Trading card collecting in 'Stealth' mode

You'd be hard pressed to find a healthier segment of the NASCAR memorabilia market than trading cards. Strategic planning by Press Pass, coupled with NASCAR's burgeoning popularity, is taking the hobby to new heights.

For its ninth annual edition, Press Pass Stealth is undergoing a major makeover that will transform it into one of the flashiest and most memorabilia-laden products in the Press Pass line-up.

"We never rest on our laurels," said Miles Atkins, Senior Product Manager for Press Pass. "Every so often it's good to go in and give a set an overhaul so that's it's fresh and exciting for the collectors. That's what we've done with Press Pass Stealth 2006."

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Press Pass Stealth 2006 features the company's only all-foil NASCAR base set and delivers one autograph per hobby box and one race-used memorabilia card in every 40 packs. The set's 97-card hobby base set gets an upgrade to 24-point foil stock and has all of the new 2006 driver and team combinations, including this year's stellar rookie class. Stealth's short-printed rookie base cards will have the special NASCAR rookie card logo that debuted in Press Pass Premium 2006 and will be included on the base cards of all drivers who are competing in their first full season in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. For an added level of collectibility, the base set in retail packs will feature its own unique base set technology--a full pull of silver foil stamping on premium quality 24-point stock.

Press Pass Stealth 2006 features the company's only all-foil NASCAR base set and delivers one autograph per hobby box and one race-used memorabilia card in every 40 packs.

Collectors will now have an opportunity to pull one of the popular Press Pass Signings autographs, featuring dozens of NASCAR drivers, in every box including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart.

The 2006 Press Pass Signings program consistsof three levels of autographs for each driver-Bronze (unnumbered), Silver (numbered to 100), and Gold (numbered to 50 and hobby-only.)

To bolster the collectibility, for the first time, rare red ink signatures and driver nickname and inscription signatures will be randomly inserted.

The only thing that rivals the autograph card platform in terms of driving the appeal of a set is an aggressive race-used memorabilia program. The 2006 memorabilia line-up boasts four unique programs: Gear Grippers, featuring race-used gloves, Signature Series Gear Grippers, pairing a swatch of each driver's glove on a card with their signature (numbered to their door number), Corporate Cuts, cards with a swatch of driver-worn sponsor apparel, and Top Prospects, showcasing the future stars of the NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

The 2006 Top Prospects line-up boasts several blue chip racers driving for established teams. Those include Mark McFarland (Dale Earnhardt Inc.), Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn (Roush Racing), Burney Lamar (Kevin Harvick Inc.), and Erin Crocker (Evernham Racing). Press Pass Stealth 2006 features the first Top Prospects race-used tire cards of those drivers, plus rare autographed versions for Mark McFarland and Erin Crocker.

"The changes that have been made to Press Pass Stealth 2006 will re-position the brand, which has been a mainstay in the Press Pass line-up, as an elite set that delivers on both quality and content ," said Heather Maillard, Product Manager for Press Pass.. "With an autograph in every hobby box, collectors will have more opportunities to obtain signatures of their favorite drivers as well as the rare red ink signatures and driver nickname and inscriptions that are new to the Press Pass Signings program in 2006."

Other inserts include an instant win Press Pass Hat Contest; Profile, a laser-cut insert with a unique internal die-cut (1:10); EFX holofoil progressive insert (1:14 to 1:112); plus a hobby-only X-Ray parallel of the base set sequentially numbered to 100.

And let's not forget Press Pass' yearlong insert program. Each Press Pass brand will feature Quad, Double, and Single piece memorabilia cards, and autographed memorabilia cards. Four Wide showcases four pieces of race-used memorabilia on one card: Sheet metal, tire, and car cover plus an oversized fourth piece: a section of driver firesuit. These are sequentially numbered to 50 per driver. Card sharks can also look for special 1 of 1's with a piece of checkered flag as the oversized piece. (Hobby-Only). Double Burner contains two pieces of race-used memorabilia. For Press Pass Stealth 2006, each card will contain race-used firesuit and glove swatches that are sequentially numbered to 100. Two-piece memorabilia combos will vary from product to product in 2006 (Hobby & Retail).