By Van Cox, Special to NASCAR.COM
September 8, 2005
02:59 PM EDT (18:59 GMT)
As NASCAR's popularity grows, more and more households have a "racing room." In the beginning, fans improvised, furnishing that special place in their home with whatever odds and ends they could find. These days, a number of manufacturers are producing NASCAR-themed furniture. High Point, N.C.-based Racing Furniture, for example, offers an extensive line of home furnishings that includes driver-specific chairs, recliners, ottomans, love seats and sofas. Featured drivers include Dale Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. "With more races moving to different parts of the country, most fans watch 80-90 percent of the races on television," says Racing Furniture's Jay Shurling. "Now, when they aren't in the grandstands wearing their favorite driver's tee shirt, they can watch the race on TV while sitting on high-quality furniture decorated in that driver's colors and car number." Price-wise, Racing Furniture's product line starts at around $99.99 for a bean bag chair and tops out at the company's high end driver-specific leather sofa, an extraordinarily nice piece that falls in the $1700-1800 range. There are plenty of other items selling for $650-1200, with a quite a few of them featuring the microfiber upholstery that has become so popular of late.. According to Shurling, the company will soon release a more affordably priced selection of domestically manufactured furniture with chairs starting at around $399 and sofas at around $499. "All of our furniture is extremely well-made, very durable and designed to give fans plenty of service and enjoyment," he notes. Fans in the market for premium quality indoor/outdoor furniture need look no further than Winning Link. The brand markets a full complement of metal chairs and glass top tables showcasing NASCAR's top competitors. Depending on the style, chairs are priced at $200-300, with glass top tables selling for $700-1000. Also based in High Point, Winning Link boasts a driver roster highlighted by Gordon, Johnson, Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Jeremy Mayfield, Jason Leffler, Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte. Five styles of Winning Link tables are offered: Cooler Tables with and without an umbrella, dining tables, bar tables, and counter tables. The chair ensemble also includes five offerings: a standard indoor/outdoor chair, two styles of bar stools (swiveling and stationary), and two styles of counter stools (again, swiveling and non-swiveling.) The NASCAR.COM SuperStore currently stocks more than 40 items from Racing Furniture and Winning Link. | 
