Last call for Dale Jr. Budweiser gear

If you're a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan, your time is running out if you want to buy new No. 8 Budweiser merchandise. As racing's biggest star prepares for the next chapter of his career, production winds to a halt on No. 8 Budweiser memorabilia.

Here are some highlights of the Bud gear that's still available:

Last Special Paint Scheme

Earnhardt Jr. ran his last Budweiser special paint job in the Chevy Rock 'N' Roll 400 at Richmond, a Elvis 30th Anniversary commemorative color scheme.

The predominantly white car with black and red highlights featured Elvis' image on the hood and rear quarter panels, plus the King's image and "Elvis 30th" on the deck lid. Earnhardt Jr. unveiled the car on the front steps of Elvis' Graceland mansion on Aug. 13, with the car on display for Elvis fans in the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum throughout the week-long celebration.

To celebrate the special promotion, Motorsports Authentics created a full line of merchandise including die-cast collectible cars, tee-shirts, decals, magnets, guitar bottle openers, twill jackets, collector pins and much more.

"Dale Jr. is a big Elvis fan, so the King of Rock 'n' Roll and the current king of NASCAR coming together is a fans' dream come true," said Mark Dyer, president and CEO of Motorsports Authentics. "Budweiser, Elvis Presley Enterprises and Motorsports Authentics have developed some very cool and unique merchandise to commemorate this special occasion, and we know Elvis and Earnhardt Jr. fans will be excited to take home a piece of this historic occasion."

Die-casts and more

Motorsports Authentics die-cast replicas of several variations of the No. 8 car are still available, including the "57 Chevy tribute, the Johns Manville Busch car, the '06 Ralph Earnhardt Father's Day tribute, the Stars and Stripes car, and the Sharpie livery.

"Die-cast sales have been very strong, both with the red Bud cars and special paint jobs," says Scott Warfield, Director of Media and Public Relations for Motorsports Authentics. "The fans expect Junior's die-cast to become instant collector's items."

Demand for Dale Jr. die-cast has kept prices holding steady. If you're looking for something other than die-cast, however, you'll find some awesome bargains available. The Superstore still has a healthy supply of Dale Jr. Bud items in virtually every other category, and most come with some mighty inviting discounts.

Clocks, books, apparel, souvenir and novelty items, household wares, photos and posters, specialized and autographed memorabilia, tailgating supplies, auto accessories, watches and jewelry.

Remember, the first is always the most special, and usually the most valuable down the road. Remember those five die-casts that were done in 1999 to commemorate Junior's first five starts? Trying finding a deal on one of those.