Who would have thought that a collaboration between LEGO and NASCAR would be met with severe backlash from fans? After all, LEGO has previously collaborated with Formula 1, and their products have flown off the shelves. Why should it be any different this time around? Especially when a life-size replica will be present at Chicago Street Course when NASCAR makes its way to the 2.2-mile track in the Cup and Xfinity Series.

As it turns out, NASCAR fans are not as easily impressed. Many took to social media to voice their displeasure at the LEGO set, even before it was officially released in stores.

A partnership that failed on multiple fronts

Releasing on August 1st, the $13 billion LEGO Group announced their brand new Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 set. The 328-piece set features an authentic Chevrolet Next Gen car, with a NASCAR driver mini figure with a helmet. Graded for ages 9 and above, the set features a unique color scheme and plenty of stickers and will retail in the United States for $29.99.

Kelly Randall, host of the Racing Writer’s podcast and writer at RACER wrote a tweet that read, “NASCAR and LEGO have announced a new set in the ‘LEGO Speed Champions’ line. It will be available beginning Aug. 1.” As expected, NASCAR fans didn’t take the news positively, comparing the collaboration with what LEGO has done with Formula 1 in the past.

In all fairness, Formula 1 fans have been spoiled when it comes to LEGO sets. Back in 2022, McLaren Racing announced a collaboration with LEGO for the LEGO Technic McLaren Formula 1 Race Car. The product was designed by LEGO Group design experts with support from the McLaren F1 race team and featured a V6 cylinder with moving pistons as well as differential lock, suspension, and steering that was controlled from the cockpit.

If that’s not all, the collaboration between LEGO and Formula 1 also yielded the world’s largest Formula 1 car built with 500,000 LEGO bricks, with the Guinness Book of World Records verifying the feat. The car was built to promote the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and beat the previous record of a Ferrari built with 350,000 bricks in 2019.

LEGO also created the legendary Ayrton Senna’s McLaren MP4/4 F1 car, capturing every detail of the 1988 car. Working in close partnership with McLaren, it featured a working steering, adjustable rear wings, mirrors, a gearshift, and a 1.5-liter V6 engine. But wait, there’s more! It also featured a mini figure of Ayrton Senna himself, and a podium with his quote, “No matter what your dream is, you have to dedicate yourself entirely to it”.

Considering the amount of passion and quality that has gone into creating products for Formula 1 fans, it’s not hard to understand why NASCAR fans felt hard done by the ‘LEGO Speed Champions’ line. The product wasn’t what they were expecting, and fans didn’t hesitate to voice out their opinions.

Fans react to NASCAR’s collaboration with LEGO

It didn’t take long for fans to voice their disapproval on social media, after seeing what the much-publicized collaboration between NASCAR and LEGO resulted in. While fans can buy accurate LEGO versions of McLaren and Mercedes’ 2023 Formula 1 cars, the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was just a stock racing car, featuring a random paint scheme not seen on the track.

This prompted a fan to write, “lmaooo NASCAR has a random fictional scheme… Thank god F1 has a world wide platform to get the actual cars in Lego. Can’t believe they didn’t partner with their most popular drivers or something”.

Another fan echoed that sentiment, asking LEGO and NASCAR to give them real cars shown during the race, instead of a fictional Chevrolet. The fan wrote, “Bro this set is mid asf like I’m glad we get one but every other motorsport got an actual car and livery and we get generic “it’s a car!”

One fan felt that LEGO had missed the opportunity to do something truly special, like paying tribute to a NASCAR legend, similar to what they did with Formula 1 by selling Ayrton Senna’s McLaren. The user wrote, “Why not do real drivers, imagine a 25 year anniversary set for Earnhardt like how Senna got one this year.”

Comparing the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to LEGO sets sold featuring World Endurance Championship and Formula 1 cars, a fan mockingly said, “Couldn’t give us real life liveries like WEC or F1? What a waste.” However, one fan was glad that a LEGO Next Gen car was finally available in the market but wished it featured an actual livery. The fan wrote, “I’m just glad we have a Lego of a next gen car, do wish it had an actual livery though.”

What do you think about LEGO’s partnership with NASCAR? Let us know in the comments!