First NASCAR cards of 2016!

I know this is later than I usually post, but I wanted to get it online the day it actually happened.

February 26th saw the first 2016 NASCAR cards make their way into my collection.

How you ask?

Well...Lionel now has the the license for retail store diecast sales again, for the first time since 2010, and they have begun issuing cars. The raced versions come with trading cards, and I found my first two tonight at my local Toys R Us. They actually had the entire second wave, which was 7 cars, but only two came with cards. (I got all 7 and soon there will be a post about them on Die Cast History)

The backs actually have info as well. All that's missing is a card number.

Here they are in package...

Just a few days before, my copy of Sports Illustrated for Kids arrived in the mail, which also had a card for Kyle Busch. This is a multi-sport set though, not a NASCAR set. I subscribe mostly to get the cards but I read the magazine too. I like that it covers multiple sports while the mainstream Sports Illustrated doesn't seem to realize there is more to sports than football and baseball.

There are 5 of the Raced Versions issued with cards so far, so 2 down, three to go...and I am still waiting on more details of the newly announced Panini NASCAR releases...