Diecast Update: Week of 7/6/26

For a while, it appeared as though the long awaited Hendrick resurgence was going to happen. William Byron won both of the first and second stages of the race, and led 94 of the 267 laps during the eero 400. Nascar's return to Chicagoland Speedway for the first time since 2019 was however won by JGR driver Chase Briscoe. That raced version, and several other new 1/64 scale cars are now up for preorder from Lionel Racing. We've also got a first look at some newly finished Nascar 1/64 products that have surfaced online to take look at as well. For all that and more, read on...

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Raced Version: (Chicagoland)

It was a little surprising to realize that Briscoe's win on Sunday night at Chicagoland Speedway was only the 6th of his carer considering all of the recent success that he's has had with Joe Gibbs Racing. It was equally as surprising to see William Byron and Rudy Fugle fumble what started off as a dominant day. The transition from daylight to dusk favored the Toyotas, and Chase Briscoe had the best Camry. He evaded a hard charging Christopher Bell to claim a memorable win in the weekend of the 250th. 

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Chevy:

Busch Light rolls in with another paint scheme for 2026 and Ross Chastain as the Flavor Showdown took center stage at Chicagoland Speedway this past weekend. Busch Light is challenging fans to select the next flavor stye for Busch Light, lemon, orange, or peach. Each of the three flavors got a little space on Ross Chastain's Chicagoland Chevy. The entire Trackhouse, and Chevy entity continues to struggle in 2026, so Chastains' 18th place finish in this car isn't a surprise, looks good though...

After teaming up with Hendrick Motorsports and William Byron in a huge way for the San Diego road course race last month, Anduril Industries was back onboard the Hendrick No. 24 Chevy for the Independence Day weekend at Chicagoland. While the patriotic theme is abundantly clear, this is overall, yet another listless scheme from the HMS design team. Byron ran well at Chicagoland in this car, leading 94 laps and winning a stage, but he ultimately didn't have enough to win.

The fifth 1/64 of the year for Michael McDowell was announced this week. NEFCO, a leading construction supply company will make its foray into the Cup series for an unknown number of races. Presumably, with the Folds of Honor logo on the deck lid, this car will debut at Atlanta. The NEFCO Chevy has a nice navy blue base with effective orange and white secondary colors. I've ranked this one 3rd after McDowell's Modo Casino and Unicorn Defense cars. 

Back in May, Miner, an important primary sponsor for Spire and Casron Hocevar, brought a red white and blue car to the All Star race. The car largely flew under the radar, and Carson drove it to a 14th place finish after a lot of chaos in the early stages of the race. The car seemed like it was one that wouldn’t get the diecast treatment, but lo and behold, here it is! The car looks great, but because it isn't from a points paying race, and because Hocevar has so many other great schemes, I've got this one as a 6/6.

While many teams went in a patriotic direction for the 4th of July weekend, Trackhouse and Superfile sough to include a local artist, Lefty Out There, in the design of the Chicagoland paint scheme. This is the second time in 2026 where a local artist has been able to make their mark on SVG's Chevy. Mr. Brainwash also left his mark on the No. 97 Chevy at Las Vegas. Shane bought the car home in 25th place at Chicagoland Speedway, one lap down. 

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Toyota:

Bubba Wallace has put together a good 2026 campaign. While he’s remained in the top 16 in points, there have been some ups and downs. Pocono in 2026 wasn’t one of the better races for Bubba, after crashing his car during qualifying, the team was able to replace the broken components in order to keep the primary car. Bubba didn't have a great campaign at Ponono, but kept his equipment on the lead lap finishing 21st. This is Wallace's 10th 1/64.

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Standard Version (Trucks)

It's certainly not everyday that a new Justin Marks diecast is announced. Marks returned to his racing roots in San Diego last week to try his hand at the road course in the Spire No. 77 Silverado. It was a tough start for Justin who ended up crashing hard into the pit wall during practice ahead of the Navy 250 at Coronado. Despite this setback, Marks was productive during the actual race and finished in a very respectable 25th place. This truck is designed in the now familiar, 150th anniversary scheme. 

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LMSC/CARS Tour

It's true that this car probably should be in the raced section of this article, but finally having a new 1/64 scale late model stock car up for preorder calls for its own column. Ty Majeski raced in (and won) the Money in the bank 150 at Berlin Raceway in Marne Michigan back in early June. The win clearly meant a lot to Majeski, and this is a great opportunity to see a Menards sponsored 1/64 LMSC. I sure hope this one meets MOQ!

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Drop Preview Report

Photos are circulating of some recent 2026 1/64s that are once again making their way into the market this week. First up is a couple of Trackhouse Red Bulls! The Two Chevy's both got a refresh for 2026, a red and blue flourish that run the greater length of each car but disappear behind the Red Bull logo and door number. I've got both of these car inbound, and I'm pumped to see how this year's versions look with the rubber tires. 

We've also got a sighting of Chase Briscoe's 2026 Bas Pro standard paint scheme, which also is largely unchanged from last year looking fantastic, as well as a couple of JRM Chevys. Two of the three Carolina Carports JRM Camaros that were announced met MOQ. While the Justin Allgaier version was cancelled (which ironically is the only version that's been in victory lane) the other two (Chastain & Zilisch)were produced and I must say, they look quite nice. (Photos courtesy of Circle B Diecast).

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Conclusion:
With the new 2026 diecast that are now beginning to roll in a a steady rate, and many new 1/64s continuing to be offered for preorder, there's a ton, perhaps more than ever in quite a very long time going on in the 1/64 scale space. Lionel Racing has taken a huge step forward in the quality of their Cup car lineup with the conversion to an all metal chassis that continues to gain favor with the fans.

This week sees the addition of some truly unique cars, Michael McDowell and Shane Van Gisbergen are the standout Chevy's from this group. Those will be my top tier priorities, but there's good reason to pay attention to the Spire Truck which could turn out to be one of the last ever diecast 1/64s made for Justin Marks. Ty Majeski's LMSC is another model that should be made and offers some great diversity to collectors. That's it for this week's edition of the Diecast Update, there's lots more on tap for the upcoming week. Until next time, keep on collecting!

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