Conclusion:
FirstPhase ended up purchasing about ten races during the 2022 season. The debut race for the FirstPhase Mustang ended up in disappointment when Todd Gilliland wound up in a crash on 190 while riding his own business. The car was hooked into the outside wall due to no fault of Gilliland. The best result that Gilliland could muster in the FirstPhase Ford occurred during the 9th race of the year at the Bristol Dirt race. There, Gilliland was able to navigate the chaotic event to finish on the lead lap and in the top 20 with a 17th place finish overall. 

The car itself is a nice one. This version of the Next Gen Mustang continues to be my favorite. The distinctive nose, and sleek side profile lines gave the car character and an identity. The diecast itself is a nice one from Lionel. The all black base provides a good contract to the white and teal details that cover the entire car. The car's details are well applied, and this car also has some extra character as it sports the yellow bumper stripes that rookie drivers were required to maintain in 2022. This is one of my favorite Front Row Motorsports diecast cars, it's a shame FirstPhase didn't stick around. 

This car is one of the first 1/64 diecast race cars that Lionel Racing produced on their new diecast chassis. Teased last year as a significant upgrade at no cost to collectors, the transition seems to be going well. The car also has rubber tires, and while the collector's piece feels really nice in the hand there are still a few prevailing issues. The worst of which is the decal application on the race car body. Focusing in on the area around the car's left rear spoiler, it's easy to see how part of the green topcoat was smudged. 

The car itself will go down rather infamously. While Stenhouse had the car running well, and was inline to compete for the lead, Joey Logano and Bubba Wallace came together just before the starting line. The cars set off a chain reaction crash that would collect the No. 47 Chevy and end the evening for Stenhouse. The car looked great, and even though the result wasn't good, it established Jack Links with Hyak Motorsports with more races to come in 2026.

I have eight Kevin Harvick 1/64s in my collection, and this is one of my favorite examples from his racing career. This car has all the makings of a great and memorable paint scheme. Bold colors, a clear logo, great ratios and an effective use of space on the design, along with good construction quality from Lionel make this highly prized possession. 

Harvick only drove this car on one occasion. While he did race every lap of the spring race at Talladega, the car met a calamitous end on the last lap of the race. You can see that all unfold here. Because the field was frozen upon the throwing of the yellow flag, Harvick still managed to secure a decent finishing position (15th) and the day was somewhat hilariously successful because with the top-15 finish, Harvick retook the points lead at that point of the season. More on that, here. This is another great looking car with an interesting history, now nearly a decade old!

I've been collecting Corey Lajoie 1/64s since his days racing for BK Racing nearly a decade ago. Perhaps the best opportunities Lajoie would ever have came behind the wheel of a Spire Chevy. This collaboration 2026 was just a gamble that worked out for Lajoie. By making the 41 car field, he earned his money back and the chance to remind everyone that he could still be a driver that is worth paying for a full season. Lajoie was able to bring his Mustang home in 22nd place and on the lead lap. 

Rick Ware Racing began using gold/yellow rims in 2024. But it took a full year for Lionel to attempt to replicate the unique look. The most standout feature of the car has to be the rims, and while I appreciate the effort, I don't think they've quite gotten the right effect. The rest of the car is pretty good, and the paint scheme is unique and recognizable, but the car is based on the old plastic chassis that Lionel has recently moved away from, so this is another car that notoriously sits at 20-30 degree angle. This is the only car in my collection that is number, 01.

Notes:
​This is my second ARC or 'Gold Line' car representing Carson Hocevar. This is my only Hocevar 1/64 rom 2205 and it just arrived recently. Hocevar ran with support From Zeigler Automotive for eight races last year. In three of them, the car was given a golden metal flake livery that really looked fantastic. The livery debuted at Michigan over the summer and also appeared at the Chicago road race, and finally at Indianapolis for the Brickyard 400. Lionel did a masterful job recreating this car in 1/64th scale. The car has the updated metal chassis, and the rubber tires that were promised by the company last year. This car is scheduled for a detailed review in the future and I'm prepared to give it a try high score. Stay tuned!

Notes:
​I've written on several occasions about how much I like the new casting for the most recent Camry the the Toyota teams in the Cups series have been using. Both the 1/24 scale version, and the 1/64 scale clone pictured here are sharp, and detailed castings that do a great job accurately portraying the real life 1/1 version of the race car you see on track. This livery includes several tricky elements that must be challenging to recreate in this scale. Things like a slim headlight system, foil number boarders, and the speckled pattern that adorns the majority of the car indicate a high level of difficulty when translating the paint scheme to 1/64 scale. Lionel did a phenomenal job on this model, and this car is easily a top-10 paint scheme for the year in my opinion. The unique color palate, and high quality design take advantage of the car's natural contours. This is a top model for 2025.

Notes:
​I've purchased a number of these Late Model Stock Cars from Lionel over the years. Some of the initial versions have been quite plain and have lacked detail. But that wasn't too important, because the overall 1/64 scale casting is truly superb. Lionel also has a 1/24 scale casting of this car that in my opinion isn't as good because detail is very basic, similar to what you'd find on the Lionel Xfinity tooling. (I've taken a closer look at this mould in a different blog post you can find here). But the 1/64 in such a small scale, combined with some really nice printing is excellent and made even better with the more advanced detailing. I've got both of Dale Jr's Sun Drop cars and they display beautifully side by side. This more recent version has a more vibrant scheme and this is some of the best paint and print detailing I've seen in the scale in quite a while. It's a great reminder that race fans can find real excitement in the lower tiers of racing and the affiliated memorabilia.

I found this copy at the JRM Merchandise hauler at Martinsville Raceway during the Cup weekend of October 25th-26th. You can read about that and more on the Race Report, here.

Notes:
At the present moment, there are just a couple of 1/64 scale cars that remain in the production pipeline from the 2025 season that represent Daniel Suarez. This car will be one of the last ones made to commemorate the portion of Suarez's career at Trackhouse, and with Freeway Insurance being such a major supporter of the driver from Monterrey, it's a nice combination of driver and sponsor. The car itself is really nice looking, but it does suffer from the typical crooked posture that's typically found on Lionel's plastic 1/64 scale chassis. The car does have sharp green foil door numbers, which is a major highlight. Happily, with this copy, all of the major paint and printing details have been applied without issue. This is just my second Gold Line or ARC car from Lionel that represents Daniel, and it's my 15th car from the 2025 season. 

I picked up this copy of the Freeway Insurance Chevy from the Trackhouse merchandise display hauler at Martinsville Speedway during the fall race weekend. You can read more about that, here. I also decided to pick up a 1/24 scale copy of this car which Daniel signed for me as well, a great set. I'll be featuring the 1/24 on the blog at a later date. 

Notes:
Looking at stats and comparing them to probability forecasts and trends, it was not likely, but still probable that Deny Hamlin would reach 60 wins this year. A self proclaimed goal for the 44 year old Cup veteran would finally be accomplished at Las Vegas during the 33rd race of the 2025 season and on Hamlin's 718th start. In an emotional moment, Denny would become just the 7th driver to win multiple races after his 700th start, and was quick to dedicate the moments occasion to his father who had been battling health issues. 

While this is not the raced version of Denny's 60th win, the victory solidifies this paint scheme as an important one. Lionel did a great job with this little model. The Camry is my current favorite 1/64 scale casting of the three OEMs and this car and the paint job on it are both really good. 

Notes:
The main importance of this diecast replica is that it's the first one that's even been mass-produced for Riley Herbst. It's also the first diecast produced for 23XL's third team. Lionel's execution of an intricate and vibrant livery is done really well, but because the team changed the design, the car feels a bit lackluster. You also can't deny that the absence of the Monster Energy logo is a detriment to the final product as well. There's plenty of detail to enjoy on the model, and the production flaws are minimal, so this is a really nice race car, it's just not my favorite from this season. This car has only raced once this season. Riley drove the 23XL Sunny D car to a 19th place finish during the 5th race of the 2025 season at Las Vegas.