Die-casting is a method of metal production used for making tons of stuff, from engine blocks to rims to toasters. It can also make you chuckle, especially when you see a teenager making videos of the miniature cars meant for little boys. One such boy grew into adolescence and combined this love with his camcorder and editing skill to create a series of stop-motion races centered around NASCAR miniatures.
Pictured above, left: Eric the teenager and his toys. Not pictured: Eric's girlfriend. Just kidding, Eric, you're alright.
Complete with color commentary and cotton swabs, our hero Eric–who hails from Texas–took it upon himself to create this series just over a year ago. He has himself quite the assortment of 1/64-scale cars, affording him the use of several NASCAR stars, from Hamlin to Busch to Earnhardt Jr.
A healthy stock of paper, styrofoam, and free time account for the success of these videos, not to mention the occasional plug for Dr. Pepper and the other various “sponsors” he has. Among them are Sly Cooper, the eponymous hero of the Sly Cooper video game franchise; apparently, the kid likes his puzzle games.
His modus operandi for these videos is fairly simple. He holds a periodic drawing to see who gets to “compete” in his much-adored “Diecast E-Cup Series” (a.k.a. DECS), and lists the names of people before each video to establish who is assigned to which car. Using stop-motion to good effect, the race proceeds on a seemingly random string of events until the lap count has been reached.
Today’s race, from the “Bristol” track in Tennessee, was quite the upset. Early on, poor rookie Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had the misfortune of getting spun out by Carl Edwards after Joey Logano’s aggression got the better of him. Jimmie Johnson, that nickname-less golden boy of sunny California, had his time in the sun for a few laps, holding his own against Truex Jr. But alas, a win for Jim may have been too much to ask for.

“Ugh, I hate that Carl Edwards. Better go let it out at my pit crew; those guys are paid to handle my tantrums.” Photo from the video.
Thankfully, the crowd was spared any of Kyle Busch’s potential antics and prima donna behavior when he, Ms. Patrick, and poor old Jeff Gordon were simultaneously wiped out. The final two laps had Truex and Hamlin duking it out in the dueling Toyotas, with Hamlin winning out. We’ll let you get away with it this time, Eric, but we all know Chevy is the best around.
You have to admit, it’s a heartfelt video. Eric likes to add some layers of authenticity with his commentary and use of cotton swabs for smoke effects. His videos have brought him a good deal of success, and we here at ChevyHardcore wish him the best with his future productions–as long as he gets over his infatuation with the smug jerk that is Kyle Busch. (Opinions of the author are not necessarily the same opinions of chevyhardcore.com, the Editor, or the publication’s owner.)
You can see his channel here. He also has a thing for random videos, so if those aren’t your thing, you can view the DECS series playlists here.