all the men in my family had their share of old shoe boxes and notebooks filled with trading cards that they collected during their youth; which I thought was pretty cool. They each had their favorite card and stories about how they got it. Listening to them talk made me realize that working for a trading card company was going to be pretty cool.
I had originally thought that the trading card industry had gone the way of eight-track tapes and pet rocks. It wasn’t until I started researching Press Pass and trading cards that I realized how alive and active the trading card industry is today. I didn’t know about all the blogs, forums and v chat sites that were solely dedicated to trading cards. It was quite an eye-opening experience and helped get me really excited for my new job.
On my first day at Press Pass I was given a box of 2008 Speedway to open. I will be honest, it was the first time I’d ever busted wax before...and it was great. I loved the rush and the excitement of not knowing what I was going to pull. I marveled at the amazing design and how the cards seemed to grab your eye. I was jumping for joy (on the inside of course) when I pulled an autograph; a Greg Zipadelli autograph which I still have at my desk and I will take with me on my future endeavors. Again I will state I didn’t know anything about NASCAR, but just the fact that I pulled an autograph I thought that was awesome. When I was done opening the box I realized how lucky I was because I had been given a new experience. It was that joy and excitement that I tried to think of every time I talked to a collector. For the last two years I talked to a lot of collectors and have truly enjoyed getting to know them and help them with their collections.
There are a lot of things that I have gained from working at Press Pass, but one of biggest things that I’ve gained is a love trading cards.
Thank you Press Pass and the Press Pass collecting community for everything over the past two years, I will miss you!
Allison Ranson
I never collected trading cards myself and I didn’t know much about the trading card industry in general. I quickly learned that my husband, my father, my brother in-law and pretty much all the men in my family had their share of old shoe boxes and notebooks filled with trading cards that they collected during their youth; which I thought was pretty cool. They each had their favorite card and stories about how they got it. Listening to them talk made me realize that working for a trading card company was going to be pretty cool.
I had originally thought that the trading card industry had gone the way of eight-track tapes and pet rocks. It wasn’t until I started researching Press Pass and trading cards that I realized how alive and active the trading card industry is today. I didn’t know about all the blogs, forums and v chat sites that were solely dedicated to trading cards. It was quite an eye-opening experience and helped get me really excited for my new job.
On my first day at Press Pass I was given a box of 2008 Speedway to open. I will be honest, it was the first time I’d ever busted wax before...and it was great. I loved the rush and the excitement of not knowing what I was going to pull. I marveled at the amazing design and how the cards seemed to grab your eye. I was jumping for joy (on the inside of course) when I pulled an autograph; a Greg Zipadelli autograph which I still have at my desk and I will take with me on my future endeavors. Again I will state I didn’t know anything about NASCAR, but just the fact that I pulled an autograph I thought that was awesome. When I was done opening the box I realized how lucky I was because I had been given a new experience. It was that joy and excitement that I tried to think of every time I talked to a collector. For the last two years I talked to a lot of collectors and have truly enjoyed getting to know them and help them with their collections.
There are a lot of things that I have gained from working at Press Pass, but one of biggest things that I’ve gained is a love trading cards.
Thank you Press Pass and the Press Pass collecting community for everything over the past two years, I will miss you!
Allison Ranson
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