Diecast Update: Week of 6/15/26

The 23rd edition of the 2026 Diecast Update is now up and running. There's a bunch of new cars to take a look at this week, but a disappointing detail that we can't overlook is the missing raced version of Denny Hamlin's Pocono car. With the sponsorship of not just Kings Hawaiian, but also Universal's Minions, Lionel has not been given the approval to produce a raced version of Denny's 64th win, a real shame. Some collectors hold out hope, but while we wait, there's plenty more to discuss. With the San Diego road course upon us, there's several new schemes, and recent ones to review, read on!

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Raced Version: (Pocono)

There was a lot of excitement about the Carolina Carports paint scheme that JRM would deploy on several of their cars throughout the 2026 season. The red, black, and silver colors represent a Sam Bass concept scheme for Dale Sr. that was never used. On Saturday, Justin Allgaier brought the stunning Chevy to victory lane at Pocono. This was Justin's 33rd career win in the O'Reilly series, and, this was his first ever win at the Tricky Triangle.

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Standard Versions (Cup)

Chevrolet

First up for the Chevys is a super attractive Busch Light Lime Trackhouse machine. This is a top three scheme for the 1 car this year, and competes directly with the Busch Light Apple car, and the the Wendy's car. Ross drove this car to a nice 8th place finish on a season that has brought mostly struggle and frustration to the Justin Marks run organization. I've got high hopes we'll see this car again sometime soon before the 2026 season comes to an end. 

Dow has been Austin Dillon's longest tenured sponsor. They have been involved with RCR since Dillon's rookie season in 2014, and now continue their support in 2026. Dillon will drive this patriotic Chevy that also carries the names of 200 military veterans on his No. 3 RCR car at Chicagoland Speedway on July 5th. I don't hold this paint scheme in high regard compared to the other liveries, particularly the Bass Pro designs we've seen so far, but it's not the worst. 

Chase Elliot's 8th 1/64 of the 2026 season was announced this week in anticipation of the San Diego road course race that will take place next weekend. Napa is adding a patriotic flair to the standard Napa template and using their quarter panel space to advertise their line of gold filters. The car looks pretty good, but aside from the color swap, the stars, and the gold filters label, the car is overall as uninspired as the Napa base, so I've got this one situated as the 5th best of the year so far. 

It's a somber affair at RCR carrying on after the loss of the irreplaceable Kyle Busch. The team has turned their attention to honoring Kyle, and one of his key sponsors in Rebel Bourbon, has worked with RCR to develop this simple design to both carry on the partnership while also commemorating the relationship. Austin Hill drove this car to a very respectable 20th place finish. This is the second 1/64 of the year for Hill, the other is his United Rentals scheme. 

While Connor Zilisch's rookie campaign has been anything but smooth, the incredible paint schemes just keep coming. WeatherTech was a company that for a moment at the beginning of 2026, seemed like it was in danger of not rejoining Trackhouse when they briefly disappeared from promotional material in the offseason, but they are back in a great way as the WeatherTech scheme gets a very nice refresh. The color swap looks super clean. 

Going from a couple pf cars that have already raced to a couple that are about to race, both of these specially themed Red Bull Chevys are set to thrill race fans at the San Diego street course that's been established especially for one race at the Navy's base in Coronado Springs. Both of these Trackhouse Red Bulls are specially designed to resemble the characteristics of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, just like the one they will both be speeding past. I love these, and the SVG gray Reb Bull is stunning. In my opinion both will take their place in the paint scheme rankings just below their standard Red Bull designs, and mixed in with some of the other best Trackhouse designs of the year. 

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 Standard Versions (O.A.P.S.)

We've got just one car from the O'Reilly series to take a look at this week. This car comes from the JRM garage, it's a Brandt sponsored Camaro that has been given a very patriotic flair. The car displays the American flag on both sides of the car behind the front wheel. The car also displays  fields of blue, and even a combine rolling across the hood. No word on when this car will see the light of day, but it will be at some point this summer. I've got this car sutured as the 4th best of the six Allgaier cars that have been listed. 

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Standard Version (Trucks)

While it's been a rough season for Christopher Bell in the Cup series both literally and figuratively, Things have been a bit better in the Truck series. Christopher Bell has been afforded four starts in the Truck series so far in 2025. On one of the four occasions, Bell took the Pristine Auctions Tundra to a 6th place finish at Darlington (his first start of the 2026 season) and in his 4th and most rect start, Bell took home the trophy at the Bristol spring race. It's nice to see both of these paint schemes receive the nod for preorder status. I'm particulate interested to see if Bell's truck win meets MOQ because we just don't see many Halmar trucks get produced in either scale. 

Niece Motorsports along side Spire make up the primer Chevy teams in the Truck series that are able to recruit the most high profile drivers. This year, Niece has been able to bring in big names like Chastain, and McFarland and Stenhouse Jr. Along with youngster Andres Perez. In a rare move, Lionel and Niece are planning on offering this special four truck set. This is a very rare occurrence, and if this doesn't please NCTS collectors, nothing will! Each of these Trucks raced at Michigan this past spring.

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Drop Preview Report

While not an official ARC or 'Gold Line' diecast, the big news this week is that the Bubba Wallace Full Throttle meal at Hardeess has officially launched and Nascar fans all across the country are finding 1/64 scale Hardees Camrys in their chicken tender meals this week. A couple of phots below highlight Full Throttle meal specifics, but it seems that the cars are available at multiple Hardees locations.

Above: Bubba Wallace 1/64 Hardee's Camrys on display across social media this week. (Photograph credit goes to Steven Taranto @STaranto92 and Adam Cheek @adamncheek on x.com).

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Conclusion:
​Well this was a calmer week made even more so by the lack of a 1/64 diecast announcement for Denny Hamlin's 64th win in the Cup series. This is a week where Trackhouse really ends up shining. Between the new WeatherTech design for Connor Zilisch, and the pair of military themed Red Bull race cars, each of those 1/64 offerings are immediate preorder options. 

While I wrap up this week's edition of the Diecast Update, I'm already floored by the spread of new diecast that have been announced this week. Next week's edition will be thick with new cars and trucks, something for everyone guaranteed. Until then enjoy the road course in San Diego, and we'll see you back there next week!

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