American Thunder, a new men’s magazine aimed at NASCAR fans, has a sort of reverse Sports Illustrated-cover jinx going. The magazine’s first issue, which was distributed at the Daytona 500 in February, had Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the cover. Junior won his first Daytona 500 that day. Issue No. 2, published in March, had Rusty Wallace on the cover. Wallace proceeded to break his 105-race winless streak to win at Martinsville. Who’s next? The editors say the third issue, available toward the end of May, will have rookie Kasey Kahne on the cover, just in time for the Coca-Cola 600 in North Carolina and the MBNA America 400 in Dover.(Philadelphia Inquirer)(5-14-2004)
