Camping World Series East diecasts

The NASCAR Camping World Series East, formerly known as the Busch North Series, is my favorite NASCAR division. Its history is rich with New England racing heritage and many of its best drivers have come from Maine and the Northeast. It's a shame that its image has shifted from New England to cover the entire eastern seaboard, but its history can't be ignored.

A way to remember the current and past drivers of the series is through collecting diecast collectible race cars. This year, I started collecting these cars and it's been a lot of fun. Some cars have been easy to come by while others have been nearly impossible (or impossibly expensive). Here's a list of known NASCAR Busch North/Camping World Series East diecasts.

Year - Manufacturer - Car Number - Sponsor - Driver - Other Description

1/64th scale
1992 Hot Wheels Promo #9 Auto Palace – Joe Bessey
1992 Racing Champions Auto Palace Promo #14 Mike Stefanik, #9 Joe Bessey
1992 Racing Champions #9 Auto Palace – Joe Bessey
1992 Racing Champions #72 Auto Palace/ADAP – Ken Bouchard
1992 Racing Champions Roarin’ Racers #72 Auto Palace/ADAP – Ken Bouchard
1993 Matchbox Promo #69 WFE Challenge – Jeff Spraker
1993 Racing Champions #0 Fisher – Dick McCabe
1993 RCCA Promo #25 SpeeDee Chevrolet – Ricky Craven (1991 Champion, 1 of 15,000)
1993 Racing Champions Premier #6 Valvoline/Auto Palace Pontiac – Mike Stefanik (1 of 5,000)
1993 Racing Champions Premier #97 AC-Delco – Joe Bessey (1 of 5,000)
1994 Racing Champions Premier #0 Fisher Pontiac – Dick McCabe (1 of 10,000)
1994 Racing Champions/Start Your Engines Promo #16 NAPA – Stub Fadden (in bag)
1995 Racing Champions Promo #16 NAPA – Stub Fadden
1996 Racing Champions Promo #51 Burnham Boilers – Mike Stefanik
1996 Racing Champions Promo #61 Little Trees – Mike Olsen (in bag)
1997 Racing Champions Promo #59 Mobil – Lou Rettenmeier
1997 Action Promo #63 Squeezit Drinks Chevrolet Lumina – Jake Raudabaugh (in bag)
1999 Racing Champions Promo #77 Burnham Boilers – Bryan Wall
2001 Racing Champions Promo #55 Burnham Boilers – Brad Leighton
2002 Racing Champions Promo #93 Irving – Travis Benjamin (kiddy car)
2003 Racing Champions Promo #6 Castle – Andy Santerre (1 of 6,000)
2003 Racing Champions Promo #55 Burnham Boilers Chevrolet – Mike Stefanik
2004 unknown manufacturer Promo #35 Irving Oil Ford – Brad Leighton
2005 unknown manufacturer Promo #25 Irving Oil Ford – Brad Leighton
2008 CFS Contender Series #4 Monster Chevrolet – Ricky Carmichael

1/43rd Scale
1992 Racing Champions #72 Auto Palace/ADAP – Ken Bouchard
1998 Race Image #55 Co-Ed Naked Chevrolet – Brad Leighton (3 versions)

1/24th Scale
1992 Racing Champions #9 Auto Palace Pontiac – Joe Bessey (clear window, ultra rare)
1992 Racing Champions #97 Auto Palace Pontiac – Joe Bessey (bank)
1994 Racing Champions #0 Fisher Pontiac – Dick McCabe (bank)
1995 Racing Champions #16 NAPA Chevrolet – Stub Fadden (clear window)
1995 Racing Champions Promo #16 NAPA – Stub Fadden (bank)
1995 Racing Champions #0 Fisher Pontiac – Dick McCabe (clear window)
1998 Racing Champions Promo #13 Whelen – Ted Christopher (rare)
2002 Racing Champions Promo #61 Little Trees Chevrolet – Mike Olsen
2002 Racing Champions Promo #12 Aubuchon Hardware Chevrolet – Carey Heath
2002 Racing Champions Promo #93 Irving – Travis Benjamin
2004 Racing Champions Promo #35 Irving Oil – Brad Leighton (never seen one)
2004 Racing Champions Promo #40 Mohegan Sun – Matt Kobyluck
2007 CFS Contender Series #08 Gunbroker.com Dodge – Jason White
2007 Motorsports Authentics #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Oil Chevrolet – Joey Logano (w/tire and sketch)
2008 Action #3 Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet – Austin Dillon (1 of 1,012)
2008 Action #3 Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet – Austin Dillon GM Dealers (1 of 300)
2008 Action #3 Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet – Austin Dillon GM Brushed Steel (1 of 144) 2008 CFS Champion Series #4 Monster Chevrolet – Ricky Carmichael
2008 CFS Contender Series #4 Monster Chevrolet – Ricky Carmichael

I didn't include haulers/trailers, but there are a few there including Joe Bessey, Mike Stefanik, Ken Bouchard and Kelly Moore.

This list probably isn't complete, but that's half the fun of collecting.

Camping World Series East Top 10

It was announced Tuesday that two NASCAR Camping World Series drivers will climb the ladder to the Nationwide Series. Austin Dillon will run a full CWSE schedule in 2009 and will run seven Nationwide Series races. Also, Peyton Sellers will run a limited NNS schedule.

So I got to thinking. What drivers have had the most impact in the CWSE and beyond? Here's my top 10 of the greatest Camping World Series East drivers of all time. The rankings reflect not only the accomplishments in the CWSE division, but also in NASCAR's upper tiers.

1. Andy Santerre (Cherryfield, Maine) - Most CWSE championship (4) and third in all-time wins (21). He also claimed the Nationwide Series rookie of the year award in 1998 and won an NNS race at Pikes Peak in 1999.

2. Ricky Craven (Newburgh, Maine) - Craven took the CWSE by storm. He won the ROY title in 1990 and backed it up with a championship the following year. He moved on to win rookie titles in the Nationwide and Cup Series. He finished second in NNS points twice and later won two Cup races, including a thrilling finish with Kurt Busch at Darlington in 2003. That finish was the closest in history (0.002 second).

3. Martin Truex Jr. (Mayetta, N.J.) - Though he only claimed five CWSE victories, he flourished in the Nationwide Series by winning two championships in his only two full-time seasons. He then won a Sprint Cup race at Dover in 2007.

4. Kelly Moore (Scarborough, Maine) - Ranks first in wins and starts, though championships didn't come to him as easily. He is the 1995 CWSE champion but he finished in the top 5 in points 12 other times. He never moved much beyond the CWSE division.

5. Brad Leighton (Center Harbor, N.H.) - Like Moore, he never ventured beyond the Northeast, but he did amaze 24 wins, second all-time, and two championships in only seven full-time seasons.

6. Mike Stefanik (Coventry, R.I.) - Stefanik mostly made his name on the Modified circuit, but he left his mark on the Camping World Series East. He remains the only driver to win two NASCAR championships in the same season, and he did it twice (1997-98). He ranks 9th in CWSE with 12 wins to go along with his seven Modified championships and 68 Modified wins, most since 1985. He also won the Craftsman Truck Series rookie honors in 1999 after finishing second at Homestead.

7. Jamie Aube (North Ferrisburg, Vt.) - He was the first driver to win three-straight CWSE championships (1988-90). He finished his career with nine wins, but never made it far past the regional tour.

8. Mike Olsen (North Haverhill, N.H.) - Success never came quickly for Olsen, but his persistence eventually paid off. It took Olsen nearly a decade to win a race, but he did win two championships (2001, 2006) and ranks in the top five in starts.

9. Mike McLaughlin (Waterloo, N.Y.) - Like Stefanik, McLaughlin really made his name on the Modified tour, but he did run quite a few Busch North/CWSE races. He won seven times on the circuit and finished fourth in points twice in only two full seasons. He went on to win six Nationwide Series races and he finished as high as third in NNS points twice (1995, 1998). He was also named the Most Popular Driver in the Nationwide Series in 1997.

10. Joey Logano (Middletown, Conn.) - Though Logano only raced for one season in the CWSE, he certainly left his mark. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won five of his 13 races enroute to top rookie honors and the championship. He also won his first race in the West series while battling teammate Marc Davis. The Toyota All-Star Showdown was also no match for Logano as he won the prestigous race in his only start. He's gone on to win a Nationwide Series race at Kentucky in only his third start and now readies for the Cup Series for his rookie campaign in 2009.

Other notables: Joe Bessey, Dale Shaw, Steve Park, Matt Kobyluck, Dick McCabe, Dave Dion, Joey Kourafas, Bobby Dragon, Ted Christopher and Sean Caisse.

Recession affecting NASCAR in car counts

With all the merging that's been happening recently, will NASCAR even be able to field a full 43-car field for every race in 2009?

The answer isn't obvious, at least yet. But by my count, there are only 38 teams that will definitely be at every NASCAR Sprint Cup race. It's uncertain whether or not Bill Davis Racing or Hall of Fame racing, who each field a single car, will be racing on a full-time basis, or at all, next year.

Also, the Wood Brothers and Front Row Motorsports, both of which also run single-car efforts, will scale back to part-time.

So with only 38 sure-fire teams showing up to races every weekend, how long before even more teams quit because of the financial crunch? Just two seasons ago, NASCAR teams seemed to be well within the black as nearly 50 teams showed up to every race. But so much as changed since.

BAM Racing has closed up shop along with Morgan-McClure Motorsports. Petty Enterprises and GEM have merged and so has DEI and Ganassi, and Michael Waltrip Racing and JT-Daugherty Racing.

Other organizations may also be on the chopping block. Yates Racing fields three cars, but only one has full-time sponsorship. Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing has just two and a half sponsors for its four teams. Stewart-Haas Racing is struggling to find a sponsor for its second team with driver Ryan Newman. Bill Davis Racing has no sponsor and the part-time Wood Brothers team also is sponsor-searching for the 12 races they plan to run.

Full-time teams for 2009 (38):
Hendrick Motorsports (4 cars), Roush Fenway Racing (5), Joe Gibbs Racing (3), Yates Racing (3), Michael Waltrip Racing/JT-Daugherty Racing (3), Richard Childress Racing (4), Gillett Evernham Racing (4), Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing (4), Penske Racing (3), Red Bull Racing (2), Stewart-Hass Racing (2), Robby Gordon Motorsports (1).

Part-time teams (7):
Wood Brothers (1), Front Row Motorsports (1), James Finch (1), Germain Racing (1), No Fear Racing (1), E&M Motorsports (1 Daytona 500), Cope/Keller Racing (1 Daytona 500)
The last two teams may only run the Daytona 500.

Unknown plans (2):
Hall of Fame Racing (1), Bill Davis Racing (1)

NASCAR is not immune to the financial crisis that has hit the United States and the world. But just how hard it will be hit has yet to be determined.

Dodge-ing the question

The 'Big Three' automakers are well represented in NASCAR. But for how long?

General Motors with its Chevrolet brand has been the top dog in NASCAR for a while now with Ford not too far behind. But Dodge seems to be quietly heading for the exit.

In 2001, Dodge made a triumphant return to NASCAR after nearly 30 years out of the sport, but only seven years later, it looks like they may go back into hibernation. It was announced recently that Chip Ganassi Racing, who fielded Dodges in 2008, will merge with Dale Earnhardt Inc., who fields Chevrolets, for 2009. With the move, the team will likely switch to Chevy, and two Dodges will disappear from the field. This is in addition to Ganassi already axing a third team midway through the '08 season. But they're not alone.

Petty Enterprises, who, along with Ganassi, joined the Dodge brigade in 2001, will close up and merge with Gillett Evernham Motorsports. GEM already fields Dodges, but the move will close out one car, turning five cars into four. And now it appears that Robby Gordon Motorsports, a single-car effort, will make the switch from Dodge to Toyota for the upcoming season.

This is already after Daimler-Chrysler said it is backing out completely from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for next season. Dodge was already down to less than a handful of trucks. They were one of the original three to pioneer the series back in 1995.

2008 was already a tough year for the manufacturer as they claimed victory just four times in 36 races (Ryan Newman-Daytona, Kurt Busch-New Hampshire, Kasey Kahne-Charlotte, Pocono) and placed none of its drivers in The Chase.

This leaves just a limited number of Ram-headed teams in the Cup Series. Penske Racing South, who switched to the Dodge brand in 2003, fields three teams to go with GEM's four cars for 2009. That's a far cry from when Dodge re-splashed into NASCAR in 2001 with Sterling Marlin as a championship contender and in 2002 when the manufacturer won the Daytona 500 with Ward Burton.

It won't be long before Dodge is out of NASCAR for good. But the bigger question is, with the recession, will they be making cars at all in a few years?

Johnson comparable to Yarborough?

There has been an internet backlash recently with fans arguing back and forth about whether or not Jimmie Johnson, who just claimed his third-straight Sprint Cup championship, is worthy enough to be compared to NASCAR's only other driver to win three consecutive titles, Cale Yarborough.

Yarborough won his three titles in 1976-1978. A feat that few thought could be equaled. Johnson proved them wrong as he claimed his third title this season by fending off hard-charging Carl Edwards.

But fans who have followed NASCAR for decades don't want to accept Johnson in the elite company of Yarborough. But why?

Their argument is that NASCAR is different than it was in the 70s. Johnson enjoyed his three titles under NASCAR's new championship format called the 'Chase for the Sprint Cup,' where the top 10 (or in the case of the last two years 12) drivers competed in a 10-race playoff to determine the championship. In Yarborough's day the champion was determined by the driver who earned the most points through all the races, not just the final 10.

But the new championship format isn't Johnson's fault. He didn't create it. He, like the other drivers of today, have to fight for the title under the current format.

Many of NASCAR purists dislike the current NASCAR. Saying that it's evolved too far too quickly. They may have a point, but it's not fair to penalize drivers like Johnson for winning championships under a format they have no control over. Johnson's and Yarborough's stats during their three-year runs are comparable, even through the two completely different eras.

Johnson is every bit as worthy of fans' admiration as Yarborough is. I'm sure in 20 years, Johnson will be held in regard as one of NASCAR's greatest drivers. He may even have a few more championship trophies over the fireplace too.

NASCAR's last tradition may be gone

In the past 10 years, NASCAR has stopped racing at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, lost its main-stay sponsor in Winston, changed how the champion is crowned in the Sprint Cup Series and drastically changed the look of its race cars. But there were two constants in NASCAR from its early days. Petty Enterprises and the Wood Brothers. Now both may be gone as we know them.

Petty Enterprises, who has nine Cup championship between founder Lee Petty and his son, Richard, sold most of itself to Boston Ventures. Major teams selling interest to marketing agencies is becoming prevalent, even for the big teams. Jack Roush sold 50 percent of his Roush Racing organization to Fenway Marketing and owner John Henry, who is the principal owner of the Boston Red Sox. Ray Evernham did the same thing with his team.

But Petty's team may not enjoy the same fate as the other two organizations. It was leaked last week that Boston Ventures is looking to sell, or merge is the popular term, Petty Enterprises to Gillett Evernham Motorsports. That move could keep the famous No. 43 out of NASCAR. Maybe for good.

The Pettys and Boston Ventures lost their sponsorship for Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 car for 2009 to Richard Childress Racing. They also have no sure driver or sponsorship for the team's second car. So Petty Enterprises may be sold to GEM to form a four-car operation.

Also a fall from grace is the Wood Brothers organization. The Wood Brothers famous No. 21 car was a coveted ride through the 60s, 70s and 80s. Some of NASCAR's best drivers have driven for the team including David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, A.J. Foyt, Buddy Baker and Dale Jarrett.

The Woods announced just days after the Petty rumor arised, that the No. 21 team will cut its schedule to running just 12 of the schedule's 36 races. Part-time driver since 2004, Bill Elliott, will pilot the car in those races.

NASCAR has changed a lot in its 60 years of existence, but none of the changes have been more obvious than those made in the past decade. Now that the famed No. 43 and No. 21 cars may be gone; NASCAR's links to the past may be disappearing with them.

ASM ends tough season on high note

Andy Santerre Motorsports endured its most trying season in 2008. The No. 44 car driven by Peyton Sellers initially claimed victory at the opening NASCAR Camping World Series East race at Greenville-Pickens before an illegal shock stripped the team of the win. It was a precursor of bad luck to come.

A fuel pump failure prevented a top finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June. Sellers then spun out of the top five in two of the next three races. And cut tires at New Hampshire and Dover in September placed the No. 44 team well outside the top 10.

Then came Stafford Motor Speedway. The last race of the season. Sellers started eighth and worked his way to the top three before finally grabbing the lead from pole-sitter Brian Ickler midway through the race. Sellers, Ickler and Ted Christopher would swap the lead through the race.

On a restart with seven laps to go, the leader Ickler spun coming to the line leaving Christopher and Sellers to battle for the win. But Ickler wasn't going away quietly.

Ickler held back until the leaders came back around the track. When Christopher came up to the back of Ickler with two laps left, Ickler appeared to hit his brakes, causing Christopher to check up. Sellers then hit the back of Christopher, unable to slow in time, spinning Christopher into the wall and handing Sellers the lead and the win.

It seemed as though the "monkey" was gone. But it wasn't a sure thing. NASCAR was putting the finish under review. They thought that Sellers might've spun Christopher on purpose. The fans and teams waited in suspense for 20 minutes until NASCAR finally declared Sellers as the winner.

It was the first official career win in the East series for Sellers. And it would prove to be his last with ASM.

Due to lack of sponsorship, Sellers and ASM parted ways. Team owner Andy Santerre tapped 16-year-old Brett Moffitt to pilot the No. 44 car in 2009. Sellers' plans for next season are not yet known.