I like to sample new NASCAR products when they come out, although I am pretty sure I've missed a couple in the recent past. 2017 Panini Select was on the shelf a few Walmart visits ago, and I grabbed a blaster to see what it was all about.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets the cover treatment on this one. Each blaster promises one autograph or memorabilia card, and there is a blaster-exclusive Purple Pulsar Prizm parallel to look out for. Since this is a high-end product, you only get 15 cards in the box.
The pack design matches the box design, and with those wavy lines I find it difficult to look at.
The base cards are all mirror foil, which we know scans as a dull gray that shows off thumbprints and scanner fuzz.
There are a few names here I know, and a few I don't recognize. No one I really collect, though, which is a little disappointing. With a lot of my favorites on their way out of the sport through retirement or release, I don't know what the future holds for my NASCAR collection.
I got two of the blaster-exclusive parallels in the box, as well as that Kasey Kahne Red, White, and Blue card. The Kahne card is serially numbered # 289 / 299. The Richard Petty card is a Select Stars insert, the only insert I pulled in the box.
The promised hit card was this Select Swatches card of Elliott Sadler. It's got a little bit of fabric in it and it's your standard racing relic card. I don't have much else to say about this blaster. I like the colorful parallels, but the rest of the blaster was kind of a miss, and I didn't pull a single card of anyone I collect.
I honestly didn't realize that Elliott Sadler was still kicking around. Even if it's just the Xfinity Series, it's nice to know that not ALL of the names I'm familiar with have gone away. It seems like a lot of major name talent has left the driver's seat in recent years: Gordon, Stewart, Earnhardt Jr., Edwards, Biffle, et al. I have to wonder if the next wave of stars will be able to carry the mantle.
ReplyDeleteI don't really have my finger on the pulse of the sport, so I don't know if there are enough other star drivers to keep the fans engaged once the big names I know are out of the game. I'm about as casual a fan as you can get, so I don't know how much longer I'll be buying new NASCAR products. Panini will probably keep releasing cards of retired drivers as long as they have stickers and relics on-hand, so maybe I won't have to worry about it for a few years yet.
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