2011 Press Pass Racing blaster box

Yesterday, TJ at All Your Base Cards posted this article detailing some packs of 2011 Press Pass Eclipse racing.  And since I'm on a NASCAR kick all of a sudden, I really thought that it was a killer looking set.  So, when I had to go to Target today to get some medicine, I thought I'd pick up a pack or two.  But, as luck would have it, Press Pass made more than just one set of racing cards.  So instead of picking up Press Pass Eclipse, I just picked up their base Press Pass Racing blaster box for $10.

I have to admit, if you look at TJ's post, I think that I like the Eclipse style just a bit better than the regular release.  But these cards weren't too shabby either.  And racing cards are a bit spendier than I thought they would be - the blaster box only came with 4 packs of 8 cards and had two special mini cards included.

Now yesterday, when I watched the race from Phoenix, I was rooting for Jr. (that's what I call him now - I just say Junior).  And in a complete surprise, my daughters, who rarely watch sports with me, sat down and watched the whole race with me.  The whole race.  Three little Mexican girls watching a complete NASCAR race.  Strange times, folks.  Strange times indeed.

And my oldest girl, who knew that I was going for #88, for whatever reason picked the #11 car to root for.  She liked Denny Hamlin's car design.  I don't know why.  So when I open my four packs of racing cards, who do I get?  3 cards of Denny Hamlin.

Really, I like the pictures for the cars.  But let's be honest, only in a NASCAR set are you going to find a picture of a guy in a cowboy hat holding two guns in the air.  In that way, it's kind of charming.  You have to give NASCAR and their fans credit - they know what they are, and what they do well.  Can't take that away from them.

And then, I pulled really only one insert of the four packs - and it ended up being of TJ's driver.

This card is quite a bit shinier than you see here.  I couldn't get the chrome to scan well.  It's a good looking card with images in the back that you can't see.

And with every blaster came two minis.  I happened to pull a 3rd mini out of a pack.  As far as minis go, not bad.  It's nice to see a mini that is a separate card.  It can get to be a bit tedious building a mini set that is a replica of the base set.  Kudos to Press Pass for making a mini set that is a stand alone set. 

The Winning Ticket minis chronicle victories of the drivers depicted.  Wasn't I just saying that collectors build cards in part to CHRONICLE their love of sports?  I think I said that when Panini used two year old photography for a 10/11 card release.  This idea fits perfectly into what I think that cards ought to do.

Press Pass might not get everything right with this set.  But they got a ton right.  I've actually collected Press Pass RC's in the past - especially football.  But really the only knock on them is that they don't have the funds to bankroll an exclusivity contract.  But after seeing what TJ pulled - and what I got here.  I'm going to start throwing them a bit more business - especially if my NASCAR interest continues to rise.