NASCAR Action Figures by Racing Champions
Info
1991
In 1991 Racing Champions produced six action figures of popular NASCAR drivers for their Racing Superstars series of toys. All the figures were made from the exact same mold, except for the heads, which were more or less (usually less) made to look like their respective drivers. Each figure was available with or without a 1:64 scale die-cast car, display stand and collector card, but they all came with a helmet and hat which could be fitted upon the figure's head.
The drivers represented in the 1991 series were:
Since these figures are constructed exactly like G.I. Joe action figures from the same era, they stand at about 3.75 inches tall. That makes them roughly 1:19 scale: too small for 1:18, too big for 1:24! I think it would have been cool if Racing Champions could have produced some sort of plastic 1:19 scale cars to go along with the figures, and maybe a "pit crew playset" or something. Maybe even a 148-foot Bristol Motor Speedway playset! (Of course I'm kidding about the Bristol playset [am I?]).
1992
Things were a little different in 1992. The Racing Superstars title was dropped (most likely because of copyright issues) in favor of the more redundant title, Racing Champions. This year only five figures were produced. Again, each figure was available with or without the 1:64 scale die-cast car, display stand and collector card (although today it seems the figures without the extras are harder to find).
The drivers represented in the 1992 series were:
It appears a sixth figure was planned for 1992, but never made it to production. On the back of every card is a list of available drivers one can collect. In addition to the 11 names above, Darrel Waltrip is included on this list. I've never found this figure for sale on eBay, nor have I even seen a photo of it on Google[*]. I've been informed that, while the other 11 drivers are listed in Beckett's price guide, Darrell Waltrip is not. It's a shame because out of the 12 drivers, he would've been my favorite. I don't know the reason why he was never made, but I imagine either the series just wasn't selling well, or at the last minute Racing Champions lost the rights to DW's likeness.
*Update!
I have been contacted by Scott Jackson of Loganville, GA who has informed me that at least one Darrell Waltrip figure actually did get made. How does he know this? Why, he owns it of course! The figure was found within a lot of 20 other figures from this series. What a find! Scott has graciously given me permission to post a photo of his Darrell Waltrip figure on this Web site. Check out the link below. Thanks, Scott!
It would be interesting to know where this series would have gone had more of these figures been made. Dale Earnhardt is a glaring omission, and Alan Kulwicki would have been a no brainer for 1993. The Jeff Gordon figure would've no doubt been popular, as well as other drivers such as Davey Allison, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Terry Labonte, Mark Martin and Ricky Rudd.
Photos
Click on images below for more detail.
1991
Derrike Cope
Driver: Derrike Cope
Number: 10
Sponsor: Purolator
Accessories: Ball cap and race helmet
Bill Elliott
Driver: Bill Elliott
Number: 9
Sponsor: Melling
Accessories: Ball cap and race helmet
Bill Elliott's main sponsor in 1991 was actually Coors Light. Racing Champions must have had the insight that advertising alcohol on a kid's toy would generally be frowned upon. Instead, they went with Bill's secondary sponsor, Melling Auto Parts.
Bobby Hamilton
Driver: Bobby Hamilton
Number: 68
Sponsor: Country Time
Accessories: Ball cap and race helmet
Sterling Marlin
Driver: Sterling Marlin
Number: 22
Sponsor: Maxwell House
Accessories: Ball cap and race helmet
Richard Petty
Driver: Richard Petty
Number: 43
Sponsor: STP
Accessories: Cowboy hat and race helmet
Ken Schrader
Driver: Ken Schrader
Number: 25
Sponsor: None
Accessories: Ball cap and race helmet
Ken Schrader's sponsor in 1991 was actually Kodiak Chewing Tobacco. Like the Bill Elliott figure, Racing Champions decided Ken's sponsorship was not appropriate for a kid's toy. Unlike the Bill Elliott figure, Ken's was left with a clean slate, and no sponsor at all.
Card backs
All the 1991 figures had one of two card backs, depending on if they came with the die-cast car or not. This is a card back from a figure that did not come with the die-cast car. The waist pieces on the photographed figures are not as tall as those found on the actual figures themselves. I think the shorter waist pieces make the figures look weird. Good call Racing Champions!
1992
Harry Gant
Driver: Harry Gant
Number: 33
Sponsor: None
Accessories: Ball cap, race helmet, 1:64 scale die-cast car, display stand and collector card
Harry Gant's sponsor in 1992 was actually Skoal Bandit Chewing Tobacco. As we've already been shown, Racing Champions considered alcohol and tobacco products inappropriate for kids' toys. This leaves Harry with a sponsorless ride.
Ernie Irvan
Driver: Ernie Irvan
Number: 4
Sponsor: Kodak
Accessories: Ball cap, race helmet, 1:64 scale die-cast car, display stand and collector card
Kyle Petty
Driver: Kyle Petty
Number: 42
Sponsor: Mello Yello
Accessories: Ball cap, race helmet, 1:64 scale die-cast car, display stand and collector card
Hut Stricklin
Driver: Hut Stricklin
Number: 12
Sponsor: Raybestos
Accessories: Ball cap, race helmet, 1:64 scale die-cast car, display stand and collector card
Rusty Wallace
Driver: Rusty Wallace
Number: 2
Sponsor: Pontiac Excitement
Accessories: Ball cap, race helmet, 1:64 scale die-cast car, display stand and collector card
Rusty Wallace's sponsor in 1992 was actually Miller Genuine Draft. Instead of leaving Rusty sponsorless, as Racing Champions had done with some other drivers, he was given the somewhat generic sponsor of Pontiac Excitement.
Darrell Waltrip
Driver: Darrell Waltrip
Number: 17
Sponsor: Western Auto
Accessories: Ball cap and race helmet
Special thanks to Scott Jackson of Loganville, GA for the photo! Here it is, the elusive Darrell Waltrip figure. It's impossible to tell how many of these ever existed, but as far as I know this is the only one that exists today!
Card backs
All the 1992 figures had one of two card backs, depending on if they came with the die-cast car or not. This is a card back from a figure that did come with the die-cast car. The list of drivers at the top includes all the figures from 1991 as well as 1992, along with Darrell Waltrip whose figure apparently never made it to production lines.
Construction
Anyone who is familiar with G.I. Joe action figures from the same era may notice how these Racing Champions figures share the exact same construction.
The likeness is even more uncanny as you take a look inside. It's the same through and through, right down to the "O-ring" and "T-hook".
The only difference is a minor one. The ball and socket joints at the neck are a little bigger on G.I. Joe figures, which makes goofy-head-swapping more difficult.
Here is Ken Schrader among several G.I. Joe figures for height comparison. Yo Joe!
I find it mildly interesting that the white plastic used for Ken Schrader has held up better than the plastic used for Snow Job™.
This is the closest thing to a stock car I have for this figure. Those missile launchers should come in handy on race day!
Web site history
Some time while I was a kid my older brother managed to obtain the Ken Schrader figure from this series. I don't know if my brother was a fan of his or what, but because we were both big into G.I. Joe figures maybe he thought with a little imagination Ken could just be one of the Joes! This was before I had ever had any interest in NASCAR (eventually brought on in 1994 by the Papyrus game NASCAR Racing), so I didn't have a clue as to who Ken Schrader was outside of the figure. We always kept Ken in the box (pile on the floor) with the other Joes, and there he remained until recently when it was suggested I should move a bunch of my stuff from our mom's house to my own house.
When I rediscovered the Ken Schrader figure I decided to do some research. I was delighted to see that it was made by Racing Champions, and I was intrigued to find out what other drivers they decided to make. Surprisingly, it was no small task gathering information about these figures. At first it looked like they had only made the six from 1991. The name change in 1992 made it harder to find the other five as quickly. Despite the small difficulties, I managed to get a hold of at least one version of each of the 11 figures. It was a fun, quick and cheap collection to obtain. I thought it would've been nice if there had been a Web site somewhere with all the information in one convenient place, so here it is for the five or six other people who might be interested in these figures!
If you see any errors or would like to contribute something to this Web site, please let me know!