NASCAR Thunder (retail chain)

Not to be confused with the video games published under the EA Sports NASCAR racing series.
NASCAR Thunder
IndustryRacing collectables retailer
FoundedMay 11, 1996; 28 years ago (May 11, 1996) in Duluth, Georgia, US
DefunctMarch 2001; 23 years ago (2001-03)
FateLiquidation (business decision)
Number of locations
11 (February 2001)
Area served
Southeastern and Southwestern United States
Productsdie-cast toys, racing collectables
ParentMTV Networks (Viacom)

NASCAR Thunder was a retail chain of NASCAR collectables (die-cast toys and clothing). The chain was owned and operated by the MTV Networks subsidiary of Viacom and had 11 stores throughout the Southeastern and Southwestern United States.

NASCAR Thunder opened in May 1996 as a subsidiary of The Nashville Network (TNN), then a subsidiary of Gaylord Entertainment Company. The first store was located at the Gwinnett Place Mall in Duluth, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Over the years, the chain opened more stores, including another location in Atlanta, along with additional stores in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Knoxville, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Florida, Dallas, Texas and several other cities. Some stores also had meet and greets with several NASCAR drivers, including Darrell Waltrip, Richard Petty, and his son Kyle Petty, among others.[1][2]

In 2000, CBS, which bought TNN three years prior, merged with Viacom, who announced on February 21, 2001, that it would close all 11 of its stores, citing an economic downturn as well as the company declaring the chain not profitable. The announcement came just three days after the death of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt during a crash at the 2001 Daytona 500 and three months after TNN and CBS lost the broadcast rights to NASCAR.[3][4]

  1. ^ ""NASCAR Thunder" store opening". May 8, 1996. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  2. ^ "New Nascar Stores A Gas You Used To Be Only Able To Get This Stuff In The Track Infields". November 10, 1996. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  3. ^ "NASCAR Thunder Can't Catch Lightning". February 21, 2001. Archived from the original on 2020-06-28. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  4. ^ "TNN skeds closing of 11 NASCAR stores". February 20, 2001. Retrieved July 1, 2020.