Lionel die-cast top-10

During the recently held NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' champion's week in Las Vegas, driver Dale Earnhardt Jr was named NASCAR's Most Popular Driver for the 11th, consecutive, year. No one was surprised to hear this news.

It was also no real surprise when we recently learned that Earnhardt has once again topped the popularity list among die cast race car collectors according to a recent announcement made by Lionel Racing, the official die cast of NASCAR. It seems that even at 1:24 scale, Junior is still number one.

Earnhardt occupied not just the first, but the top three spots on the best-sellers list. His #88 National Guard Chevrolet was the best-selling 1:24 scale die-cast car of the year, while his Diet Mountain Dew and National Guard/Man of Steel cars followed in second and third positions, respectively.

"Every year it holds true, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a fan favorite among collectors and those who spend their hard-earned discretionary income on NASCAR merchandise", said Howard Hitchcock, Vice President and General Manager of Lionel Racing. "His National Guard/ Man of Steel die-cast was our best-selling special paint scheme of the year, and his primary paint schemes outpaced the field by a wide margin."

The Top 10 Die-Cast Cars of 2013 are listed below. For images and a slideshow detailing the story behind each car and a list of best-selling drivers, please visit www.lionelnascar.com/top10.

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 National Guard Chevy
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevy
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 National Guard/Man of Steel Chevy
4. Tony Stewart #14 Bass Pro Shops Chevy
5. Jeff Gordon #24 AARP/Drive to End Hunger Chevy
6. Danica Patrick #10 GoDaddy Chevy
7. Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite Ford
8. Jeff Gordon #24 Cromax Pro Chevy
9. Clint Bowyer #15 PEAK/Duck Dynasty Toyota
10. Dale Earnhardt #3 1989 Wilkesboro Win Chevy