Diecast Update: Week of 2/16/26

This was another monster week in the world of 1/64 scale diecast race cars. Special paint schemes, new OEMS, really cool raced diecast all abound in this edition. The 2026 season is officially in full swing. A fantastic week of racing at Daytona has produced some classic race cars that will go down in history. Tyler Reddick capped off the weekend by winning his first Daytona 500. Austin Hill put on another clinic for the O'Reilly field, and Chandler Smith stole the trophy from the rest of the drivers in the Craftsman Truck series. There's that and much more to review, for all the details, read on!

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Raced Version: (Daytona)

On what has to have been one of the most thrilling last laps of the Daytona 500 ever, Tyler Reddick emerged from the chaos to surge past Chase Elliott at the last second off of turn four and kept just enough momentum to beat everyone else to the finish line. The redesigned Chumba Casino Camry looks good in my opinion, I know many people don't love this design. Either way, it's now an instant classic. I probably will only order the 1/24 version. 

It's stunning to me that the whole O.A.P.S. field knows exactly what Austin Hill can do at Daytona and Talladega, and no matter what, he still wins anyway. As controversial as the driver has been, Hill is undeniably the absolute best right now on drafting tracks. It was good to see Richard Childress in victory lane, and it's good for the sport when RCR is winning. The paint scheme is basic but is becoming iconic. 

Chandler Smith wasn't able to race his way into the Daytona 500 with his QuickTie No. 36 FRM Ford Mustang last week. But the sting had to be quickly remedied when he drove his FRM F-150 to a huge win on Friday night. The fish featured Ford came from 6th place with a late push from Ty Majeski in the Thorsport No. 88 Truck to catch up to and pass John Hunter Nemechek on the very last turn. This is a great looking truck that is likely to meet MOQ in all scales. 

Last up for the raced diecast are the pair of Cup contenders from the Daytona Duels which took place last Thursday night. The races serve as last chance qualifying opportunities for teams that do not have a charter, and they also serve the purpose of setting the rest of the starting positions for the race. Joey Logano and Chase Elliott each won their respective duels. Both of these cars look pretty good, but even as popular drivers, these 1.64 scale cars could struggle to meet MOQ. 

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Standard Versions (Cup)

Chevy:
The third 1/64 of the season for SVG is this SuperFile Trackhouse Chevy that seems to so far, be a one-off for Daytona. I haven't heard if the company plans to return for any other races this year, but even if this is a one race only deal, the car is truly wild looking. The fluorescent colors and the presence of Red Bull, WeatherTech, and Wendy's on the car make this a truly unique mash up. One for me please!

Ford:
The David Pearson tribute on the Wood Brother's Daytona 500 Mustang was truly epic. The last time we saw this scheme was in 2016 (ten years ago!) when Ryan Blaney raced it at Darlington for the Southern 500 as part of throwback weekend. The Pearson tribute looked right at home on the high banks of Daytona, and Berry finished in 9th place impressively after a wreck filled last lap. 

Team Penske does as good a job as anyone at spreading around sponsorship dollars. Discount Tire has been with Team Penske for a long time, but they have primarily backed Austin Cindric, and Ryan Blaney. Now, they bring their support behind Joey Logano. The No. 22 Discount Tire Mustang will make its first appearance at Texas this spring in May. Logano has an average finish of 8.8 at Texas. The paint scheme is unchanged comparative to other cars but it does have Logano's other partners and Capgemini as well.

Toyota:
Pye Barker, a nationwide leader in fire prevention solutions, has been a supporter of John Hunter Nemecheck for many years. They were onboard the Legacy Camry for 18 races or so last year, and I expect their significant support to continue in 2026. Last year's Pye Barker car DNP'd. But with smaller runs required for production, I'm more confident that this 1/64 will come to fruition. I'll be preordering this one. 

Pala Casino has dabbled in the Cup series for several years. They've bounced from team to team in the past. Now they bring their brand to 23XL where Tyler Reddick will reportedly race this paint scheme twice this year, once at the San Diego street course, and once at Sonoma. I really like this iteration of the Pala Casino car, but it could really benefit from a splash of orange. This is another tier one preorder for me. I own the Nascar Authentics RFK version from 2023, and this one looks to be even better.

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

Just a single JRM Chevy this week. Arby's has been successfully wooed by Dale Jr. and Co. They lunched a notable unveiling on Saturday last week before the first O.A.P.S. race of the season. Carson Kvapil will represent the brand at Atlanta during this upcoming weekend's race, and in April at Rockingham Speedway. As I've said in the past, I'm not a fan of paint schemes that have pictures of actual food on them. I feel the same about this car, but it could be worse. 

Blaine Perkins will bring Werner, a trucking company specializing in freight and transportation logistics to the O'Reilly series for multiple races in 2026. Jordan Anderson Racing has notable momentum heading into the new season. With four full time cars, JAR has a meaningful opportunities to win races. Blaine Perkins has enjoyed support from Werner in the past. This paint scheme is almost the same from last year. Only a small section on the lower rear quarter panel with the EasyCare logo is new. 

Unlike the JAR No. 31 Chevy, the JAR No. 32 Chevy will see a rotating cast of drivers in 2026. This car here though represents Jordan Anderson. EasyCare was a partner of Jordan Anderson Racing last year as well, and the car's livery is also largely the same. Both of the JAR cars have simple and clear paint schemes that make them easily identifiable, but they each have their own character. If I enjoyed the O.A.P.S. casting more, I'd buy both. 

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Standard Version (Trucks)

In an effort to not be too long winded, we'll consolidate all of the new Ram Trucks into one segment here. Justin Haley, Mini Tyrrell, Daniel Dye, Brenden Queen, and Tony Stewart all receive the 1/64 treatment for their trucks that they will bring with Kaulig Racing to Daytona. This was a bit launch for Dodge, and the company has fully recommitted to Nascar. In the upcoming years their presence will grow beyond the Truck series. 

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Special Sets (Cup)

With the tragic passing of Greg Biffle and his family in the off-season, the Nascar community has sought to honor and remember this legendary human and race car driver. RFK brought four Ford Mustangs to Daytona, each of them carrying a door number that was stylized to pay tribute to the same door number style that Biffle used for so many years. Even though Corey Lajoie wasn't able to qualify his Trimble Mustang, this group was the best looking of the bunch and wins the 'best in show' from me. 

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Conclusion:
​While this week has brought many interesting, and super cool new 1/64 scale offerings, the RFK four-pack knocks it out of the park. The RFK designs have been quite hit or miss for me lately, but it's lear to see that the company put everything they had into this designs. This special set vaults to the top of my priority list. SVG's SuperFile Chevy, and Tyler Reddick's Pala Casino cars are also standout options, and it's going to be hard not to preorder the Josh Berry's Pearson tribute Mustang. 

I'm hoping that things slow down next week but with more schemes on the way and triple header at Atlanta on tap, there's sure to be many more diecast cars coming down the line. That's all for this week, we'll see you here next Monday to recap everything that's on the way!

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