Diecast Update: Week of 2/2/26

Just like the snow that’s spread across North Carolina this week, the announcements went from bust, to boom! Last week, we only had six new preorder models to choose from. This week, we have a staggering 14 new cars to cover. There’s a ton of great content that both the Nascar teams and Lionel Racing are putting out. This is an especially significant week for Toyota fans, Front Row Motorsports fans, and Trackhouse Racing fans with multiple releases for each area. We’ll do our best to explain everything that’s now available, read on!

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Standard Versions (Cup)

Chevy:
The first announced 1/64 of the 2026 season for Austin Dillon is an old and reliable sponsor. Bass Pro Shops and Winchester will be on board the RCR No. 3 Chevy throughout the 2026 speedweeks at Daytona and the 2026 season. This is a brand new look for the RCR Chevy, and has strong themes of Dale Sr. This will go into my tier 2 for needs. The color ratios are good, but I'm not sure about the side profile. 

It’s truly strange to see a Haas branded race car coming out of the Chevy stables. In 2016, what was once known as Stewart Haas Racing, announced an OEM switch from Chevrolet to Ford. They’ve raced blue ovals since the 2017 season but now, the one remaining entity of the original company will return to the Chevy racing fold. The Haas Tooling colors look good on just about anything and with the new nose on the Chevy’s this season, this is a nice refresh. This is another tier one preorder for me. ​

Every year, Trackhouse racing uses The Clash as a way to infuse some of the team’s very unique energy into their liveries. The paint schemes aren’t loyal to any of the companies that sponsor their cars, but rather act as a montage of all that is to come. This year, Connor Zilisch gets a blue and black Chevy with neon highlights. These cars aren’t my cup of tea, but I think they are often very underrated by fans. ​

Just like the car Connor Zilisch will be driving at The Clash, SVG will also sit behind the wheel of a specially designed Trackhouse Chevy. Last year, Shane’s car had a base color of blue, this year, it’s gray. Like his comrade's car, this one too has black zigzag lines, and neon highlights. It also showcases SVG’s central partners for his 2026 campaign. I think both of these cars look especially sharp with the Red Bull detailing across the nose. 

Ford:
The dreaded car cover returns in 2026 for the first time. Ryan Blaney’s Bodyarmor cars are often notoriously kept under wraps for months forcing Blaney fans to roll the dice on a preorder. You typically can’t go wrong with a Bodyarmor themed race car, and this one promises to be patriotic. It’s probably a safe bet that this car will be featured at the Coke 600, but for now, we’ll just have to wait and see. I'll probably wait until I see this one.

Love’s probably doesn’t get the credit it’s due for the company’s commitment to Nascar. They’ve supported Front Row Motorsports for well over a decade, and the very recognizable red, orange, and yellow colors are back again in 2026. Gilliland’s Love’s Mustang is virtually unchanged compared to last year's design. As FRM cars are harder to come by, I’ll be putting this in my tier one priorities, especially since my last Love’s 1/64 is one that represents Michael McDowell.

Toyota:
National Debt Relief came onboard with Denny Hamlin and JGR in 2025. They covered four races early on in the 2025 season and were an important stopgap when Fedex resigned from the sport. N.D.R. will once again partner with the JGR No. 11 team in 2026 and they are in line to be on Hamlin's Camry at Daytona. This is a pretty good looking race car. It's hard to take boring logos and make them look great. 

Landing a partner like Progressive Insurance was a major accomplishment for Joe Gibbs Racing. Replacing the financial stream provided by Fedex likely took immense effort. In a time when most insurance brands have left Nascar, to bring one like Progressive in is almost shocking. Denny Hamlin won three races for Progressive in 2025. The car gets a nice little upgrade for 2026 with some extra white paneling around the C-post. Another nice car. 

I know what JGR is trying to do here, but I'm just not convinced. The two different brands represented on Christopher Bell's Camry don't go well together. I think that if you had to smoosh these two logos together on one car, this is about as good of a job as anyone could do, but this, in my opinion, is just a bad looking race car. To each their own, but for me, this is a non-stater. This will be Bell's 7th season in the Cup series, and 6th with JGR. He has 13 career wins and will be a contender this year.

We've been waiting weeks for 23XL to finally break in with some diecast preorder announcements. Their first 2026 diecast is this Robinhood supported Camry for Bubba Wallace. The big news lately has been the exodus of major Nascar sponsor, McDonalds. Picking up the slack for 23XL in 2026 will be Hardees, and Robinhood. The largely online platform seeks to create financial growth opportunities for all in a new age of technology.

The last Toyota this week is the Legacy Motor Club Advent Health Camry that will be driven in 2026 by Erik Jones. This car truly flew in under the radar because it seems like Legacy M.C. bought out nearly the entire run. This car isn't just a preorder, it's available now. You can pick up a copy if you look on the team's website, or eBay. Advent Health has supported multiple teams in the Nascar world, but perhaps this iteration is the best looking one yet.

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

Just one O.A.P.S. car this week, and it's the return of one of the most recognizable. Justin Allgaier and Brandt Professional Agriculture are back again in 2026. Justin's car has gotten a bit of a refresh this year with a darker green replacing the almost black accents from last year's version. The corncob numbers, and usual JRM flair are all over this car, and there's also now an addition of the Arby's logo which will be a new and important partner for JRM in 2026. 

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Standard Versions (Trucks)

One of the best things about Nascar taking some chances and trying some new things is the interest that it garners from drivers you'd never expect. Jimmie Johnson is returning to the Truck series for the first time since 2008 to race a Tricon Garage Tundra at the San Diego road race in June. He'll bring along with him the support of car sales giant, Carvana. I don't preorder many 1/64 scale trucks, but Lionel's casting is quite good, and this truck looks amazing as well. Put this down as a tier one.

The final release of the week to go over is another FRM entry. Layne Riggs is a true Nascar personality, and he will continue to grow and thrive in the Truck series in 2026. With the continued support from Love's Travel Stops, Riggs will not only be contending for wins, but the 2026 championship. His F-150 is quite basic looking, but still is instantly recognizable. This isn't on my short list for preorder, but I can see why it will be for many other collectors. 

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Conclusion:
So there you have it! This week's recap was a little more like writing a novel rather than a quick review. As the teams continue to announce their many important sponsors and the updated and new paint schemes that will appear throughout the season, Lionel is scrambling to keep up the offerings, as I am scrambling to keep up with them!

This is an awesome group of new cars, and I hope they all make MOQ. The Haas Factory team Chevy, the pair of Denny Hamlin Camry's, and the Jimmie Johnson Carvana Tundra are may favorite cars this week, but I can foresee several others that will make their way into my collection. Which of the bunch do you have your eyes on? That's all for now, we'll see you back here next week on the D.U!

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