This is Part Two of a look at the history of diecasts in NASCAR. View Part One here.
When Winner’s Circle rolled out its first NASCAR diecast cars in 1997, the Hasbro-owned company had a lucrative opportunity before it. They produced the same cars that Action did, which meant drivers that were no longer licensed to Racing Champions such as Dale Earnhardt and Dale Jarrett.
Additionally, Racing Champions would no longer be able to produce Jeff Gordon diecasts in 1998, making Winner’s Circle the lone company sold in national retail chains to feature three of the biggest names in NASCAR.
Meanwhile, Hot Wheels unveiled a series of unique lines such as “Tradin’ Paint”. Those cars had realistic damage such as wheel marks, grime build-up and paint scuffs that made the cars look as though they had been raced 500 laps at Martinsville Speedway before being packaged.
This attention to detail made Hot Wheels cars ultra realistic and forced other companies to step up as well. Action bodies became more accurate in scale and shape. Racing Champions and Winner’s Circle began improving color and decal accuracy.
Around this time, Rusty Wallace, Gordon, Jarrett, his Yates Racing teammate Kenny Irwin Jr., and all of the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers went exclusively to Action/ Winner’s Circle.
The lack of star power hurt Racing Champions but not as much as their production standards. Their cars were so undersized compared to other brands that it was nearly laughable. The tires were often jammed into the wheel wells to the point that the car wouldn’t roll.
In 1998, Winner’s Circle rolled out the ultra popular “Lifetime” series, in which they produced cars raced by Gordon and Earnhardt throughout their careers. The pieces were well put together and vast in their inclusion of cars from every era of both drivers’ time behind the wheel.
Not to be outdone, Racing Champions unleashed a barrage of lines in 1999 that coincided with the brand’s 10th anniversary. They were 24k gold plated, platinum plated, even 1/64 scale cars with opening hoods and trunks (a first for any 1/64 replica). But 2000 would be the final year for the company to produce Roush Racing cars and the continued loss of star power meant that the brand losing more market share.
In 2001, the return of Dodge had hopes high that Mopar collectors would breathe new life into the scene but the loss of the number one selling driver would be a catastrophic blow to the entire industry. It’s been said more times than I can count, but it truly is impossible to emphasize just how much the loss of Earnhardt changed the sport entirely.
For the first time, Racing Champions offerings began to decline in variety in the early 2000s. Most companies moved away from NASCAR Xfinity (Busch) Series drivers altogether, as few of those drivers remained in the series for long. They did produce Jimmie Johnson cars during his early years in the NASCAR Cup Series, surprising considering his teammate Gordon had been out of that lineup for several years.
The year 2005 would be the final year of Hot Wheels and Racing Champions, as NASCAR terminated the licenses for both manufacturers. One year later, the Racing Collectables Club of America (RCCA) is no more and only Winner’s Circle cars are available on store shelves. Action and newcomer Team Caliber still provided options as well, but the scene was a mere shadow of its former self.
Even Winner’s Circle finally dropped out of sight in 2010. NASCAR Authentics, a line produced by toy maker Spin Master, emerged in 2011 as essentially the only widely available option for collectors.
The discontinuation of nearly every diecast manufacturer is remarkable considering it came at a time when the popularity of NASCAR was at an all-time high. Ratings were still soaring, grandstands were full and it seemed as if the sanctioning body couldn’t mess things up even if they tried. By the time the sport’s popularity began to wane, most diecast makers were long gone.
As the only remaining diecast outlet, NASCAR Authentics began a trend of releasing “waves.” These waves were numbered based on the year they were made and featured a group of about 10 different cars. The entire assortment of each wave was printed on the back of the package so that fans would be able to know what other cars were available.
One major concern during this time was an extreme lack of variety. Nearly every wave featured a different version of the same drivers. Odds are that if a driver wasn’t one of the top dozen or so, their diecast wasn’t going to be produced. Some waves even contained two different schemes of the same driver’s car.
In 2016 model train company Lionel took over the NASCAR Authentics brand and brought about some new things that might look familiar to longtime fans.
The year 2018 saw the return of a low quantity production specialty piece similar to the Racing Champions chrome Chase cars of the late 90s. The cars were a type of colored chrome that Lionel called “liquid color” and there would be one in each wave. Also, around this time, Lionel began to diversify their offerings, including a multitude of cars from a wide array of drivers and teams.
Winner’s Circle emerged again as part of the NASCAR Authentics line but only with race win diecasts. These featured an authentic post-race appearance, with damage and were often covered in confetti.
As of 2025, Lionel and Winner’s Circle are still the only manufacturers of NASCAR diecast. Naturally, there is room for improvement in terms of quality, but it’s interesting to see how far the hobby has come in the past 35 years and how it will continue to evolve in the years to come.
Frank Velat has been an avid follower of NASCAR and other motorsports for over 20 years. He brings a blend of passionate fan and objective author to his work. Frank offers unique perspectives that everyone can relate to, remembering the sport's past all the while embracing its future.
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