Diecast Update: Week of 12/15/25

The countdown to both the end of the year and the Daytona 500 is rolling on quickly. We've got another nice bunch of 1/64s that have been announced for preorder, most of them are new for 2026 with a couple of outliers. Three of the four Hendrick Motorsports teams provided new liveries this week that will all be getting the 1/64 treatment. There is a group of Mustangs to take a look at as well for the Ford collectors, and there's a couple of special 2025 'Rookie of the Year' 1/64s that will be offered in the special 'galaxy coat' finish. For that and more, read on...

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Standard Versions (Cup)

Chevy:
This may be a bad take to some, but I really don't care for this KBB iteration at all. I don't understand what the graphic design boss of the No. 9 team is really going for this year. In my opinion, this is another miss from the HMS design department. Normally the Kelly Blue Book car is one of my favorite cars that Chase runs. I like the power blue base coat, and the usually pinstripes that regularly make up the scheme. But the wavy navy is a big no for me. 

William Byron has had his second livery of the year announced this week. We actually missed his first preorder of the year which was the less than thrilling 'All-Pro' car. HP which has been a longtime partner of HMS will bring their brand onboard the HMS No. 24 Chevy this season with this very bland, yet still effective white and blue livery. I do think this car is sort of interesting, but it feels like an opportunity missed. 

There are no changes to William Byron's Cincinnati paint scheme compared to last year's version. The scheme was really made famous when Bryon race it to a win at Martinsville last fall solidifying his place in the championship round. Cincinnati committed to two races with the 24 team last year. I'd imagine a similar commitment for the 2026 season as well. This is a patriotic livery that is interesting, but I don't think it really helps to identify the brand. 

Alex Bowman notches his first 1/64 preorder of the 2026 season this week. Ally Financial will continue to be the main supporter of Alex Bowman and the No. 48 team. I like this livery better than anything else I've seen from Hendrick so far, and this car gets the easy vote from me for scheme of the week. The purple teal and white colors with a dynamic and aggressive looking livery make this race car a standout.

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Ford:
Noah Gragson is back with FRM in 2026. When me made the move from SHR, he brought with him MillerTech. The electrifying blue black and yellow Mustang gets a bit of an update this season as the nose clip features quite a bit more blue. MillerTech ran three races last year with FRM, and I anticipate a similar commitment from the commercial battery supplier this season. 

Body Guard, which is Fastenal's exclusive line of safety gear will once again take up primary real estate on Chris Buescher's No. 17 RFK Mustang in 2026. Body Guard picked up about seven races last season for Buescher, I expect a similar commitment this season. Orange and black almost always look good on a race car. Throw in some orange foil door numbers, and you're in business. This is the first 1/64 scale preorder of the year for Buescher. 

This week we also get preorder number 2 for Josh Berry and the Wood Brothers. eero provides reliable and secure mesh wifi solutions and they've been a partner with Berry since his SHR days. Their primary paint scheme gets a nice upgrade this season that both looks cool, and does a great job showcasing the service the company offers. The livery illustrates steady waves of broadband moving outward across the car from the nose. This will be a good looking model, one I'm excited about. 

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Standard Versions (O.A.P.S.)

Rajah Caruth will be making another big career move in 2026. He'll be running the full slate of O.A.P.S. races behind the wheel of the No. 88 JRM Camaro. This is the 7th JRM 1/64 of the 2026 season so far for JRM, and the 1st overall for Rajah. The expectations are going to be very high for Caruth this year and the competition level is perhaps as high as it has ever been. The Hendrickcars.com livery is the usual design again in 2026.

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Rookie of the Year

The number 88 saw a bunch of success last year in both series for Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen. Both of this drivers won their respective 'Rookie of the Year' awards and in commemoration of the accomplishment, Lionel Racing has added the 'ROY' badge to the roof of both WeatherTech Chevy's in 1/64 scale. What's more is that both of these cars will be getting the very nice 'galaxy finish' which should look quite nice. 

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Conclusion:
This is the type of week that helps to set the stage for the upcoming season. Now, with the mega lawsuit between Nascar and 23XL Racing settled, teams and fans can focus on getting back to enjoying everything that the world of Nascar racing has to offer. It's great to see so many prominent and longtime sponsors getting back in line to showcase their brands on America's premier stock car racing league. Some fresh new looks will fit in well with some of the tired and true retreads and the diecast selection is just getting started. Be sure to get your 2026 preorders in early to avoid disappointment. That's it for this week, we'll see you back here next Monday for the next edition of the Diecast Update. 

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