A few weeks ago I busted a box of 2007 Rittenhouse IndyCar racing cards, chasing the coveted Danica Patrick autograph. I didn't pull the card, and I was on the fence about purchasing more boxes in search of it. Lucky (?) for me, the cosmos presented me with a solution. A copy of the card popped up on eBay for about 20% less than the usual price. I put in my bid and waited. There were no competing bids, and that made me the winner!
I think it's a pretty nice card overall. There is some chipping along the edges and the marker used for the autograph was running a bit dry, but the chipping is an issue on most examples of this card and the autograph is still clear and complete. This card jumps right up into the top handful of cards in my driver collection, considering it is one of only two autographs in my possession so far. I think this is her first certified trading card autograph, so that carries a bit more weight for me than a random auto from some later product.
This week's race is the Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Danica hasn't had great luck at this track, with an average start of 31.8 and an average finish of 26.0 in 8 races. There is some hope this time around, though, as she qualified in 16th place for today's race. Hopefully she can turn that into a Top 10 finish, or at least hang in there for a Top 15 or Top 20 in the next-to-last race of the season. The racing at the top of the order figures to be pretty tough, though, as six Chase drivers will be fighting over the last two spots in the Championship 4.
Update: Danica finished the race in 29th place, which dropped her one spot in the season standings to 24th. She finished last season in 24th place, so she needs to move back up at least one spot to have a better finish this year.
Update: Danica finished the race in 29th place, which dropped her one spot in the season standings to 24th. She finished last season in 24th place, so she needs to move back up at least one spot to have a better finish this year.
Nice pick up. Personally, I still think of Danica as an Indy racer first and a NASCAR competitor second. Always nice to her in Andretti Green colors!
ReplyDeleteI barely keep up with NASCAR, and Indy is pretty far off from mainstream when it comes to American motorsports, at least from this casual fan's perspective, so I don't know anything at all about it. I just knew this was one of THE cards to have when it comes to Danica on cardboard.
DeleteCongratulations! That's a great looking card. Might need to add it to my eBay watchlist now that there's one less person tracking it down.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pretty cool card, and one I've been after for a long time. There are always a few listed at prices that will never lead to sales, but every so often one or two will pop up at auction or with a reasonable Buy It Now price. It would be interesting to know how many copies were printed and signed.
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