u/NWDrive

2006 was a season of highs and lows for Kasey Kahne. The Washington State native broke out and had several wins, but was hampered down by poor finishes whenever he wasn't in the top five.

Just his third year racing in Cup, Kane had the stats of someone who should have been in the top five points. But because of the inconsistency, they finished 8th. Kahne had six wins, six poles, 12 top 5s and 19 top 10s. It was a very solid year but the problem was he also had 10 races where he finished below the lead lap. He had 10 finishes of 30th or worse. There was a late summer stretch where the team just couldn't seem to get a break. In that stretch they had six finishes out of seven races 20th or worse.

These 2006 Evernham primary diecasts are actually really hard to find and when you do find them, they're usually way more expensive than you want them to be. I'm not sure why the 2006 Evernham Dodges are hard to find, but they are.

It's been since 2024 that fans have been wanting this Love's primary to be made and we finally got it in the Gold Series. Prior the only way to get this primary was in his 38 truck which was made at Authentics Grade and came in the Lionel Advent Christmas Calendar. Neat to finally have this truck!

Layne Riggs is a fun driver to watch and neat to see the Riggs name be carried on. I remember his father Scott in the Valvoline Dodge! Would be neat to see Valvoline come back for Riggs one day!? I remember when Layne first started there was definitely worry. First half of his rookie season was pretty abysmal. He didn't even make the playoffs. But he's progressively improved every year and that's all you can ask for for a driver. Now especially without Heim there, he's definitely one of the best drivers in the series. I wouldn't say he's earth-shatteringly good, but he's solid. Very human, likable, and just fun to watch on track. He wheels this truck and it's a blast to see him hustle it especially on road courses.

We also got the new Craftsman Truck Series boxes which follow the theme of The O'Reilly series boxes and use the series color as the stripe. So we got some nice red boxes.

I don't think there's a single bad angle of this car. If you can find one on Dale Jr's 2004 Budweiser Monte Carlo, please let me know. Would you believe that this is one of my first Earnhardt Jr 1:24ths? Yeah, I don't collect what most people collect apparently. 😁

From 2005 to 2012 Robby Gordon did the unthinkable. In today's NASCAR it would be unheard of for a driver to also own his own race team. He would race for a powerhouse or one of the smaller teams. Not Robby Gordon. He created Robby Gordon Motorsports and was able to pick up sponsors as well as drivers along the way.

These two customs are still work in progress. They aren't reassembled yet and are loose. I'm going to paint the interiors black and detail them. I just wanted to share the latest progress with these two newer projects. They represent the 2011 season with Robby Gordon driving the number 7 SPEED Energy Dodge and Scott wimmer in the 77 Harris Teeter Dodge.

Blaney has been leading the Ford charge in 2026 and finally one of his first primary 2026 diecasts gets released. This year it is a Menard's and Delta primary. Delta the faucet company, not airlines. 😁

Got a little delivery today of all yellow cars courtesy of Circle B Diecast. They also happen to all be Fords! The 2026 Layne Riggs Love's Ford F-150 is being sent out as are two Penske Ford's of Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney. Looking good up close, no flaws!

Sterling Marlin and crew chief Lee McCall ran this golden Coors Original Dodge Intrepid five times in the 2002 season. It arrived at Fontana, Dover, Pocono, Michigan, and Sonoma. Their best run was at Pocono grabbing the pole and ultimately finishing fourth. They also had a solid run at Fontana, California qualifying back in 25th but racing their way up to a solid 7th place finish.

Coors had some of the most iconic paint schemes in NASCAR and this was no different. A beautiful gold mixed with golden metallic and almost a checkered flag pattern. This car absolutely shined in the sunlight. It was also reminiscent of their Coors Original beer cans. Definitely one of the best schemes the 40 Dodge ever ran.

As well as running a full Cup schedule, Washington's Kasey Kahne also ran 18 of 35 O'Reilly Series races that year. In those starts he got two wins, two top 5s, and seven top 10s.

Kasey ran this Wrigley's Doublemint paint scheme only once. He ran it at Phoenix where he started third and finished sixth. He led just one lap. His crew chief was Mike Shiplett. The winner of the race was Kyle Busch. In fact it was a Bushwhacking bonanza. Cup drivers in the top ten finished first, second, third, fifth, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th. An absolute smattering.

This is one of 2,007 produced.

The car that defined an era. Not only was the driver legendary, but so was the paint scheme! Don't really have much to add today, other than I picked up this brand new, still wrapped, Jeff Gordon diecast from 2004. I really love the Monte Carlo body in that era. Improved from the 2000 and 2001 version, it just looks more sleek and sporty.

The Goodwill at 3002 Hoyt Ave is closing down after 42 years of operating in Downtown Everett. The building was built in 1920 and owned by Goodwill but hasn’t been put up for sale yet. The larger Everett Mall Way Goodwill location remains open, as well as the warehouse “bins” outlet on 2208 W Casino Road. The downtown Everett Goodwill we be fully closed down on August 14th, 2026.

This is another unfortunate loss for Everett, as there will be no lower cost shopping options downtown for residents. A lot of the other antique stores downtown focus more on furniture. I guess this will be a good opportunity for them to shift their products a bit. The closest thrift stores are not within walking distance, including Luma NW, Value Village and St Vincent De Paul, over 2 miles away. This just adds to the losses as of late from Walmart, Fred Meyer, and Martin Lumber.

Article: My Everett News

The Goodwill at 3002 Hoyt Ave is closing down after 42 years of operating in Downtown Everett. The building was built in 1920 and owned by Goodwill but hasn’t been put up for sale yet. The larger Everett Mall Way Goodwill location remains open, as well as the warehouse “bins” outlet on 2208 W Casino Road. The downtown Everett Goodwill we be fully closed down on August 14th, 2026.

This is another unfortunate loss for Everett, as there will be no lower cost shopping options downtown for residents. A lot of the other antique stores downtown focus more on furniture. I guess this will be a good opportunity for them to shift their products a bit. The closest thrift stores are not within walking distance, including Luma NW, Value Village and St Vincent De Paul, over 2 miles away. This just adds to the losses as of late from Walmart, Fred Meyer, and Martin Lumber.

The Sam Hornish experience in Cup was a pretty big letdown, even already at this point. But 2009 would be his "breakout" year. Driving a Penske Dodge, he got the team to top fives and seven top tens. Modest number but a big improvement over the zero the previous year. He had an average finish of 25th and finished a near career high in 28th in points. His two best finishes were a fourth in Pocono and a fifth at Michigan.

It's hard to forget that Penske was struggling to find full-time drivers at this time, especially those who were consistent.

Eventually Sam Hornish would find his groove in the NASCAR Riley series running many seasons there and finding success. Probably more his pace and just a better fit.

2005 was Rusty Wallace's final year in the NASCAR Cup series. It was Rusty's Last Call. Known for his Miller Lite sponsorship for over a decade, Rusty surprised everyone when he showed up to Texas motor Speedway with Kodak on his Dodge Charger. Kodak was a significant sponsor to the 77 of Brendan Gaughan and were able to get a sponsorship on Rusty's Dodge with Miller Lite for one race.

Rusty Wallace qualified sixth for the Texas race and had a solid run only fading a little bit to 10th at the end of the race. A good top 10 finish.

Rusty only ran this paint Scheme once, so I guess you could say this was his Kodak moment during his Kodak season. A long story career coming to a close. Rusty Wallace only ever had Kodak on his car twice. Once in 2004 and once in 2005.

Kenny Wallace never had the best equipment while in Cup, but he did have a pretty loyal sponsor Square D. First with FILMAR Racing in the 81 Ford then to Andy Petree Racing in the 55 chevy. Square D followed Kenny Wallace.

And Kenny really made good use of the equipment he had especially at certain tracks he was good at. He had a handful of top 10s and 1997 and 1998 and upgraded it to almost a win in 1999 and 2000 where he finished second at New Hampshire and Talladega. He also gathered a handful of other top fives here and there. His best finish was a midpack 22nd and points, but for a small team, they were pretty happy with the progression.

Finally after the year 2000, Kenny Wallace would lose his ride and Bobby Hamilton would take over the iconic Square D paint scheme. In total, Square D followed Kenny Wallace from 1996 to the year 2000.

I've been top coating my old loose Racing Champions 1:64th diecasts to prevent paint crack and in the process I have been detailing the underside chassis'. I think they look good and elevate the product. It really makes them seem like a new product. New life to an old classic.this was Jimmy Hensley's Mopar Dodge he ran in 1996.

I use Sharpie paint pens for the underside details as well as for any chips or wear. Paint for anything else.

He's recognizable for his '90s style bleached hair and an ear to ear smile, Brennan Poole! Ever since joining Alpha Prime Racing, his racing stock has continued to go up. Since 2024, he has driven the number 44 Chevy and each year has seen a marked improvement. In 2024 they had an average finish of 20th. In 2025 they had an average finish 19.4. and with 10 races to go in 2026, they now have an average finish of 18.7. they've been a fringe Chase player each year. Another improvement is their average start increasing by about two positions to 23rd.

It has been slow and steady gains but they just keep improving. This is upward momentum, especially for such a small team. It's showing they are doing something right. Combined through his three years at Alpha Prime, Poole has had nine top 10s and three top 5s. It's exciting watching this team continue to grow and it's even cooler we've finally got a diecast for Brennan Poole!

This is a shout out to local businesses especially the wonderful group of people at Nana's Hidden Treasure's in Everett, Washington. In my continued search to find local businesses that sell NASCAR diecasts, I ran into this business at the tip from a friend. Super friendly staff, and instantly pointed me in the direction of NASCAR diecasts. Who would have guessed that the very first car they pointed to was one I was looking for.

Mike Bliss, Pacific Northwest driver, born and raised in Oregon. A very talented driver whom I will write a full write up for in the future. Went on to win a Craftsman Truck Championship.

The package was in perfect condition and the store was tidy and cute. Looks to be a family outfit as the kids were helping out. If you're looking to support a local business, they might be the ones to check out! Nana's Hidden Treasures in Everett, WA. About 30 minutes from Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington.

Despite driving one for one of the best organizations in the Craftsman Truck Series, and having success in other racing series, outspoken Willy T Ribbs saw anything but success in NASCAR. There's no way to sum it up other than pure disappointment.

Driving 23 out of 24 races for Bobby Hamilton racing in their number 8 Dodge, Ribbs had a best finish of 13th, and finished 16th in points. He failed to qualify at Martinsville. He otherwise ran in the top 20 most weeks but had several finishes outside of the top 20. It was really disappointing for the organization as they expected more from The talented racer. But he wasn't let go just for his on track results.

Willy's lack of success in a top-tier truck also resulted in him being outspoken against NASCAR. He claimed he didn't fit in with the African American stereotype people wanted him to be. It resulted in criticism from other African-American team members, drivers, and NASCAR staff. African American car owner Leonard T. Miller straight up said Ribbs was not the best representative of the Black community due to his outspoken nature.

Ribbs continued to speak negatively about his experience in NASCAR. Ribbs detailed his criticism of NASCAR by referring to NASCAR as "Al-Qaida", "Neckcar", and fake like the WWE, of course providing no evidence to his claims. Ribbs earned no fans with the NASCAR and was quickly out of the sport after the end of his dismal 2001 season being replaced by another another African-American NASCAR driver, Bill Lester. Lester would run the truck for 2 years.

You can find me every single week for every single NASCAR race thread say essentially the same thing. I remind everyone once per race that Cole Custer is running the race and state his running order. He unfortunately gets forgotten and mired in the field. This silly little tradition has been something I've done for 2 years and people seem to laugh and enjoy it each week. So it remains an ongoing tradition.

His name is also great for silly additions especially when tied to one of his sponsors, Andy's custard which she loves to promote as "cold" and "cool." Cool Cold Cole Custard Custer! Cold Cole Custard!

I know I wasn't the only one who was disappointed we didn't get his car made in 2025. It was their first year on their own as a single car organization. 2026 they switched over to Chevrolet from Ford. They had a real rough start, but have definitely leveled out and have improved as the season has gone on. I still feel that this is unfortunate for his career. I'd much rather see him succeed in the O'Reilly series with good equipment then languish in mediocre equipment in the Cup Series.

SCHrader with SCHwan's was an interesting experience while he raced for BAM Racing. An underfunded, underwhelming, David versus Goliath type team. They were David Junior if we use that analogy. The team also struggled early on in their development with sponsorship, that is until Schwan's jumped aboard and they actually had a fully designed race car that was no longer blank and white.

He ran with the organization for 3 years between 2003 and 2005 and they were usually among the slowest cars on the track. Finishes of sub 25th were normal but they would occasionally get the surprise top 10. Over 3 years Kenny would get the team six top 10s with a best finish of sixth at Bristol in 2004. Each year they finished 30th or worse in the point standings. Still, you always kind of rooted for the little team and Schrader himself.

At the end of 2005 he would switch and race for the Wood Brothers in 2006 but returned to BAM for a few one-off races in 2007 and 2008. Usually just qualifying for them.