Making Traks: New trading cards have retro feel

There are those who consider trading cards and die-cast to be the purest forms of NASCAR collectibles. They do have a point: cards and cars probably are the anchors of the NASCAR memorabilia market.

When the folks at Press Pass brought back the Traks name last year, they resurrected one of the pioneering card brands of the hobby. Traks is back again this year, and promises to pack much bang for the buck.

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"For 2007, Traks has been upgraded in a major way, yet it maintains a base brand positioning and price point," says Tom Farrell, Director of Marketing for Press Pass. "Based on feedback from collectors, we feel we'll be delivering a winner."

New memorabilia programs have been added to the 2007 Traks set, as well as multiple variations of the Press Pass Signings autograph series.

If the cards of the early 1990s appeal to you as much as they do me, you'll love the retro feel of the 100-card Traks base set. Subsets like Meet & Greet, Garage Pass, Countdown to Green, Need For Speed and Fast Trak provide collectors with the entire race day experience.

Three series make up Traks' memorabilia pltform: Corporate Cuts, Top Prospects, and Top Prospects Autographs.

Corporate Cuts cards feature driver worn shirts with sponsor logos from top NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers. An ultra-rare Corporate Cuts Patch Edition will be short-printed with cards numbered to 10 or less.

Of course, Top Prospects focuses on blue chip Busch Series drivers like Marcos Ambrose and Shane Huffman. If you recall, the Top Prospects offering in June's Press Pass Stealth set featured race-used tires. The Traks Top Prospects program will also include race-used sheet metal, gloves and shoes.

As an added bonus, exclusive to Traks will be Top Prospects Autographs numbered to 25 per driver and Top Prospects dual memorabilia inserts numbered to only 75.

Now, speaking of autographs... Press Pass Signings will be part of Traks for the first time ever. Three levels will make up the program: silver, bronze (numbered to 100), and gold (numbered to 50, available in Hobby boxes only.)

As usual, current stars and legends like Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Richard Petty will highlight the autograph insert roster. But also included will be Rookie of The Year candidates Juan Pablo Montoya and Paul Menard.

That's not all you'll find in the 2007 Traks chase set platform. Two innovative inserts combine retro styling with cutting-edge technology. Track Time is a nine card set printed on holographic board, while Hot Pursuit features 12 superstar drivers on holographic foil board. Topping it off is the powerful Driver's Seat-a foil-stamped 27-card set-within-a-set that presents a trio of images on each card showcasing unique on-track perspectives.

Traks 2007 capitalizes on the traditional designs we all loved as youngsters and adds just enough high-tech to make it a first-class set.