NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. sold the most diecasts of any driver this past season, but needed three versions of his car to do it.

The most surprising is Trevor Bayne whose Daytona 500 upset had his No. 21 car in third place.

“The interesting thing about our top 10 list is that it proves how much NASCAR fans love a good story,” said Howard Hitchcock, Vice President of Lionel NASCAR Collectables

“Trevor Bayne driving the Wood Brothers to victory lane at the Daytona 500 is one of the most compelling stories in the history of the sport. And while we realized Trevor’s win was beyond big, our team had little idea just how popular the diecast would be.”

None of those single-car sales could match the overall performance of Earnhardt Jr.

“There’s no denying that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is still the sport’s most popular driver from a merchandise perspect6ive,” Hitchcock said. “Our sales clearly reflect that and there is consistently strong demand for any Dale Jr. car.”

Check out number six on the list. Lionel released a  ”NASCAR Classics” line earlier this year. Definitely a car to check out if you were a fan of the Dale Sr.

Lionel’s top-10 diecasts for 2011, measured by sales:

1. Jeff Gordon No. 24 AARP/Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
2. Kevin Harvick No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet
3. Trevor Bayne No. 21 Motorcraft Daytona Win Ford
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. No. 88 Amp Energy Chevrolet
5. Tony Stewart No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet
6. Dale Earnhardt No. 96 Cardinal Tractor Ford
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. No. 88 National Guard Heritage Chevrolet
8. Tony Stewart No. 14 Office Depot Chevrolet
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. No. 88 Dale Jr. Foundation/Vh1 Save the Music Chevrolet
10. Kevin Harvick No. 29 Budweiser Military Tribute Chevrolet

If you are a diecast collector, how many do you have in your collection?