Action replicates California rides

For a guy who is in semi-retirement, Bill Elliott still casts a pretty long shadow in the collectibles area. Guess there's something to that 16-time Most Popular Driver thing, huh? And the fact that he still runs up front during while running a limited schedule doesn't hurt either. Seriously, "Awesome Bill" is awesome still to the legion of fans who collect his memorabilia.

Elliott has been paired with five different different paint schemes so far this year, and all five have been a hit with collectors. Last weekend at California Speedway, the former NASCAR Cup Series champion ran a somewhat familiar paint scheme as part of a two-race deal with McDonalds, which was Elliott's primary sponsor from 1994-2000. The No. 98 Dodge carried the trademark Golden Arches along with the hamburger chain's "I'm lovin' it" slogan. Elliott will race the McDonald's car again in November at Atlanta.

"I am thrilled to once again be affiliated with McDonald's," said Elliott, whose limited schedule has seen him race in his own cars as well as those fielded by Evernham Motorsports. "I've had many great things happen to me in my career and one of them was having the highly-visible McDonald's sponsorship for six years."

SUPERSTORE •   Dale Jr./Dave Matthews 1:24 die-cast •   Bill Elliott/"Lovin' It" 1:24 die-cast

The No. 98 Bill Elliott McDonald's Dodge is being replicated by Action Performance.

Also available from Action is a reproduction of the No. 8 Budweiser Dave Matthews Band Chevrolet that Dale Earnhardt Jr. raced in California's Pop Secret 500. The pairing of the RCA recording artists and NASCAR's most high-profile rock music enthusiast is yet another extension of the burgeoning relationship between stock car racing and the entertainment world.

"While modern rock favorites Dave Matthews Band may not be the conventional choice to appear on the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet, the fact that such a big-name group is participating in the NASCAR experience shows just how mainstream the sport has become," said Fred W. Wagenhals, Action Performance's chairman, president and CEO.

"Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s diverse music taste is well known, and I think he welcomes the opportunity to expand his fans' musical horizons with a special Budweiser True Music imprint."

For the remaining 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series night races, which included last Sunday evening's event in the Golden State, 2002 champion Tony Stewart will race a paint scheme featuring a reversal of the traditional No. 20 Home Depot graphics package. Action is the exclusive manufacturer of die-cast for Joe Gibbs Racing, and is offering this piece as one of its newest releases.