SCF Official Review: 2011 Press Pass

[Enigma]

First and foremost, I'd like to thank our sponsors at Press Pass for providing us with this box.



30 packs per box
6 cards per pack
Current Retail Price (online): 64.99 - 74.99

Product Description

Press Pass 2011 captures all of the action from an exhilarating season of racing!

Product Info:
- One Memorabilia card per box!
- Expanded 200 card base set
- Press pass autos - Authentic autographs from the sport's hottest drivers
- Burning Rubber Signature Edition - Autographed victory tire card from 2010 race winners
- Winning Ticket - Set-within-a-set featuring vintage short-printed versions
- Burning Rubber - Race-used victory tires from the season's most memorable races
- Four Wide - Four piece race-used memorabilia card Collect all 4 versions!
- Geared Up - Authentic memorabilia cards featuring a wide range of race-used memorabilia

WHAT WE PULLED



Base: 155/200 (77.5%)
Dupes: 2




Gold /50 (2): Jeff Burton, #18 M&Ms Car (Kyle Busch)
Cup Chase (1): Ryan Newman
Flashback (3): Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon
NASCAR HOF (1): Bobby Allison
Tradin' Paint (2): Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin
Winning Ticket (10)
Winning Ticket SP (1): Dale Earnhardt (1998 Daytona 500)



Burning Rubber Gold Ryan Newman Tire - Phoenix 4/10/10 (11/50)



FINAL RATINGS

Base - 4/5
Design - 3.5/5
Fun - 4/5
Value - 3.5/5
Rebuy - 4/5

Overall - 19/25 (76%)

Press Pass kicks of their 2011 campaign in a big way. Instead of a 100-card base set and a few SPs tacked on at the end, Press Pass' initial yearly release is 200-cards strong. As in previous years, drivers from Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Craftsmen Truck are featured. In addition, there are cards devoted to other aspects of the racing circuit such as the vehicles, the haulers as well as the hidden stars of racing, the various tracks/speedways. All are brought out in stunning photos with vibrant colors.

The inserts this year are somewhat unique. Flashback is a series that goes back in time to 1993, the first year Press Pass produced cards for NASCAR. It features today's drivers with information on what they were doing in 1993. The second class of the HOF is immortalize in its own series of cards like last year's inaugural class. Tradin' Paint is back and showcases the faces of the drivers along with their rides. For a fun set to accumulate, Press Pass has a 62-card insert set called Winning Ticket. The card is designed like a small ticket with a picture devoted to a winner of a particular race in 2010 from among the three circuits. Additional, there are short prints that center around important races of yesteryear. The last time I recall the idea of tickets as inserts was from 2003 Wheels American Thunder with the release of Rookie Thunder. Hopefully, this set will stick around for years to come as it is a nice idea.

All in all, 2011 Press Pass is geared towards those who build the foundation of racing cards, the racing collectors. True enthusiasts will enjoy this product. With an expanded base set and a nice selection of chase cards, race fans will find a lot of enjoyment opening a box. Problems I can see for others though is that 30 packs is a lot to open to only find 2 numbered cards and 1 autograph or relic. Price point wise, it is not a good deal in that regard. Also, the design seems to be basically the same year in and year out with the base cards. While the name headers are different, the pictures seem the same. Also, if you have a box of cards that is not going to yield the entire base set, then do not make some of them duplicates.

Once again, I'd like to thank our wonderful sponsors at Press Pass for giving us the opportunity to open and review this release. For more information on all their products, you can check them out at www.presspassinc.com.

[mdclapps]

Pretty solid box! Thanks for the review!