Confirmed: Lionel and Round 2 to Merge into New “Lionel Brands Group”

by Josh Mull

What’s Happening?

Following days of intense online speculation and rumors within the diecast community, Lionel, LLC has officially confirmed that it is set to be acquired by Round 2, a portfolio company of Praesidian Capital.

The two giants of the hobby and collectibles industry will eventually merge to form a new entity known as the Lionel Brands Group.

The Daily Downforce reached out to Lionel, and they confirmed Round 2’s intent to purchase the company, noting that the transaction is expected to progress over the coming weeks. The move signals a major shift in the landscape of NASCAR merchandising and diecast production, bringing together two of the most recognizable names in the business.

“We are aligned around a shared vision to build a stronger, fan-first platform that supports the brands, communities, and partners that have made each company successful,” the statement read.

Business as Usual for Now

For fans and collectors worried about immediate disruptions to their pre-orders or current programs, Lionel emphasized that the transition will not affect day-to-day operations in the short term.

“In the near term, it remains business as usual,” the company stated. “Our priority is maintaining continuity and supporting the programs already underway.”

Lionel, which has long held the exclusive license for NASCAR diecast, and Round 2 (known for brands like AMT, Johnny Lightning, and Racing Champions) aim to leverage their combined “strong legacies” to create new growth opportunities.

While the announcement confirms the intent to merge, specific details regarding future product lines or changes to the “Lionel Racing” brand remain under wraps. The company noted that future updates will be shared via their official social media channels as the transaction moves forward.

The statement concluded with a nod to NASCAR fans: “We’ll be in touch once we have more to share – Enjoy the race Atlanta!”

Are you a diecast collector? What do you think about this latest move? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

JGR Lawsuit: What Confidential Information Was Allegedly Taken?

by Bryan Aguiar

What’s Happening?

Joe Gibbs Racing alleged that former competition director Chris Gabehart took a wide range of confidential team information regarding competitive performance data, engineering processes, financial records, and internal personnel details. But what exactly do the documents say was taken?

• Performance, payroll, and financial data stored on personal devices: The lawsuit claims that numerous internal photos were saved to Gabehart’s personal phone and Google Photos account, which JGR says were not approved for confidential storage and were accessible to third parties, including his spouse. These images allegedly included post-race audits for the entire 2025 season, detailed team payroll information with contracts and compensation structures, tools for projecting employee pay, driver salaries for multiple seasons, sponsor and partner revenue figures, pit crew analytics, and tire performance analyses.
• Extensive race analytics and proprietary setup files: Within the “Spire” folder, JGR says investigators found deeply technical documents tied to competitive performance. This allegedly included 140+ pages of post-race data analysis from a 2025 Las Vegas event detailing what metrics the team measures and how it measures them, as well as more than 20 “eLap” files generated by proprietary software. These reports incorporate inputs from hundreds of employees, historical databases, and simulation work to determine optimal racecar setups, which means it effectively represents the culmination of years of institutional knowledge.
• Driver feedback systems and engineering intelligence: The complaint also references internal post-race debrief surveys completed by drivers after each event, which document both subjective feedback and structured data collection. Additional documents allegedly covered proprietary engine output information and recommended gear-shift points, along with photos of racecar diffuser skirts showing damage after a 2025 race.
• Tire strategy, logistics, and fuel-modeling methods: Several documents reportedly describe how JGR selects, manages, and cycles tires during races. Others detail initiatives for transporting equipment and racecars more efficiently while improving communication among engineers. The filing also mentions proprietary fuel-mileage estimation models for both JGR drivers and competitors, including methods used to refine accuracy during races.
• Compensation records and competitive performance comparisons: Investigators allegedly found spreadsheets listing base salaries and bonus structures for key team personnel, along with documents comparing a JGR driver’s performance at a specific race to that of a Spire driver using JGR’s proprietary analytical tools. JGR argues that both categories of information are highly sensitive.
• Alleged recruitment of JGR personnel: In addition to the data itself, Gabehart allegedly attempted to recruit JGR employees to join him at Spire. The complaint states that he had access to payroll information for all drivers and employees, which JGR suggests could have supported those efforts. According to the filing, at least one employee has already left JGR for Spire.

What JGR Is Seeking From the Lawsuit

JGR states it is entitled to damages believed to exceed $8 million, potentially subject to enhancement, along with attorneys’ fees. The organization is also seeking multiple forms of relief, expected to exceed that amount, as well as a cease-and-desist order to prevent any use or disclosure of what it describes as trade secrets.

You can learn more about the lawsuit itself, the circumstances surrounding Gabehart’s departure, and the broader allegations in the article linked below

NASCAR isn’t nerdy enough…

by Bryan Aguiar

NASCAR isn’t nerdy enough. Not in a cringe way, not in a gimmicky way, but in a way that could quietly and organically grow the sport. After a Daytona weekend filled with spectacle and nostalgia, DJ Yee believes there’s a bigger opportunity sitting right in front of NASCAR, one that doesn’t change the racing at all but could completely change how fans engage with it.

• Is NASCAR leaving storytelling power on the table by hiding deeper data?
• Could advanced stats create year-round narratives the sport desperately needs?
• Why do sports like baseball thrive on analytics while NASCAR stays surface-level?
• And what if fans could choose to dive deeper without it affecting casual viewers at all?

Other leagues have turned analytics into conversation fuel. In baseball, stars like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani aren’t loud personalities, but advanced metrics tell their story anyway. NASCAR, meanwhile, has mountains of telemetry data but shares very little of it in a meaningful way. Throttle traces, brake usage, steering inputs, tire wear models, fuel efficiency ratings, clean air percentages, and even a “positions above replacement” type metric, the possibilities are endless. None of it would intrude on the racing. Casual fans could ignore it. But hardcore fans, creators, and analysts would suddenly have tools to build deeper narratives around drivers and performance.

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