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Legacy of my 25+ year NASCAR die-cast journey documentary with pictures and stories ... enjoy everyone.

4260 Views 107 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  tkcole81
My NASCAR journey started as a teenager in the 70's watching NASCAR on ABC's Wide World of Sports. Honestly, I initially loved watching the hard racing and was drawn to the wild wrecks at Daytona .... eventually learning about the sport, all the personalities, and the sense of family within the NASCAR community ...especially fond of the genuine love of the sport by the historic loyal, blue collar, red neck NASCAR fan base predominantly in the Southeast United States at the time. The driver engagement with the fan base was special too. The Winston Cup days of NASCAR "racing" were special and had to be experienced to truly appreciate the substantial growth of the NASCAR fan base in the 90's. Everyone loves a winner, and I loved watching "the man" on and off the track ... his tenacious desire to win ... his genuine love for NASCAR and the fan base ... his working man mentality and personality in and out of the car was admired by many. Love him or hate him, you had to respect him on the track as a competitive racer who knew the value of Sunday Money to survive in the early days.

Obviously Dale Earnhardt Sr. was my driver, my hero, my guy on and off the track for 20 years. I never met him face to face ... never attended a race he drove ... just loved watching him on television for two decades. Most memorable race for me and one of the finest moments for NASCAR was the 1998 Daytona 500 for two reasons .... obviously he finally won the race after 20 years and the genuine display of respect from the entire NASCAR family congratulating him after the race down pit road ... showing the world the class, dignity, and character of the NASCAR FAMILY.

The "Lucky Penny" delivered more than a win for many that day....

Jim McKay : Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sports...the thrill of victory... and the agony of defeat... the human drama of athletic competition... This is "ABC's Wide World of Sports!"

The above slogan has never been more poignantly realized than "the thrill of victory" (1998 Daytona 500) ..."and the agony of defeat" (2001 Daytona 500) for the sport and family of NASCAR.

The 2001 Daytona 500 changed NASCAR forever ... for better for worse ... history is apart of who we are ... never forget history, honor history, live with purpose, love one another, and value our many blessings.


A year after Dale Sr. passed I wanted one momento to honor the memory of my hero and purchased my first die-cast for $100.

1998 Dale Earnhardt Sr. Daytona 500 Win Elite (9,996 produced re-make)
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Needless to say, one die-cast just wasn't quite enough. Once I held the above die-cast it in my hands the memory of my hero lives on.....
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To be continued ... stay tuned .. the journey is just beginning. (y):cool:
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After investing considerable time learning from other collectors and absorbing as much wisdom from others as I could, I loved the detail and heavy weight (3 lbs.) of Elite die-casts. I decided to slowly acquire every standard paint GMGW Elite paint schemes made for Dale Sr. from 1997 through 2001 via the secondary market (ebaY) which was relatively easy considering the high historical production quantities apparently supported by demand over 20 years ago wen produced. Demand still supported retail pricing for most Dale Sr. die-cast at the time with lower production die-casts demand facilitating higher prices with plenty of opportunistic resellers on ebaY. Dale's passing added even more demand for his die-casts early on which has obviously declined over time like most die-casts.

I learned early on from many to collect for fun (not for value) within a discretionary budget. I have also thoroughly enjoyed the satisfaction of meeting and helping hundreds of other collectors with their collections when possible (CHC - Collector Helping Collector). @Moparbob (Bob), @Dale3DaleJr88 (John), and the late @team3and8 (Jerry) ) to name a few whom set the CHC bar high over the years.

Another blessing of mine is befriending another Dale Sr. fan who has a phenomenal talent, patience and passion of producing top quality custom die-casts for me and others over the years. After Covid settles down I hope to visit him this summer in person after talking to him on the phone for decades. The following custom die-casts (mostly Elite donor die-casts when possible) which represent Dale Sr. standard paint schemes from 1980 through 1985 .. Busch and Cup Series.
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Can't forget a 1978 custom with the correct shade of blue.
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That's a great story with a nice collection with some great customs you've got there. I was never an Earnhardt fan and remember the pain of that day all too well. I don't see how the diehard Earnhardt fans were able to get through it and return to the track. I know many didn't. I started watching the 45 minute tribute and could not turn it off until it was over. It brought back the sadness as if it happened yesterday. Then....I began to feel more sadness, and anger, at what's it become today. From the mid 1960's through about 2005 you'd be hard pressed to find a bigger fan than myself. I don't watch a single lap any more even though there's a couple drivers I really care about. I guess, I'll just close this off as I could go on for a while. Thanks for sharing.
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@tf330fan I appreciate your post. I take great comfort knowing I had the privilege of enjoying NASCAR during the Winston Cup era when “racing” fans, race team’s and driver’s were valued more than television contracts. Selfish greed of the France family has changed the focus from racing to entertainment value … desperately trying to increase television ratings which increase their net worth. I just read an article forecasting if no fans went to the tracks all year, NASCAR would still make $140M. Following the money usually determines motive.
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Great back story of a great looking collection !!!
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This has been the best thing that has ever been on here Thank you for that video SWEET ASS car collection Thanks again
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After collecting his standard paint GMGW Elite paint schemes I wanted a bigger challenge (my mental health therapy ) and decided to study Dale Sr's authentic signature before eventually collecting Dale Sr. authentically signed Elite die-casts. Many of my acquisitions were from the help of other Dale Sr. collectors from NASCAR country whom I befriended early on who actually knew Dale Sr. personally and had access to him to acquire phenomenal collections of his authentically signed die-cast .. small world sometimes. As my collector friends passed over the years, I was given the opportunity from their families to acquire some very special die-cast in their honor .. one of many blessings this hobby has given me. As I acquired authentically Dale Sr. signed Elite die-casts, I would sell the same un-signed Dale Sr. Elite die-cast in my collection produced before death. The following pictures represent Dale Sr. Elites in my collection (limited to 10 pictures every post :rolleyes:) ...a few die-cast pictured below were produced before death which are not signed as I have never found them authentically signed in 20 years. Most of his early Elites in this post were produced after death. Observation ... Dale Sr. had more die-cast produced after death than before ... especially the insanity of special finishes fueling my addiction. o_O:love:
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Most of the Dale Sr. authentically signed die-casts were acquired privately .... some acquired through ebaY after being authenticated. When authentically signed Dale Sr. die-casts surface publicly (rarely these days), I normally attempt to acquire when the price is in my range which explains multiple Elite multiples pictured below. :cool: Not all autographed .. some produced after death, some never surfaced, some way above my price range over the years. The fun of the hunt continues.... :giggle:

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Dale Sr. authentically signed Elites continued (a few in this batch not signed) ...
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Dale Sr. authentically signed Elites continued ...

These Elites were released to the public just prior to the 2001 Daytona 500 ... I acquired these from a private party who indicated they were signed the morning of the race.
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The below pictured Elites are customs .....wanted the die-cast to be race authentic ..correct decals ... aero bar on roof.
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The five Dale Sr. authentically signed Elites pictured below were all acquired privately many years ago. I have never seen another authentically signed of these die-casts surface. I'm sure a few more exist, just never saw any surface in 20 years.
1987 Wrangler Elite (2,700 produced)
1998 GMGW Daytona Win Elite (5,000 produced)
2000 GMGW Under the Lights Elite (1,200 produced)
2001 GMGW Oreo Elite (5,004 produced)
2001 GMGW Elite (2,496 produced)
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Always enjoyed the Winston Cup No Bull Races

Four Dale Sr. No Bull customs for the 1998 and 1999 races, two produced die-casts for the 2000 races.
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After Dale Sr. authentically signed Elites we transition to Dale Sr. authentically signed ARC die-casts....
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