Dale Earnhardt Jr. Had Six Of Top 10 Best-Selling NASCAR Diecasts In 2017

The National Motorsports Press Association apparently could have named the most popular driver of 2017 based on merchandise sales and the result would have remained the same.

Lionel Racing tweeted a picture Thursday, revealing that Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s cars accounted for six of the 10 best-selling NASCAR diecasts of 2017. The top-10 list proves that NASCAR fans actually put their money where their mouths are, as 68 percent of fan-submitted votes for the most popular driver award similarly were for Earnhardt.

The No. 88 Chevrolet sported multiple looks during Earnhardt’s final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, with one-off paint schemes for the Ford EcoBoost 400, NASCAR All-Star Race and various other races. But one of the special paint jobs didn’t crack the top-10: Earnhardt’s AC Delco-themed ride.

Many fans weren’t a fan of the Axalta-branded throwback scheme, as it wasn’t one of the more recognizable designs from the 43-year-old’s career. But Earnhardt noted at the time that it was significant to him, given that it was the car that launched his career.