1/64 Diecast Update: Week of 9/21/25

The third week of September saw a bit more activity in the 1/64 scale space than the previous few. This week, five new creations have made their way up on the preorder page over at LionelRacing.com or at your favorite 1/64 dealer.  This week, two raced versions make the headlines as both Christopher Bell, and Layne Riggs claim big wins at Bristol. We also get a double dip from Front Row Motorsports as a result of some new liveries that are scheduled to be on track at New Hampshire. For all the latest news in Nascar 1/64 scale, read on...

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Raced Version: (Bristol)

There's no way else to put it, Toyota has owned the first round of the Nascar Cup series playoffs. Christopher Bell snuck up late last Saturday night to claim the final race of the round of 16. For JGR to have each of their three playoff drivers win a race in the first round is a huge statement. This is a big one for Bell, it's his 13th career win which puts him 63rd on the all-time wins list, tied with Tim Richmond, and Dick Rathmann. 

There's no one who is going to keep up with Corey Heim, but if anyone was well situated to rob him of a title, it would be Layne Riggs. The Front Row Motorsports Truck program has continued to be plucky this year. While this is only the third win of the season for Riggs, it establishes him as a true title contender, and the biggest threat to spoil what's been an unprecedented season for Heim. This is Layne's fifth career Truck series win. 

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Standard Versions (Cup)

While Noah Gragson's 2025 season continues to trundle along, he's continued to show that even though his car has lacked speed, he can still be dangerous. This past weekend at New Hampshire, Noah demonstrated notable speed for the long time FRM partner, Farm Rich. This is the 5th 1/64 scale preorder for Gragson this year. That's a decent spread for any Front Row driver and speaks to Noah's popularity with fans. 

This week also brings us a paint scheme from another FRM driver, Todd Gilliland. It's hard to imagine, but this is Todd's 4th full-time season with Front Row, and he is now the team's elder statesman. This is his first year piloting the team's flagship, and the 34 car has enjoyed several great schemes supported by Grillo's Pickles. At New Hampshire, Grillo's and Snowman will partner up to bring this really cool collaborative livery to the track. Here's to hoping the spicy pickle car will also be offered for the full trifecta. 

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Standard Versions (Xfinity)

The Kaulig Xfinity program is certainly a shell of what it once was. The company's No. 11 Chevy which has ben listless all season, even with the departure of Josh Williams has now turned more experimental rather than competitive now hosts young driver, Brenden 'Butterbean' Queen.  Queen has been plugging away in the lower levels of stock car racing, and his exciting brand of racing has earned him this opportunity. Queen dove this car to a 20th place finish at Bristol after starting 28th. 

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Conclusion:
One of my favorite things about collecting 1/64 scale race cars is finding the rarest and most obscure cars. When teams like Front Row and Kaulig offer diecast, it keeps things interesting. It's also nice to see lesser known, and up and coming drivers featured on cars that can last a lifetime. I think the pair of FRM cars is certainly the pick of the week. That's all for this week's edition of the Diecast Update, see you back here next Monday!

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