Chase gear heats up along with championship

The second edition of the Chase for The NASCAR Nextel Cup is off and running. Some folks love it; some folks still hate it. But it seems everyone loves the collectibles and souvenirs created to commemorate the 10-race shootout for auto racing's most coveted crown.

"It's kind of nice to be able to keep something from each year's Chase," says collector Terry Crump of Laconia, NH. "It's especially neat to be able to keep a running account of the drivers involved each year, particularly your favorites. And who ever knows? This stuff could be worth something some day."

Here's a look at a few of newest offerings from the NASCAR.COM SuperStore:

SUPERSTORE •   Browse Chase gear

Top 10 Panoramic Photo from Racing Reflections: Remember how popular---and collectible-those old Winston Posters used to be? The Chase for The NASCAR Nextel Cup Top 10 Panoramic Photo from Racing Reflections might well be the Winston Poster of the new millennium. This 10" x 30" panoramic photograph is double matted, displayed in a metal frame, and individually numbered to 333. The photo depicts each of the 10 drivers competing in the chase, along with their car number and replica autograph.

Checkered Flag Sports 2005 NASCAR Chase Cap: Checkered Flag Sports is offering two distinct styles of 2005 NASCAR Chase For The Nextel Cup caps. One is predominantly back with yellow trim, the other mostly yellow and trimmed in black. The cap has an adjustable Velcro closure and is designed with the embroidered NASCAR Chase for the Nextel Cup 2005 logo on the crown and the NASCAR color bar logo embroidered on the center of the bill.

Checkered Flag Sports Tee: Complete your Chase ensemble with CFS' Chase For The NASCAR Nextel Cup T-shirt. It's a classic black tee with Chase logos emblazoned on the front and back.

If you want to show the colors of your favorite Chase-bound driver, we can handle that too. Chase Authentics and Team Caliber have released driver-specific caps showcasing the 10 "Chasers." The one-size-fits-all cap features the driver's name, car number and 2005 Chase for the Nextel Cup logo embroidered on the crown and the trophy graphic embroidered on the center of the bill. Tee shirts are decorated in the team colors with the driver's name, car and Chase graphic on the chest, along with the 2005 Championship Contenders graphic screen-printed on the back.