Edelbrock Carb Spacer?

Hey guys,
I'm installing a 600cfm edelbrock today but ran into something fishy....
When I removed the old carb, it appeared that the gasket/spacer are blocking the ports to the intake...do I need a different spacer or gasket? What's the deal? Furthermore, is this a legitimate spacer that is there already? It looks like it's made out of particle board!!! lol You can clearly see how the gasket overlaps over the intake ports.
Oh, and I tried the carb w/o the spacer but it is needed for fuel line clearance.
Thanks!!