Merchandise is one of the best ways to express your NASCAR fandom. With new paint schemes and sponsors hitting the track almost weekly, there’s always new merchandise hitting the market. Here are five interesting finds from the NASCAR Shop.
We will kick off with something simple if you don’t like to support one driver or even want something to wear in a slightly more casual manner.
Now, typically, when NASCAR sells self-branded merchandise, it’s one of a handful of logos. Of course, it’s not possible to sell something branded as “Winston Cup” or “Busch Series.”
However, Craftsman’s return to sponsorship of the truck series in 2023 presented a chance to create some throwback merchandise.
These two shirts commemorate both the original “NASCAR Super Truck Series by Craftsman” name used in 1995 and the classic Craftsman Truck Series logo used until the sponsor’s initial departure in 2008.
For the more casual fan trying to stand out at the track, NASCAR and Liquid Death collaborated earlier this season for an odd yet eye-catching merch drop.
For clarity, this merchandise is perhaps unlike anything NASCAR has ever done. It also seems focused on a broader audience that may not want to associate with a driver they don’t know.
The shirt from this merch drop looks like almost any other you’d see at the track. However, a closer look shows that the car is not a stock car; rather, it is a hearse.
The Jacket is the real oddity out of the two. It, much like the shirt, looks like any other you’d see at the track. But, rather than the sponsor patches seen on your favorite driver’s firesuit, it features faux patches based on their branding.
This includes a Winston Cup-style patch that reads “murder your thirst,” and others feature their drink names.
Everybody, except maybe Chase Elliott, seems to love NASCAR’s throwback race weekend at Darlington. This weekend features modern takes on classic car designs alongside a look back at the history of NASCAR.
With this event comes a wave of merchandising. While you may be focused on the die-casts, teams often make throwback shirts as well.
On the NASCAR shop, there are quite a few favorites from this year’s throwback weekend. These include
Of these two, the obvious standouts are the large print shirt for Kyle Larson’s Terry Labonte throwback and Josh Berry’s Jim Clark Indianapolis 500 race win tribute shirt.
If you want to really stand out, there is an alternative route you can go. Don’t buy NASCAR merchandise at all. What we are referring to in particular is Dale Earnhardt Jr’s late model merch.
Since he retired from full-time racing in 2017, Earnhardt has slowly begun to make more starts in different late model series. However, one of the best parts of these efforts, aside from connecting with short track racing, has been Earnhardt’s merchandise.
Of course, this picked up when he acquired the rights to what he calls the “Stylized 8,” or, to fans, the DEI 8. With this return to his numerical routes came a reunion with Budweiser.
There is a whole who’s who of merch to pick from with his No. 8, this includes some good-looking Budweiser shirts, an all-over print Sun Drop shirt, and a very Dale Earnhardt Sr style Bass Pro Shops shirt (90s tagline included.)
Vintage NASCAR merchandise is often cited as the best of the best. The over-the-top graphics, personality, and look of the creations from past merchandise dealers is a nostalgia rush for almost any fan.
While this merchandise is often replicated or used as inspiration, modern takes on big-print 90s-style NASCAR shirts can often fall flat. But what if there was a best-of-both-worlds scenario?
That’s where this shirt, based on Carson Hocevar’s Chili’s ‘Ride the ‘Dente,’ scheme comes into play. While it takes into account the classic retro styling of big, over-the-top, and full of personality, this shirt is unique.
Featuring the car, often pointed to as one of the best schemes this season, two cocktail shakers, and a bull (for some reason), this shirt may take the cake for best NASCAR shirt this season.
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