NASCAR fan merchandise is as hot as a summer heat wave.

Check out the cool NASCAR merchandise at www.nascar-things.com after you finish this article

The NASCAR formula is one that no other spectator sport matches. Weekly, the top teams (drivers) are battling directly against each other. Unlike, for example the NFL, where you could have to wait for weeks for that critical match up, at a NASCAR race, you can follow number 1 battling number 2 every week. It’s almost like having the Super Bowl of this sport every week.

Surprisingly, 40% of today’s race fans are women and 53% work in white-collar or skilled labor jobs. And even with this diversity, the counts continue to be strong; yearly attendance at the tracks is above 7 million and over 275 million People view on the tube.

From its modest origins in the South, NASCAR has grown to gigantic popularity across the entire country recently. From the beginning races started in 1948 to the current NEXTEL Cup and Busch series, NASCAR has become arguably the leading spectator sport in The United States, featuring 75 million loyal fans.

The NASCAR brand is now recognized around the world as a preeminent sports property. More Fortune 500 firms use investment in NASCAR racing than any other sport. Landor Associates was cited in December 2004 as stating “NASCAR was the #6 brand in 2004 and is predicted to be the #2 brand in 2005, ahead of Google and iPod,”

Those who monitor the races ascribe several reasons to its’ success. Years of history and a grass beginnings beginning are just a couple of the reasons given for the sport’s development. The lineage of the sport in the “bootlegging” days and the humble start of quite a few of it’s initial stars seems to be attractive to buffs in this day of the spoiled, indulged, disrespectful professional athlete.

Race buffs seem to have a great desire for merchandise that shows support for their favourite driver, whether it is by donning NASCAR apparel, scarfing up NASCAR accessories for their auto or pickup truck, or even decorating their home. NASCAR clocks, even warm, comfortable NASCAR throw blankets, bed sheets and wall tapestries are showing up in homes everywhere.

From little local raceways in the South, NASCAR has become big business today. With tV revenues, sponsorship money, and licensed merchandise sales, NASCAR generates huge bucks today. NASCAR merchandise sales now have risen to top $2 billion per year and the markets continue to remain strong. This is built on a 250% increase from 1995 to 2004.

While the NASCAR diecast market has slowed down recently, it is still reasonable in strength. As drivers alter their paint schemes, it lets product producers to develop the product sets several times over in this sub market and that helps keep gross revenue moving.

Within the vast NASCAR wares market, strong sub markets turn up. NASCAR collectibles have become big just by themselves. A variety of things from plaques and autographed pics to diecast cars are snapped up, partially due to success, but also in hopes of increase in value for the collectables market.

Clothing such as NASCAR jackets, NASCAR jerseys and t-shirts, etc appear to be flourishing in success as makers bring out expanded items and are even including more expensive things like leather jackets and specialty products like NASCAR jewelry. The true devotee can even outfit the entire household with new introductions of entire NASCAR kids clothing and youth lines.

Where will it all end? I don’t think we know, but when I see corporate secretaries putting on their favorite NASCAR hats and white collar managers donning NASCAR shirts with photographs of “Junior” plastered on them, I question if there is a limit to this arena.