Diecast Update: Week of 3/23/2026

Race number six of the 2026 season is over and while the main event didn't bring the chaotic action many anticipated, the race still delivered some spectacular and memorable moments. It was good to hear and see Darrell Waltrip in the booth again to deliver his signature 'Boogity, Boogity, Boogity, Let's go racing, boys!' After 16 lead changes, and four cautions, Tyler Reddick would claim his fourth trophy of the season and his raced diecast heads off a bumper week for Lionel Racing. There are 21 new models that are up for preorder and now need to be discussed. For all the latest in the 1/64 world, read on...

---

Raced Version: (Darlington)

Tyler Reddick and 23XL continues to build on their hot start in 2026. Reddick overcame a faulty cool suite and a power issue requiring an impromptu battery replacement to beat out a couple of very fast RFK Mustangs this past Sunday during the Goodyear 400. This is a big win for Reddick as it significantly elevates him in the All-Time wins list at 12. In the updated points system, the No. 45 team solidifies their standings to race for a championship.

Justin Allgaier continues to showcase his brand of racing that truly sets the standard for every regular full time driver in the NOAP Series. Allgaier drove his No. 7 Brandt peaches Chevy to the 30th win of his career. He did so while beating out top drivers from both the O'Reilly series and the Cup series. Justin Allgaier and JRM are now on a path that begs the question, should he be a candidate for the Nascar Hall of Fame? 

Core Heim also netted a big win. On 91 starts, Heim has 24 wins, and collecting one this past weekend on an incredible last lap pass will be highlight reel material for years to come. Heim has to be the top prospect in Nascar, and while he only has a part time schedule so far this year, he will undoubtedly be the holder of a full-time Cup ride next year. This is a a super nice looking truck, and I don't typically collected raced Trucks, but this one may be too good to pass.

---

Standard Versions (Cup)

Chevy:

One of the longest running partnerships at Trackhouse Racing is the partnership with the Moose Fraternity. Made iconic on the day Chastain ran the wall at Martinsville, the ‘Be a Moose’ message returns to the Cup series for select races in 2026. The scheme also gets a refresh for 2026 with a more gradient heavy design and less geometric compared to last year. The roof of the car is now black instead of red which is a change that I quite like. 

The Workforce Chevy made its second appearance of the season last week at Las Vegas for Spire Motorsports, and now it’s available to preorder the 2026 1/64 version of this car. The Workforce paint scheme is refreshed for 2026. It features the same color palate from 2025, but the pattern and placement of those colors is somewhat different. This is the better looking of the two McDowell cars we’ve been offered so far. ​

French-born, and Los Angeles based artist, Mr. Brainwash took on design responsibilities for the second Superfile paint scheme of 2026 for Shane van Gisbergen. The wild design has received all kinds of attention both good and critical, but I love the vibe. I can’t imagine how this will look in 1/64 scale, but I certainly want to see it produced. SVG drove this car to a 36th place finish after a rough day in the desert at Las Vegas. I've got this one ranked 3rd of five. 

---

Ford:

A trio of RFK Fords honored Greg Biffle this week at Darlington. Solomon Plumbing, Fifth Third Bank, and Kroger will all throw their support behind the team’s effort to pay homage to the late Nascar superstar. Each of the paint schemes utilize the number font and livery style that Biffle made famous during his many years in the Cup series. ​The cars performed well at Darlington with Brad K winning stages and bringing his car home 2nd. 

In a very special weekend for Team Penske, Joey Logano drove a one-off paint scheme that was designed as a tribute to Penske legend Scott McLaughlin. The design is a replication of the livery McLaughlin drove at Mount Panorama in a truly breathtaking run. If you’re not familiar, check out this footage. This is the best looking car Logano has sat behind the wheel of this year and this design is flying way under the radar. This is my top 1/64 for Logano this year so far.

While many teams have capitulated on the throwback weekend at Darlington, Front Row Motorsports has not. Todd Gilliland and the FRM No. 34 team will bring their Mustang to Darlington that was designed to remember the success of Bill Elliott when he drove for Melling Racing. This car is a front runner for best retro scheme of 2026 in my opinion, and it’s also the best looking of the three Todd Gilliland cars we’ve been offered so far this year. 

---

Toyota:

The fourth 1/64 for Denny Hamlin was announced this week in conjunction with Hamlin’s paint scheme reveal for Darlington. Sport Clips has commonly been the brand Hamlin represents at perhaps his favorite track. Last year Sport Clips and JGR paid tribute to Carl Edwards in a special throwback livery. This year, it’s back to normal with almost the same standard Sport Clips paint scheme that we saw in 2025 with minimal differences. ​

With the departure of McDonalds from 23XL racing and Nascar altogether, Hardee's has slid in to take advantage of the high profile opportunity. Hardee’s has been involved in Nascar in the past, but it’s been several years since they’ve been a primary sponsor. The new livery is good, but while I don’t think they’ve nailed the opportunity, the paint scheme is probably the best the 23 car has had so far. The design is very similar to Reddick's’ Supplyhouse scheme, just different colors. Basic but effective.

Death, Taxes, and Petty Blue on a No. 43 race car. There are just some things that always make sense. Another one of the Darlington throwback participants this year will be the Legacy Motor Club’s Camry driven by Erik Jones. This is the third 1/64 for Jones on the season, and like it or not, I have this car ranked second best on the spread sheet. The car looks good, but without STP on the hood, it’s just a bit off. As I write this, Jones just took a big spin...

At the Las Vegas spring race, 23XL celebrated the induction of Kurt Busch into the Nascar Hall of Fame. In 2022, Kurt Busch would deliver the final win of his career to 23XL at Kansas. He did so behind the wheel of a stunning elephant print Jordan Brand No. 45 Camry. That paint scheme was recreated for the 5th races of the year at Las Vegas in Kurt Busch’s hometown. Tyler Reddick was only able to manage a 13th place finish at Las Vegas however. The car looks good, but there’s nothing like the original. ​

Tyler Reddick possessed a very rare opportunity in Phoenix two weeks ago, a chance to win the first four races of the year in four consecutive weeks. The No. 45 23XL team brought a very sharp looking Jordan Brand Toyota Camry to the desert and ended up finishing in 13th place. Not what the team had hoped for, but at least for diecast collectors, the best Reddick scheme of the year is now being offered by Lionel. It's just too bad Reddick's fourth wasn't in this livery.

---

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

Carson Kvapil may be poised to take a significant jump this season. Seemingly being given the scraps and leftovers from the sponsorship bucket, and having to share cars and numbers, Kvapil is off to a solid start in 2026. ​Behind teammate Justin Allgaier, Kvapil quietly now sits third in the points over two other contenders who both have wins already. The High Rick car looks even cooler this year. Great colors, excellent design. 

Jordan Anderson Racing strikes twice this week. The first 1/64 of 2026 for Jeb Burton is now up for preorder. Bommarito Automotive Group has been synonymous with J.A.R. for several years and they’ll continue to make a full season of racing possible for Jeb Burton in 2026. The car’s first appearance of the season came last week at Las Vegas where Burton brought the 27 car home 27th. This completes the full time offerings for Jordan Anderson Racing in 1/64

Donut Media joined the ranks of Nascar sponsorship last weekend at Las Vegas. The automotive entertainment brand known for making car culture humorous and accessible extended their reach into the NOAPS ranks with Jordan Anderson Racing and Rajah Caruth. That car which Caruth drove to a 19th place finish can now be secured in 1/64 form. The car features the company’s ‘Cars are Pain’ phrase and logo, and the black and orange scheme look good. 

Lavar Scott has largely gone undiscussed in 2026. But with a momentum boost by the higher profile signing of Sunoco with Alpha Prime Racing. Scott has had a tougher start to his first full-time season in the O'Reilly Series. He’s only placed in the top 20 once (Daytona), and he’s been involved in crashes in two of his first six starts including this past weekend’s race at Darlington. ​

---

Standard Version (Trucks)

While Christian Eckes put together a pretty good season in the Xfinity series last year, but due to the many changes at Kaulig Racing, he was likely a victim of the various moving pieces around the entrance of Dodge. Relegated to the Truck series for 2026, Eckes joins McAnalley-Hilgman racing and another former Kaulig teammate in Daniel Hemric who will both be chasing wins for the Chevy powered team. This Turck, sponsored by Columbia Bank finished 3rd at Daytona in February. 

---

LMSC/CARS Tour

Dale Jr. Announced this past week that he would once again in 2026 get behind the wheel of a Late Model Stock Car. Dale Jr., with the support of Bass Pro Shops and Tracker Boats will race in April at the CARS Tour event being held at the Nashville Fairgrounds. ​Dale Jr's LMSC this year features support from Bass Pro Shops. It's been a couple of years since the two entities have joined forces. This is a sharp looking Chevy that will get a lot of attention from collectors. 

Wyatt Miller, the son of racer and JRM co-owner Kelly Earnhardt Miller will be blazing his own trail in the CARS Tour in 2026. With support from Bass Pro Shops, Miller will be running several events behind the wheel of his No. 73 JRM Chevy. ​The car is basic in appearance, but it effective displays the support of Bass Pro, and the stylized No. 73 is very unique. Miller will undoubtedly continue to build support as his career grows. 

Another young driver who is on the cusp of making some significant gains in their young career is son of current Cup series driver, Brexton Busch. Brexton who has continued to develop in the junior racing leagues, now will jump into the deep end. With support from longtime sponsor, Servpro, Busch will pilot this great looking LMSC at several events throughout the 2026 season.

---

Conclusion:
There are a ton of standout paint schemes from Lionel in this round. I'm personally a sucker for a good throwback, and unlike, many, I have not grown tired of them. So for that, the RFK trio will most certainly be additions to my collection should they meet MOQ. I also really like Tyler Reddick's Phoenix scheme. Joey Logano's Mustang, and Dale Jr's LMSC are all very high tier one selections for me personally this week and I could easily justify ordering more cars. 

Next week Nascar marches on to Martinsville, Virginia for race number 7. The Cup cars will once again display the updated short track rules package which will hopefully generate some good passing and more lead changes. There are some great points races going on in the lower series as well that at this moment are now building momentum towards an entertaining playoff run. All of this hopefully also means the presentation of many new and exciting paint schemes. That's all for this week, we'll see you back here next time for the Diecast Update!

---