Kyle Larson wins the 2026 NASCAR Championship - His 3rd

Kyle Larson is the 2026 NASCAR champion after a dominating playoff run.  In The Chase, NASCAR's form of the playoffs, he won 3 races, finished 2nd twice and was Top 10 in 8 of the 10 races.  One of the great runs in NASCAR playoff history.  And it came after a regular season where he didn't win a race.  This is Larson's 3rd championship also winning and 2021 and 2025.  He's a great driver. It's fun seeing a driver as good as him succeed.  And the playoff format changed this year.  That gives him a championship in consecutive years under different formats.  Pop is a big fan of his and was very happy.

Random Wax: 2026 Donruss NASCAR Blaster with Autograph

2026 Donruss:  Last race of the season is today, and NASCAR will crown the 2026 Champion.  Ryan Blaney is the 2023 NASCAR Champion.  Loudon the Lobster is the prize for winning the New Hampshire race.

Kyle Larson has all but sewn up his 3rd NASCAR Championship which he should win today.  He also won in 2021 and 2026.

There's an Optic in each blaster pack.  A couple of Orange Velocity Parallels here.  Kasey Kahne topped out at 4th in the standings in 2012 but was always a fan favorite.  Chris Buescher made the playoffs for the 2nd time this season.  He is currently 16th in the standings but did place 7th in 2023.

This design is reminiscent of the 2016 Donruss Football and 2016-2017 Donruss Basketball designs.  Thanks to Jeremy for pointing that out.

Spellbound has each of the letters from a driver's name.  I don't really get it but I'm sure some like it.

Bubba is a favorite of mine.  He's 13th to start the day but has a realistic shot at 10th place which would tie his 2023 career high.

I like Unleashed but I wish there was variety on the background art.  Josh Williams races full-time in the O'Reilly Series but hasn't really found any success there.  Kevin Harvick famously took over for Dale Earnhardt after he passed in 2001, and won 1 Championship in his career.  Brad Keselowski is the 2012 NASCAR Champion.  He's without a ride next year and still figuring out his next steps.

Team cards.  Team Penske has Austin Cindric,  Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano racing for them in Fords. 

My two Lime Green Parallels are #/199.

Lots of retired greats which is always fun to me.  Jeff Gordon (4X), Darrell Waltrip (3X), Kurt Busch (1X) and Richard Petty (7X) bring plenty of championship history with them.  That Petty is a Laser Parallel.

BREAKDOWN:

56 – Total Cards

13 – Retired Greats

8 – Retro

7 – Optic

7 - Rides

4 – Orange Velocity

2 – Unleashed

2 – Lime Green Parallel #/199

1 – Team Logos

1 - Spellbound

1 – Rated Rookie

1 – Laser Parallel

1 – Orange Velocity Base Optic Signature

Dark Winds (Seasons 1-4)

 Dark Winds follows a Navajo police department in the 1970s.  Pop and I really enjoy this series.  The writing, the outstanding acting by Zahn McClarnon, Jessica Matten, Kiowa Gordon, and Deanna Allison, the 70s vibe, the reservation setting.  We're all in.  We just finished season 4.  I highly recommend this one.  There's lots to like.

Random Wax: 2022-2023 Donruss Basketball

22-23 Donruss:  Dame and the Blazers have started off the year well.  Still a long way to go but it's been fun so far.  The 7X All-NBA, 9X All-Star and 75th Anniversary Team member rejoined Portland after playing in Milwaukee for two seasons.

This is a solid design I like and there's some good photography to boot.  Jrue Holiday is a Portland Trail Blazer as well, after being part of the trade sending Dame to the Bucks in 2023.  He's won a championship with the Bucks and the Celtics.  He's also been selected to the All-Defensive Team 6X.

Jalen Williams is a big part of the Thunder and their success and their 2024-2025 Championship.  He's averaged 18 points per game shooting 37% from deep in his 5 seasons in OKC.

My inserts. I like the look on the Complete Players design.  Franchise Features isn't bad either. Trae Young is now a part of the new look Wizards and Kawhi is back in Toronto where he helped them win their only championship.

My Green Laser Holo Parallel.  I picked this pack up as part of a recent Wal-Mart online purchase.

Fun pack of cards and a pretty good pull.  Some favorite players for me as well and lots of fun remembering what was in 2022-2023.  RJ Barrett is another big piece of that Raptors team.

BREAKDOWN:

30 – Total Cards

3 – Rated Rookie

1 – Complete Players

1 – Franchise Features

1 – Green Laser Holo Parallel

Random Wax: 2018 Donruss NASCAR Blaster with Relic

2018 Donruss:   Rusty Wallace is my favorite all-time driver, and also a 1X Champion (1989).  He's 12th on the all-time wins list with 55 and was top 10 in the NASCAR standings 17X.  NASCAR is at Martinsville today in the playoff's next to last race, with the final Championship race next week.

Not a big fan of the '85 retro design but it is fine here.  We have 2 Name Variations with Dale Jr and Happy Harvick.  Tony Stewart is 3X NASCAR Champion while Kevin Harvick won 1 Championship.

We have multiple photos of drivers which is nice, and we also have a Name Variation for Brad Keselowski.  He recently said he is leaving the RFK racing team, which he is a co-owner of, after this season.  He is a 1X NASCAR Champion.

I really like these car cards.  Great looking photo of 2020 NASCAR Champion Chase Elliott's car.

I like the Race Kings cards in this set with the car and the driver.  Sadly, 2X Champion Kyle Busch passed away unexpectantly earlier this year from illness while still an active driver.

This base design is solid.

One of my favorite drivers, Zane Smith as a youngster on this Next in Line insert.  We also have a Racing Relic and Masters of the Track Xplosion Parallel #/99.

Joey Logano's classic Pennzoil look.  He's a 3X NASCAR champion.

Martin Truex Jr, the 2017 NASCAR Champion.  Rated Rookie William Byron who is in the playoffs this year.

And retired greats.  Bobby Labonte won the NASCAR Championship in 2000.  His brother Terry Labonte won 2 Championships.  Fun box of cards.  Can't wait for these final 2 races of this season.

BREAKDOWN:
60 – Total Cards
15 – Retro 1985
8 – Race Kings
6 - Cars
6 – Legends
5 – Nickname Variation
2 – Rated Rookie
1 - Classics
1 – Next in Line
1 – Racing Relics
1 – Master of the Track
1 – Xplosion Parallel #/99
1 – Red Foil Parallel #/299

Halloween-Horror-Spooky Movies Watched This Season

 I do enjoy this time of the year.  I watch as many of these movies and/or series as I can.  Some were watched throughout the year.  It had been some time since I last watched Skeleton Key starring Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands and Peter Sarsgaard.  Lots of suspense and it just keeps the creepy vibe going.  I really like twist at the end.  This is a movie you enjoy watching a second time knowing the end because you see it with such a different eye.

Plenty of good movies on the list below and a few that I will never see again.  Movies marked with an "*" are movies I watched for the first time.  Amongst the first-time watches, Sinners was my favorite.  Have a great, safe and fun Halloween!

Scream 7

Sinners*

Legend of Boggy Creek

Friday the 13th 2

Friday the 13th 3

Marvel Zombies*

MaXXXine*

I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025)*

V/H/S*

Skeleton Key

The Fog

The Village

Scream 7

Scream 7:  I'm a big fan of the Scream franchise and really enjoyed this one.  Neve Campbell and Courtney Cox are back and take on big roles in the movie.  In ways it felt more like the original than some of the others but that isn't a knock on the other movies in the franchise.  Bottom line is I enjoyed this movie.  It'll has twists and turns which played into many of the rumors leading into the movie's release.  I really liked Isabel May's part in the movie as well.  I say give this one a watch.