1/64 Diecast Update: Week of 8/17

We're back! This week we've got lots to catch up on. There was no D.U. last weekend, as we were up at Watkins Glen to witness an absolute drubbing at the hands of Shane van Gisbergen. You can read up on a short overview of my experience over at the Adventures in Racing page. So now we have two weeks of diecast to catch up on, so let's get started! There's a healthy spread of diecast from the last 14 days of 2025 that has representatives of the top four levels of Nascar, and there's even another Nascar Classic up for pre-order. For a complete overview, read on... 

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Raced Versions: (Iowa)

This wasn’t the race that most fans wanted, but I’m sure William Byron isn’t disappointed at the result. The second Cup Series event at Iowa Speedway in as many years highlighted the new challenges of passing on the short track, leading to a race that was largely forgettable. Still, a passionate fan base turned out in force for the summertime showdown. The win marks Byron’s 15th career victory and his second of the season for the No. 24 team.

The Haas Factory Team has been trying to figure things out ever since their massive restructure following the exit of team boss, Tony Stewart. Now under the command of Joe Custer, the HFT Xfinity program notched a much needed win at Iowa Speedway thanks to a nice bit of driving from Sam Mayer. ​During the previous two Xfinity seasons, Meyer has been used to a steady diet of wins, but since leaving JGR, it's been more famine than feast. This could represent an important turning point or HFT.

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Raced Versions: (Watkins Glen)

Did anyone expect anything different? Last year SVG narrowly missed out on a win at Watkins. A late race dog fight were Chris Buescher made things interesting, but to no avail for SVG. This year, no one came close. van Gisbergen crossed the line with more than a 10 second gap over second. This is win number five for Shane. It was a privilege to witness his greatness in person, but it did demonstrate how far behind the rest of the field is in understanding how the Next Gen car works on road courses.

Another week, another Connor Zilisch raced diecast is up for preorder. This is the sixth win of the season for Zilisch in the Xfinity series and seventh of his career. While the victory was impressive, it was also memorable and now infamous. Zilisch made it to victory lane only after an on-track conflict with JRM teammate, SVG. And then, during the post race celebration, Connor slipped from the roof of his car, slamming onto the ground. The resulting injuries revealed a broken collarbone.

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Standard Versions (Cup)

Chevy:
We've gone most of the season without a Ty Dillon preorder, and now we have two. Sea Best continues their partnership with Kaulig Racing and Ty Dillon in the 2025 season and a few variant paint schemes have been popping up. This one celebrates the 70th anniversary of Roma and was visible on track during the Saturday night race at Richmond in August. Dillon brought this car home to a commendable 20th place finish. 

Another rarity was announced this week, a JJ Yeley 1/64 scale Chevrolet decorated in the orange colors of Syracuse University. The college's football program advertised their fund raising program during the race at Watkins Glen last week. This is the first 1/64 of the year for both JJ Yeley and NY Racing. We don't get many opportunities like this, hopefully this car will attain MOQ. 

Just a few days before Austin Dillon drove this car into victory lane at Richmond, it was announced that this special Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Deer Season Chevy would roll the corners of the short track under the lights. After last year's chaotic and memorable finish resulting in a categorical win void of the benefits of making the playoffs, Dillon ensured that the team would make the playoffs the second time around. 

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Ford:
The remarkable year the Wood Brother's are having continues. This special Menards livery that showcases the store brand, Masterforce Tools, was featured at Iowa back in July. The car started 12th and finished 13th that night. While not a overfly fruitful endeavor, Berry continues to offer consistency, and a larger variety of paint schemes than most of the rest of the Nascar field. Wood Brother's fans are in a frenzy trying to keep up.

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Toyota:
Back in July, during the Chicago Street race, the No. 20 JGR Team and Christopher Bell brought a special Toyota Camry decorated in a one of a kind livery intended to help raise awareness and support for Ace Hardware's Racing for a Miracle program. The car shows support from both Ace Hardware and Craftsman. While the car looks great, Bell could only muster a 24th place finish on the day.

In conjunction with the United States Space Force, Bubba Wallace and Leidos have come together for this spectacular one-off livery. 23XL Racing brought this steely looking Camry to Dover in July of 2025. Bubba Wallace has shown a particular knack for finding speed on concrete tracks, and that was true on this day as Wallace brought his car home to a 7th place finish after starting 22nd. This car is my pick of the week. 

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Standard Versions (Xfinity)

The longtime partnership between JRM, Justin Allgaier and Hellman's comes together again in 2025 for a good cause. Benefiting veterans, this special United States Air Bourne paint scheme will race under the lights at Daytona this week. The Round Canopy Parachuting Team will work in conjunction with Nascar to raise awareness of the bravery and sacrifice made by current and veteran Allied Paratroopers from World War 2 and onward. 

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Standard Versions (Trucks)

There are some brand names that adorn Nascar sanctioned race cars that always result in a great looking livery. The beautiful primary colors of the Sunoco, the official fuel of Nascar thrive on the side of Toni Breidinger's TRICON Tundra that will take the track at an upcoming race. While Breidinger hasn't quite enjoyed the success I'm sure she's been hoping for this season, she appears to continue to have strong support from a variety of brands as she continues to make a name for herself in Nascar.

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Nascar ARCA: (Menards)

Perhaps one of the most interesting things that happened over the Watkins Glen weekend was an impressive victory in the ARCA Menards racing league. 15 year old, Tristain Mckee drove his Spire Motorsports Gainbrdige Chevy SS to a stunning victory at the super speedway of road courses. This win makes him the second youngest winner in the ARCA series and one to certainly keep a close eye on.

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Nascar Classics: (Cup)

Nascar's rich history was written by the likes of drivers like Tim Richmond. Richmond endured an incredible series of events and conditions to win the second Pocono race of the 1986 season. Brushing up on the details of the race gave me the opportunity to understand why this HMS Chevy was most deserving of production. The car is sure to feature some awesome details. The casting that Lionel will use for the car is unclear to me, but hopefully this car will reach MOQ!

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Conclusion:
So there you have it. The past few weeks certainly have a ton of great schemes. Each major manufacturer in the Cup series received representation. And Each of Nascar's top four series have representation as well. Lionel also continues to work through Nascar's amazing history to find great examples of race cars that perhaps never got the appreciation they deserved at the time. There are plenty of options here to satisfy almost any collector. Bubba Wallace's Space Force/Leidos Army is my pick of the week for best looking car. And I'm sure there are a couple of raced versions from this group that will join my collection one day soon. That's it for now, see you back here next Monday!

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