NASCAR follows trend of increased bling for champs (cont'd)

Crew members of championship-winning teams receive rings as well.

Before Jimmie Johnson won his second championship, his crew member Chris Anderson, who already won three rings with Jeff Gordon, said he keeps his rings in a safe. He pulls them out every once in a while.

"But I don't wear them much. I always figure if I start putting them on, that means I don't want any more. And I still want to collect more," he said.

And during the 2008 season kickoff luncheon, Rick Hendrick presented every full-time employee at Hendrick Motorsports with a ring to match Johnson's championship ring. That's 550 employees, $445 for each Jostens-made ring. You do the math.

NASCAR bling is gender specific as well.

Drivers' wives also receive a championship trinket of their own -- a charm bracelet to match the championship ring their respective husband wears. And if a Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver wins the Daytona 500 this weekend, Teresa Earnhardt receives a charm replicating the top of the Daytona 500 ring made by Herff Jones.

Bruns said the partnership to make championship rings began about four years ago. Before that, he said, NASCAR used Tiffany.

"They wanted to update their program to the Super Bowl level and NBA," he said.

With black and white diamonds, platinum and stones to match team sponsors, the Cup championship rings rival most NFL Super Bowl rings.

The same design is used each year. The only thing to change is the series sponsor and colors and number reflecting the winning team's sponsor. Art is worked up for a handful of potential championship-winning drivers weeks before the season-ending race.

"The race for the Truck champ was so close we made one for [Mike] Skinner and [Ron] Hornaday," Bruns said. "The championship ended on Friday and the banquet was Monday, we wouldn't have enough time to make a change."

Production takes five to eight weeks to complete.

But if it's a Daytona 500 ring, fans can have those now.

Fans can order a replica of the winning drivers' ring at www.50thrunningrings.com, but that is only if the buyer refrains from punching a Busch or a Stewart fan in the face during the race.