CONCORD, NC. (February 27, 2014) – The Daytona 500 Win Version of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s National Guard Chevrolet is predicted to be the best-selling die-cast car since Lionel Racing became The Official Die-Cast of NASCAR in 2010.
Just 12 hours after Earnhardt took the checkered flag in the sport’s biggest race of the season, sales of the die-cast were more than double the first full day’s sales of any previous win car – including Earnhardt’s “The Dark Knight Rises” Michigan Win car from 2012.
“When Dale Jr. crossed the finish line at Daytona, we had no doubt this car would be one of the biggest sellers of the year,” said Lionel Racing SVP and General Manager Howard Hitchcock. “We are now predicting this win car to be the biggest seller in our company’s history.”
The Monday after the Daytona 500, Lionel Racing was selling Earnhardt’s Raced Win car through its direct-to-consumer channel at a rate of more than 100 per hour. The company’s distributor and dealer orders are also trending at record levels.
“If there were ever any doubts about Earnhardt’s continuing power to drive consumer behavior, this win should put all doubts to rest,” said Hitchcock.
The Daytona Win No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet die-cast is currently available for pre-order through www.lionelracing.com; the NASCAR Superstore.com; authorized dealers and approved online retailers. As a Raced Win car, the die-cast will replicate how the No. 88 looked in Victory Lane – from tire scuffs, scratches, and confetti to the “tape” on the nose.
This die-cast will also be included in the Lionel Racing Golden Ticket promotion. More than 700 Golden Tickets will be randomly inserted in the company’s 2014 1:24 scale die-cast cars throughout the season. One of the Golden Ticket grand prizes is a ride-along experience with the 2014 Daytona 500 Champion.