NASCAR speeds into new season, collectibles hobby with vintage gems, hot new modern cards

When the Daytona 500 takes the green flag on Sunday, Feb. 16, it will kick off another collecting season for NASCAR fans who dabble in racing collectibles.

Though NASCAR fans aren’t as passionate about card collecting as traditional sports fans, that is starting to change, with some of the sport’s oldest cards gaining value and more current fans chasing modern gems.

While Topps owns the rights to the more popular F1 Series, Panini produces plenty of NASCAR cards on its National Treasures, Prizm, Chronicles and Donruss brands. And Panini's NASCAR ambassador, Joey Logano, enters 2025 as the defending Cup Series champion. 

With the 2025 season going green Sunday, here’s a look at some of the top vintage and modern cards to collect.

Any discussion of NASCAR cards begins with the late seven-time champion, who is regarded by many as the greatest stock-car driver of all time. His Maxx rookie card was first produced in 1988 but not released until the 1994 Maxx Medallion set. A PSA 10 has sold for as much as $10,000, making it one of the most valuable NASCAR cards.

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No name is more synonymous with NASCAR than Petty, the family that produced four generations of winning drivers. Richard, 87, was the sport’s biggest star, winning seven championships and a record 200 Cup races. And no one in sports has signed more autographs. 

Petty’s 1972 rookie card is not only one of the sport’s first vintage cards, it was produced by Petty’s longtime sponsor. A PSA 6 version sold for $984.

Gordon supplanted Earnhardt as NASCAR’s biggest star shortly after arriving on the scene in 1994, opening the door for new drivers, sponsors and fans. The World of Outlaws set, one of the top NASCAR releases of the 1980s, features Gordon as a 16-year-old sprint car star. 

His rookie card sold for $850 in a PSA 10, though some collectors prefer his 1991 Traks rookie.

Allison, a Hall of Famer with 85 Cup wins, including three Daytona 500s, was one NASCAR’s Big Four stars (Petty, Allison, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough) of the 1960s and ’70s. A founder of the famous “Alabama Gang,” Allison is another star of the 1972 STP set. 

A PSA 4 version sold for $700 but the value is sure to rise following Allison’s death late last year.

Dale Jr., a two-time Daytona 500 winner, is also a NASCAR Hall of Famer and won the sport’s coveted Most Popular Driver award 15 times. His 2021 National Treasures card with a Mountain Dew sponsorship patch is one of NASCAR’s first patch auto cards. A raw version recently sold for $2,125.

Any card featuring Earnhardt and Petty is a gem, especially an autographed version. Some collectors prefer the 1998 Upper Deck SP Authentic Tradition Petty/Earnhardt Dual Autograph, which sold for $3,000 in December 2022, but the older Traks card is popular among longtime NASCAR fans.

This Pinnacle issue features seven diamonds (for Earnhardt’s seven championships) embedded in the bottom of the card, a true rarity in 1996. As a result, it is considered the most valuable card in the hobby, with a CSG 7 selling for $10,000 in July 2022.

The top current NASCAR drivers to collect:

Still racing at age 49, the seven-time champion will make his 22nd start Sunday in the Daytona 500, a race he has won twice. A 1/1 2021 National Treasures NASCAR Booklet Autograph card of the seven-time champion sold for $2,500.

The two-time Cup champion is one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers of all time, with 231 wins (63 Cup wins) across NASCAR’s three national series—a feat some consider as significant at Petty’s 200 wins. A two-time champion, the only void on Busch's sterling resume is a win in “The Great American Race.”

A three-time Cup champion with 36 career wins, Logano won his third Cup title just last year. Panini’s racing card ambassador, Logano won the 2015 Daytona 500. 

Though he has yet to win a Cup championship, Hamlin has 54 career Cup wins (12^th on the all-time list), including three Daytona 500s. He is also co-owner of 23XI Racing with NBA great Michael Jordan.

Widely regarded as NASCAR’s best current driver, Larson has 23 Cup wins in the last four years, including 10 in his dominant 2021 championship season. Like Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, he also has hundreds of wins in other racing series and raced in last year’s Indy 500. 

The son of Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, Chase has emerged as NASCAR’s most popular driver. At 29, the 2020 Cup champion is following in his father’s footsteps with 19 career victories.

Another legacy driver, the son of former Cup driver Dave Blaney won the 2023 Cup title and has also emerged as one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers. He and and his best friend, Chase Elliott, will both be contenders to win the Daytona 500.