Chase Elliott tops Earnhardt with best-selling die-cast of 2016

Lionel Racing announced on Thursday that Elliott’s No. 24 NAPA Chevrolet was the company’s best-selling die-cast car of 2016.

It’s the first time since 2011 that a driver other than Dale Earnhardt Jr. has claimed the company’s top spot.

“Chase Elliott’s arrival on the NASCAR scene has been big, and the overwhelming popularity of his first rookie NASCAR Sprint Cup Series die-cast is further proof that race fans relate to him and everything he represents,” Lionel Racing President Howard Hitchcock said in a statement.

Earnhardt owned the best-selling spot from 2012 to 2015. Although he was out of his race car during the second half of 2016 recovering from a concussion, both drivers’ standard paint schemes were ordered and shipped prior to Earnhardt stepping out of his car.

Earnhardt still remains the company’s best-selling driver overall.

Earnhardt’s cars accounted for four of the Top 10 sellers in the 2016 season. Debuting for the first time was Kurt Busch, whose No. 41 Monster Energy Chevrolet secured the seventh spot.

Kevin Harvick’s new partnership with Busch gave him the fifth and tenth spots, respectively. Now seven-time premier series champion Jimmie Johnson took spots six and eight.

1. Chase Elliott  No. 24 NAPA Chevrolet

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. No. 88 Nationwide/Batman Chevrolet

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet

4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet

5. Kevin Harvick No. 4 Busch Chevrolet

6. Jimmie Johnson No. 48 Lowe’s/Superman Chevrolet

7. Kurt Busch No. 41 Monster Energy Chevrolet

8. Jimmie Johnson No. 48 Lowe’s 7X Time Champion Chevrolet

9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. No. 88 Nationwide/Grey Ghost Darlington Chevrolet

10. Kevin Harvick No. 4 Busch Light Chevrolet