It’s Thursday. After years of sitting empty like your uncle’s treadmill that now only holds laundry, Chicagoland Speedway is finally roaring back to life with NASCAR’s return.

I received an email from NASCAR yesterday afternoon announcing the release of the 2026 NASCAR racing schedule. I expected a few changes, but what nobody was expecting was their return to the Chicagoland Speedway in 2026! NASCAR had already announced in July that they would be taking a year off from the Chicago street race, but never even mentioned the possibility of returning to the Chicagoland Speedway. I literally had to read and reread the announcement before it actually sunk into my brain.

The Chicagoland Speedway hasn’t hosted a NASCAR race since it’s final race in 2019. For the most part, it has been sitting quietly for the better part of the past six years. As you might expect, it’s currently looking a little rough. Back in June someone made their way onto the property and filmed a very detailed walkaround of the twenty-five year old facility. If you’re interested, you can check it out above.

So NASCAR is back, which means the smell of burnt rubber, overpriced hot dogs, and fans debating whether “drafting” is a racing technique or just what happens in the parking lot port-a-potties!

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It’s Wednesday. Truck fans are a special breed—They’ll argue for hours about the superiority of Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge, even though all three are basically competing to see who can make the loudest exhaust system and the biggest cupholder. They’ll tell you their truck can tow an aircraft carrier, out-haul a freight train, and still fit into the Starbucks drive-thru (spoiler: it can’t).

All kidding aside, today I have a pair of special trucks that should impress any truck owner. The first is a 2016 Ford Tonka Anniversary Edition. What color? Tonka Yellow, of course! The second is a Ford Shelby with 755HP and dual stripes. They both come from Canada, so you know they’re tough as hell. Whether they’re hauling a bag of mulch or the neighbors house, they know that they have the equipment to get it done.

A big thanks goes out to Derek for taking the time to write in and for allowing me to share these photos with all of you. Enjoy the gallery below.

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Keep,

Outside of Lloydminster, Alberta, Canada, is a big rig wrecking yard. His is a 2016 Tonka anniversary, one of 3 in Canada and hers is a Shelby with 755HP and factory ladder bars to keep it from liftoff!

I can’t say I’ve been here from the beginning but I am close. It took a few years for the word of your awesomeness to spread north of the 49th.

Thanks for everything.

Derek

It’s Tuesday. Spinal Tap is the only band in rock history to lose more drummers than most bands have groupies—and under increasingly suspicious circumstances. One exploded on stage (mysteriously), another choked on vomit (not his vomit, mind you), and yet another spontaneously combusted, because apparently, that’s a thing. Their amps go to eleven, their logic stops at two, and their Stonehenge stage prop once measured a majestic 18 inches tall. Spinal Tap didn’t just push the boundaries of rock—they accidentally tripped over them in platform boots and blamed the roadies.

Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues picks up decades after the band’s last reunion-tour-disaster-farewell-comeback-album. Now geriatrically glorious, the boys reunite once more! Nigel’s hairline has receded but his guitar solos have not; Derek’s bass still rattles fillings loose, and David believes autotune is a new kind of herbal tea. The band’s new tour, sponsored by orthopedic shoe companies, promises fewer pyrotechnics and more scheduled naps. But rest assured, the amps still go to eleven, though they now also have a defibrillator setting.

“The End Continues” is the newest album and film from Spinal Tap II. Both the second film and album are set to release on September 12, 2025. The 13-track album includes new original songs and classics with features from Elton John, Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.

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