Golf ball works for finding slack, sure, but it doesn't stretch anything. The ball just rolls to the loose spot, the kicker or stretcher still has to pull the carpet. So it's more of a guide than the actual fix. Still a smart way to chase wrinkles though.

40 removals with zero fails is wild

Check the wire routing near the antenna base first, chafed wire is way more common than a dying radio and it fits your popping breaker. Resetting it brought it back, so the radio itself is probably fine, but a wire rubbing that airframe will keep popping until you fix the chafe and add some standoff or loom.