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Press Pass, reportedly will be ceasing operations: NASCAR's lone trading card manufacturer, Press Pass, reportedly will be ceasing operations. "Sports card manufacturer Press Pass is closing its doors. Hard to stay healthy these days," tweeted ESPN Sports Business Reporter Darren Rovell on Friday afternoon. Messages to Nick Matijevich, who had worked as the VP of Operations since February 2013 after a previous four-plus-year stint with the company were not yet returned. Other calls and messages into the Huntersville, N.C.-based company's offices were not answered. Founded in 1992, Press Pass released more then 300 products for auto racing, football, basketball, baseball rodeo, non-sports and multi-sports programs during that run. Its primary focus for years had been NASCAR, particularly since the company lost college logos for its popular basketball and football draft picks sets when the Collegiate Licensing Company license went to Upper Deck on an exclusive basis in 2010.(Beckett)(1-4-2015)

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• Larson Wins Wild Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown Slide Fest on Night 2 : Kyle Larson outlasted sprint car veterans Stevie Smith and Danny Lasoski in an epic duel on the dirt Saturday in the Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown at Cocopah Speedway, which hosts the midpoint of the five-race event next Tuesday. "It ranks right up there mainly because I haven't been in a sprint car in a long time," Larson said after securing the $12,000-to-win top prize. "To beat Danny Lasoski and Stevie Smith in a duel like that was pretty amazing. I think it's a great event. It's a great race track. The purse is really good. I think this event will grow each year."(Inside Line Promotions)(1-5-2015)