A year after NBC got into the NASCAR broadcasting business, the company is moving into the die-cast licensing field, albeit slowly. Hitting stores and trackside trailers now is a 1:24th-scale model of a Ford carrying the NBC and TNT logos.
The car, which retails for $79.95, is the result of an unusual deal with Roush Racing's licensing unit, Team Caliber, which will test the marketplace for non-driver related products.
"It's something unique," says Randy Duncan, executive vice president of Team Caliber. "Being that it's not tied to a driver and a specific team, we're not really sure of the true collectability yet."
Helping make it more valuable on the secondary marketplace-or perhaps a sign of the uncertainty of interest-Team Caliber will produce between 2,000 and 3,000 NBC cars. In comparison, Team Caliber would produce more, even for a mid-level driver.
"This is what we would consider-not knowing what's going to happen-a small production run," Duncan says. "It's one of the smaller runs we would do."
NBC's program came together rather quickly. Typically, it takes about 90 days to get a die-cast car together, but the Team Caliber/NBC deal was pushed through in about 60. "It's going to be a novelty at first," Duncan says. "But we definitely want it to do well."
Indeed, if the first run takes off, Team Caliber and NBC plan on expanding the program to include other projects, perhaps a 1:64th-scale model targeted for the children's market. "We're in the merchandising business," Duncan says. "NBC and TNT are in the business to produce TV. It's just a perfect fit for both of us."
The NBC die-cast is part of a multi-level relationship between the broadcaster and Roush Racing. When NBC producers were planning this year's race coverage (the network picked up the package midway through the season from Fox) they wanted a tool in the broadcast booth that would enable Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach, and Alan Bestwick to explain parts of the car to viewers.
What they came up with was a quarter-scale version of a Roush car. The broadcasters can point to, say, a trailing arm during a race should a driver have a problem with that component. The on-air car is identified with a Team Caliber logo, along with NBC's trademark colors. Also part of the program is a full-size race car prepared by Roush Racing that Dallenbach drives to show viewers the driving lines and differences at each racetrack.
The die-cast cars will be available in Roush Racing's many trackside trailers, in major retail outlets, online and in hobby stores.
There will be some on-track tie-ins to the new cars, according to Duncan. Later in the season, Roush driver Greg Biffle will race in a handful of events with NBC/TNT sponsorship, which could spark some sales of the NBC collectible.
Also On The Market
A couple of new books might be of interest to NASCAR fans.Jay Ahuja has put together "Speed Dreams: A Guide to America's 23 NASCAR Tracks" (Kensington Publishing, $18.95). The 224-page project provides fans with a history of each track, the area where they're located and information about traveling in the region.
And the folks at Life Magazine have released "American Speed, From Dirt Tracks to Indy to NASCAR," a photographic look back at all aspects of auto racing. The book is from Life Books and sells for $19.95.