T & L Racing Collectibles Info

Racing Collectibles - buying woes!

2008-04-23T21:33:00.003-04:00

Motorsports Authentics! (MA) formerly Action. All of us who are familiar with racing and NASCAR know of MA. I have a issue that I do not know how to resolve. I have been a BIG racing fan for years. Mainly NASCAR. I decided to start a side business selling racing collectibles. Since I still have to go to a regular day job to support my family I decided to open my business strictly on the Internet. I plan to retire in about 6 years from my current job and then move with my wife to Georgia. (we live in Florida at present where I was born and raised). Once we move and get settled I was planning on opening a brick and mortar racing collectible store in conjunction with my website. I figured I would get things going through my website business to learn the ropes. Was I in for a rude awakening. I started to look for distributors so I could obtain merchandise to sell on my site. I wanted to be able to sell the newest items. So my first thought was to contact MA. Well to my surprise I was informed I MUST have a brick and mortar store in order to "qualify" to become a dealer for MA products. So I had to look for other resources. I was able to find two other distributors that will sell to me but I can only get older diecast items. I am able to get some miscellaneous newer items such as watches, flags, banners, etc... but NO NEW DIECAST!!! Why you ask??? Because MA has the monopoly on the new stuff. I have no problem with that... Just let me but from them. I have a legitimate business and am willing to meet all their other requirements. It is not cost effective for me to open a brick and mortar store at this time. Plus I do not have the resources. In addition the market in my area of Florida for racing collectibles is not very popular. So what am I to do? I am still trying to locate additional distributors as well as figure out how to become a MA dealer. I presently have a website set up and have a SHOPPING link. It is not active at this time due to issues I had with a previous shopping cart/product display company I was using. I plan to find another as soon as I am able and can afford it. Any ideas out there for my situation is appreciated. I really enjoy doing this and would like to continue.

Tom
T & L Racing Collectibles

What is NASCAR and Who Are Its Fans?

2008-04-18T22:52:00.000-04:00

NASCAR, a sanctioning body which oversees many types of racing across the country, is a Motorsport that draws thousands of fans to tracks all over the United States. The company is a multibillion dollar empire built on brilliant marketing, speed and the American dream. It markets everything from motor oil to the military.

NASCAR, rooted in the dirt roads and mountain passes of the American south, is one of the fastest growing sports in America today -- 75 million Americans now count themselves as fans. It is about racing, about fun and sometimes, it's about celebrities too. It is evolving just like any successful business will do. It is a combination of technology, competitiveness, strategy, personalities, raw energy, exceptional noise and fan momentum that is unlike anything that's come before.

Without a doubt, Nascar is pure entertainment and a great example of immersion marketing. Proving that this enterprise is one of the top sports in the country is the number of raceways spread across the country. All one has to do is look at the evidence -- revenues, television ratings, and merchandising -- to conclude that NASCAR is one of America's most beloved and successful sports.

The unique thing about NASCAR is that it is both an individual sport and a team sport at the same time. Fortunately, it is a fairly easy sport to get into, understand, and follow. One of the most enjoyable aspects of NASCAR is following your favorite driver and their team as they compete.

NASCAR fans, part of a great fraternity with a common thread, are, for the most part, conservative to moderate and represent part of the GOP base. They are deeply connected to the sport of racing, the NASCAR brand and their favorite drivers. These fans are very passionate about the sport and spend weekends glued to their television sets, if not at the track, making sure their favorite drivers make it through the race safely.

Ther fans are generally middle class, with 42 percent of all fans earning an annual salary greater than $50,000. They are three times as likely to try and purchase sponsors' products and services and they are 94% more likely to have positive feelings about the sponsors. They are just Americans who love to watch automobile races. While they are 60 percent male, marketing officials say that now more than 40 percent of NASCAR fans are women, 10 million of which have become fans in the last five years.

There's no doubt NASCAR is where it is today because of a great entrepreneur, a person who understands the consumer, the customer and built this sport up to what it is today. That person is Bill France, Jr.

J. D. Sanders is a successful Webmaster and publisher of NASCAR-Stuff where you will find the latest in NASCAR news, videos and gear.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=JD_Sanders

Shopping For Authentic NASCAR Memorabilia

2008-04-18T22:48:00.000-04:00

The rush of seeing those cars go round and round at almost 200 MPH...the excitement of engines roaring and cars pulling into pitstops, vying for the front spot...it must be NASCAR! There’s good news for all you die-hard NASCAR fans. If you want to get your hands on some great memorabilia, you don’t have to go very far. You can find terrific mementos all over the place. Autographs, clothing, decals - whatever your heart’s desire, it’s out there. You just have to know where to look.

My first suggestion is to search the World Wide Web. With over 30 billion web pages available, many of them are just for NASCAR admirers like yourself. Auction sites like eBay or Yahoo Auctions are a good place to start. eBay, for example, had 329 items found for NASCAR collectibles (in April 2008). Bear in mind that when searching for anything on eBay, you may have to try various search phrases to maximize results. You’ll want to search for the words “NASCAR”, “racing” and “auto racing” to describe the sport. For the collectibles, try words like “memorabilia”, “antiques”, “collectibles”, “old”, or “historic”. It takes some time, but it’s worth it. And of course, don’t just limit yourself to eBay and Yahoo. There are plenty of online sites (including NASCAR.com) who sell items you’d be interested in. Try Googling the same search words if eBay doesn’t turn up anything you’d be attracted to.

Next, try searching trading posts, newspapers, and garage sales. They might seem like a long shot, but folks still use these outlets to sell NASCAR memorabilia. Then consider shopping at local antique stores and/or memorabilia shops. They display all kinds of collectibles—some brand new, and some used.

A good way to get NASCAR memorabilia is by going to an actual race. Granted, when you think of memorabilia, you think of something nostalgic. Most people don’t think of items you buy at a race as a collector’s item. But think of this—the merchandise of today is the memorabilia of tomorrow. So the next time you go to the race, be sure to purchase something. Ten or twenty years down the road, you may have a very valuable item, especially if it’s a memorable race!

There’s one thing to be aware of when buying collectibles (whether it’s NASCAR or anything else). Anybody can claim that an item is a collectible. That, of course, doesn’t necessarily make it so. Be sure your item has a certificate of authenticity and a return policy that’s acceptable to you. With online purchases, you also have to worry about websites wanting to infect your computer with spyware or fake sites stealing your identity. So go out and have fun searching for cool stuff...just be smart about it.

Matt D Murren owns and operates http://www.nascar-racing-fan.com

Nascar Memorabilia

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Murren

NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt Jr - From Boy to Superstar

2008-04-18T22:46:00.000-04:00

Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr., was born October 10th, 1974 in Concord, North Carolina with the families fire in his belly. Although his parents were separated when he was still a toddler, he is still very close to both his parents. A fire that burned down his mother's house forced him and his sister, Kelly, to live with his father and his new wife, Teresa, while his mother moved to Virginia. Junior was a bit of a rascal in his younger days so when his father saw fit to send him to military school for two years although, by the time he reached the age of 15, he decided to be like his father.

When he was 17, Jr. managed to pull together $500 after scrimping and saving to buy his first racecar from a junkyard. It was a 1979 Monte Carlo that needed a lot of work. Then he, his half-brother, Kerry, and father worked at fixing it up. His father was only determined to help with rebuilding the racecar and nothing more. When he was left on his own devices once he got behind the wheel to learn how to build up his own skills. Once high school was over, he enrolled for a two year course at the Mitchell Community College in North Carolina. He signed up for a course in automotives and during that time, he worked as a mechanic with his father. Word got around quick about his oil changes.

With his co-owned race car (Kerry had a say in it), Earnhardt Jr. went on to join the Late Model Stock Car division. It was then that he fine tuned his skills and gained more much needed knowledge on cars. One of his competitors then was his sister, Kelley. The only third generation NASCAR champion only began his racing career at age 17. He won the 1998 and 1999 Busch series titles over Matt Kenseth. In 2000, Earnhardt Jr., competed for his first Winston Cup victory. He also wrote a non-fiction book titled "DRIVER #8" which was primarily based on his rookie season.

The year after was one of the worst years for him. In 2001, he finished second in the 2001 Daytona 500 but his father had crashed in turn four and did not survive. His fathers death did visibly shake Earnhardt Jr's demeanor although he did race at Rockingham the following weekend. Eerily enough, he finished at the 43rd place after a wreck that was very similar to the one that his father had perished in the week earlier. Junior got back on his feet and won more races at Dover, Talladega and Daytona.

In 2002, Dale Jr. had to suffer through a concussion at Fontana in April which resulted in finishing places that were no better than the 30th spot. He did however bounce back and was able to get two more wins at Talladega as well as a pair of Bud Pole Awards and an 11-th place finish in the standings. In 2003, Jr. was really showing his true nettle when he was awarded the NMPA Most Popular Driver award as well as winning at Phoenix in October. He has gone on to win a great many more championships which, many agree, would have made his father proud.

Dale Jr. is not just an excellent racer, he is also a business man. He owns Hammerhead Entertainment which is a media production company and he is also partners with the investors who are currently building the Alabama Motorsports Park, A Dale Earnhardt Jr. Speedway. He has also made several cameos on music video clips, on radio and several TV shoes and advertisements.

For NASCAR Merchandise, Up to the minute News, and everything NASCAR including Nascar Jackets, Race Car jackets and Racing Jackets we have them at the best prices everyday! Not only am I the owner of NASCARsupershop.com but I am also the senior editor, website developer and a HUGE fan of NASCAR!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_DiCicco

NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt Sr - From Boy to Superstar

2008-04-18T22:42:00.000-04:00

Dale Earnhardt Sr. was born on April 29th, 1951 in Kannapolis, North Carolina and sadly died at aged 49 on February 18th, 2001 as a result of massive head trauma from a crash in the final lap of 2001 Daytona 500. Dale Sr. was also known as The Intimidator but those who knew him, would say differently. He was a philanthropist and never found the need for media coverage of his donations.

His father, Ralph Earnhardt, was one of the best known short-track drivers in North Carolina. He was not very encouraging of his son's ambition of racing cars as well and even when he dropped out of high school to race, Ralph was hard on his son. Ralph did teach his son everything he knew and set the stage to make him the driver he turned into. His father realized that his driving skill came naturally and as such made his son view his mistakes as open mindedly as possible. Earnhardt Sr. appreciated everything his father did for him and missed his presence sorely when he died of a heart attack in 1973.

Although Sr. started racing professionally at age 23, he ran his first race at Metolina Fairgrounds in Charlotte in the 1970 season where he finished in 10th place. In 1971, he finally won his first race which would then bring about 26 more wins while still racing at Metolina and Concord Motor Speedway. After he had quit school, he worked at several places like for an insulation company and he was also a welder who did brake jobs as well. Dale's decision to race for a career came about after his father's death. He bought an asphalt-track car while still competing at Metrolina. Although money was tight, Earnhardt Sr. always found away to get through it.

He began his Winston Cup career in 1975. In 1978, things took a turn for the better when he met Teresa Houston who then helped pave the way for Dale's path to NASCAR success. Once out of his rookie season, he started the season off with a win in the Busch Clash. He became the first and only driver thus far to have won Rookie of the year and then winning the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. He eventually went on to race for Richard Childress Racing in 1981 and then joined Bud Moore during the 1982 and 1983 season. After that he went back to Richard Childress Racing and in that time, managed to secure victory 6 times at Talladega, Atlanta, Richmond, Bristol and Martinsville.

He went on to carve NASCAR history in the following two decades. It is talked about the bigger things that could have been achieved had Earnhardt Sr. survived the fatal crash that took away a NASCAR legend. His #3 car was retired by his team owner who has promised never to let another car on his team be designed similarly. Although he was both loved and hated in NASCAR, he has remained one of the sport's most popular drivers. Dale made sure his private life was kept private. When he wasn't on the tracks, he was with his family, hunting, fishing, working on his farm and known as generous giver amongst his friends. In 2004, his life story was made into a television movie, titled "3: The Dale Earnhardt Story" and in 2007, a documentary-style movie was released into theaters. Even in death, many still remember the great things Dale Sr. accomplished and tributes in song, movies and books have been dedicated to the passing to the brightest star of NASCAR.

For NASCAR Merchandise, Up to the minute News, and everything Dale Earnhardt Sr. including Dale Earnhardt Auto Accessories , Dale Earnhardt Decals and Dale Earnhardt Figures we have them at the best prices everyday! Not only am I the owner of NASCARsupershop.com but I am also the senior editor, website developer and a HUGE fan of NASCAR!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_DiCicco

Good Information!

2008-04-18T21:51:00.000-04:00

Looking for articles and information? Take a minute to check out some of the ones listed below. As I receive new ones I will add to the list. Good information from reliable sources. Check them out. Nothing to buy. Just some knowledge. Enjoy....

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