By Van Cox, Special to NASCAR.COM
December 2, 2005
04:23 PM EST (21:23 GMT)
Truth be told, this whole NASCAR collectibles craze was spawned by the release of the inaugural MAXX Race Cards trading card set in 1988. And if you go a step further, you could say that the entire sports collectibles industry in general was born of cardboard, dating back to the baseball cards of the early 20th century. So, what better Christmas present for the NASCAR fan than the most time honored collectible of them all? When it comes to trading cards, the NASCAR.COM Superstore has the deck stacked in your favor. The SuperStore has an expansive assortment of the hobby's most coveted inserts. Autograph cards, Race-used memorabilia cards... You name it. In addition, the store offers six-card driver displays sets featuring the sport's biggest names. Each set consists of a half dozen base cards selected from a variety of card sets mounted in an Ultra Pro black framed screw-down card holder. A stand is also included to allow for desktop display, or you can simply hang the display on the wall. If you're searching for that truly one-size-fits-all gift, the answer is in the cards. Press Pass recently released its final set of the season, Press Pass Optima 2005. This annual wrap-up set sports one of the nicest 100-card base sets of the year, enhanced by subsets like Rock'N Racing, NASCAR Pets, Celebrity Profile, and R&R -- giving race fans a glimpse at the men behind the machines. New for 2005 are short-printed NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Chase for the Nextel Cup variations. Look for these short-printed base card variations to be inserted once every 14 packs. Only the elite drivers who qualify for "The Chase" are featured. Each card will be adorned with the special "Chase" logo. "Press Pass Optima 2005 delivers the excitement of the Chase for the Nextel Cup in every pack," said Tom Farrell, Director of Marketing for Press Pass. "With the short-printed Chase for the Nextel Cup variations and a wide variety of autograph and memorabilia cards to chase, each pack of Press Pass Optima promises fun and collectibility." In addition to a base set that includes drivers from NASCAR's Nextel Cup, Busch, and Craftsmen Truck Series, Press Pass Optima 2005 boasts a generous amount of memorabilia and autograph chase cards. The Press Pass Signings autograph program features over 70 different drivers, inserted at a ratio of 1:84 in hobby packs and 1:144 in retail. The popular Press Pass Signings Contest is back, providing the opportunity for one lucky winner to receive an entire set of 2005 Press Pass Signings autograph cards. Memorabilia buffs will love the Corporate Cuts driver-worn team shirt cards. New for 2005, these inserts utilize sponsor logo'd polo and twill style shirts. Unique hobby and retail versions of Corporate Cuts will be available (1:168 hobby, 1:240 retail). Nine different drivers are included in this program. If that isn't enough memorabilia, Thunder Bolts Signature Series features race-used lug nut slices and are autographed and sequentially numbered to each driver's door number. Collectors can also look forward to finding NASCAR Busch Series memorabilia cards. Top Prospects race-used memorabilia cards feature memorabilia cards from the future stars of NASCAR. There are four different types of Top Prospects memorabilia cards to collect (1:98, hobby only). In addition to an expanded base set, autographs, and memorabilia, there are several exciting inserts to collect, including the ongoing Dale Earnhardt Victory Series; 76 cards in all. Product release is slated for October 26th. Here's a synopsis of the Press Pass Optima 2005 insert program: Corporate Cuts - Cards feature driver-worn shirts (e.g., polo, twill styles) with sponsor logos from 9 of the top teams in NASCAR Nextel Cup Racing with distinct hobby and retail versions to collect. Hobby 1:168; Retail 1:240. Top Prospects - Race-used memorabilia cards (gloves, shoes, and tires) from current drivers in the NASCAR Busch Series who are expected to climb quickly in the ranks of NASCAR...1:98 (Hobby Only) Thunder Bolts Signature Series - genuine race-used lugnut slices with authentic autographs of 6 of NASCAR's brightest stars; numbered to the drivers' door number (Hobby Only). Press Pass Signings - Year-long certified autograph program that includes over sixty of yesterday, today and tomorrow's stars of NASCAR (1:84) Hobby, (1:144) Retail; Press Pass Platinum Signings- Special foil board version of Press Pass Signings found in both Hobby and Retail (sequentially numbered to 100); Press Pass gold Signings-gold stamped version signed in gold metallic pen - extremely rare (Hobby Only, sequentially numbered to 50) Press Pass Signings Contest - Enter to win a complete set of Press Pass Signings Autograph cards featuring over 60 NASCAR drivers and legends...1:28 Dale Earnhardt Victory Series - Chronicling all 76 of Dale Earnhardt's wins, these mini cards feature victory photography dating back to Earnhardt's first NASCAR Cup win in 1979 at Bristol...1:72. Q&A - Learn more about 9 top drivers on this foil etched question and answer card...1:8 Cool Persistence - 12 drivers make cool moves on this holofoil card...1:6 G-Force - 6 drivers and teams work together to propel themselves to a top finish on this embossed silver foil card...1:12 Fan Favorite - Die-cut 27-card "set-within-a-set" ...1:2 Gold Edition Parallel - Gold foil stamped version of the 100 base cards sequentially numbered to 100.Year-long Programs Triple Burner - Back by popular demand in 2005, Triple Burner can only be found in hobby packs, with cards featuring all of the top teams including Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. These cards showcase authentic pieces of the drivers' race-used tire, sheet metal and lugnuts embedded in a single trading card. This twelve-card insert is part of a year-long continuity program throughout all Press Pass brands where only 100 sequentially numbered cards of each driver will be released; 14 cards each of twelve different drivers will be found in this product. Double Burner - Double Burner, found only in retail packs, features cards of all of the top teams including Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch. These cards showcase authentic pieces of the drivers' race-used firesuit and glove embedded in a single trading. This twelve-card insert is part of a year-long continuity program throughout all Press Pass brands where only 100 sequentially numbered cards of each driver will be released; 14 cards each of ten different drivers will be found in this product. Total Memorabilia Power Pick Contest - Another year-long continuity program continues in Optima 2005 and allows collectors to enter a drawing to win all memorabilia cards (hobby and retail versions) of a specific driver/team produced in all 2005 Press Pass products. Five winners will be drawn of each of the ten drivers. (1:200 packs) | 
