Die-cast collectors hit yellow brick road

Die-cast collectors are hitting the road. The Yellow Brick Road, that is. The latest movie-themed special paint job program pairs four NASCAR NEXTEL stars with one of the most popular motion pictures ever released.

If they gave an award for "most watched movie of all time," it would likely go to "The Wizard of Oz."

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In the 101 years since "The Great Train Robbery" launched the motion picture industry, it is highly-doubtful that any film has been viewed by more people than the 1939 adaptation of L. Frank Baum's classic children's book, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Regular television broadcasts through the years have endeared the film and its characters to one generation after another.

Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly, the Tin Man, The Wicked Witch -- even those gosh-awful flying monkeys... They are as much a part of our culture as mom and apple pie. The film won two Oscars for Best Song and Best Original Score, and Judy Garland's starring role as Dorothy earned her a special Academy Award for her outstanding performance as a screen juvenile. Now, the most-watched movie and the most-watched form of motorsports have come together.

Jeff Gordon, Elliott Sadler, Brendan Gaughan and Scott Riggs are bound for the Emerald City by way of Kansas Speedway. That's where the quartet will showcase special Wizard of Oz-themed paint schemes in the October 10 running of the Banquet 400.

All four cars--as well as an event car--have been replicated by Action Performance, the longtime leader in special paint scheme promotions. Those cars are currently among the hottest sellers at the NASCAR.com SuperStore.

"There isn't a better setting than Kansas Speedway to honor a film that, for decades, has been praised for its revolutionary style, music and conscience," noted Fred Wagenhals, Actions' chairman, president and CEO. "Best of all, The Wizard of Oz has managed to permeate nearly every cultural and age demographic. Fans of the film still marvel at its beauty and watch it year in and year out without fail."

Here's the way they'll pair up for the journey down racing's Yellow Brick Road:

"It always amazes me how far they can branch out with sponsors like M&M'S and Pedigree Brand," said Sadler, currently among the top 10 in NEXTEL Cup points with a win at Texas to his credit.. "To be running the Wizard of Oz paint scheme at a place like Kansas is really cool. I know there are so many fans out there looking forward to seeing that car on the track and also buying the die-cast when it comes out. I hope we can follow the yellow brick road on my car right to victory lane."

"I'm pretty excited about running the No. 10 Wizard of Oz/ Valvoline Chevrolet in Kansas," Riggs said. "We have the Tin Man on our car, which makes sense because his head is a funnel and he's made of oil cans. It will be neat to have the Tin Man riding along with us out there... I think he's looking for a heart in the original story and this Valvoline team definitely has heart, so we should make a good team."

A full 65 years after the movie's release, the Wizard of Oz is still on of the world's most-collected licenses. There are hundreds and hundreds of web sites dedicted to collectors of memorabilia pertaining to the movie. A search of eBay revealed more than 4200 Oz-themed items up for bid, including plates, photos, candles, posters, bracelets, dolls and figures-you name it. If it can be collected, somebody is making it.

Consequently, it's a sure bet there will be more than a few crossover collectors -- those who aren't necessarily NASCAR fans but collect anything "Oz" -- scooping up the Action Wizard of Oz cars. In fact, many web sites and message boards are already alerting mainstream Oz collectors of the new die-casts.

The result is added long term collectibility to a broader collector-base. That means NASCAR fans need to act fast. These cars might soon be more elusive than the Ruby Slippers.