Victory Lane Die-Cast opens

NEW LONDON – Nate O’ Bright, owner of Victory Lane Die-Cast, LLC in New London, didn’t purchase his first NASCAR die-cast until he was 27 years old.
“I bought a collection. I mainly did it for my son and I,” O’ Bright said. “Because I never got to experience that neat interaction with my father growing up. I was like, ‘Shoot, my son would like to get into this.’ Then it kind of grew and grew and grew.”
Once he researched the collection he purchased, and found out how much some of the die-casts were selling for, it sparked an interest in him to start purchasing and selling racing die-casts. He eventually formed a business in May of last year, and would buy and sell on eBay, as well as set up at local car shows and craft shows.
“When I started doing that more and more, inventory grew and grew, and then I got more people asking if we were going to get a store, and finally it was, ‘I might as well,’” O’ Bright said.
He opened the Victory Lane Die-Cast storefront in New London in January, but operating a racing die-cast store wasn’t his initial intention.

“Not that quick,” O’ Bright said. “With the demand of people asking, it was kind of, well, we’ll fulfill it and go from there.”
Originally from New London, O’ Bright, who now lives in Appleton with is wife and son, said he chose New London for the die-cast store because it has a small-town feel to it, and the proximity between Clintonville, Seymour and Waupaca.
Besides trying to operate a successful die-cast store, O’ Bright said he decided to open a storefront because he wants to help keep the racing die-cast hobby alive.
“Get the younger kids that are new to collecting, get them started,” O’ Bright said. “And the ones that have been collecting for years and years, it’s just cool to hear the stories of them sharing their collection. I guess, in a sense, giving back to the community. Keep all that stuff alive and all the memories going. Growing up, I never owned a die-cast because we couldn’t afford them. I would say I bought my first one at 27 and just kept going. Now here we are.”
O’ Bright admitted that things have been a rollercoaster since he opened the store in January.
“The cold weather and the snow definitely did not help,” he said. “I think the hardest part too was getting the word out that we were here. We did have people that did find us from going to car shows and stuff. The Chamber of Commerce here in town has been absolutely phenomenal with helping us promote and spread the word that we’re here.”
He said he does plan to set up at some local shows this year, but wants most of his business to take place at the store.
“Everyone wants me to get the online store, but at the same time, I’d rather you come in, because if I’m paying to keep a website open, I don’t have that interaction with the clientele that I need to survive,” O’ Bright said.
O’ Bright did race locally for two years, but gave it up to spend more time with his family. But fans of local racecar drivers can purchase die-casts of some of their favorite local drivers at O’ Bright’s store, as he sells custom die-cast cars of some local drivers. And if O’ Bright doesn’t have the die-cast you are looking for, he will help you try to find it.
“You tell us your price and we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that we can get it at that price, if not cheaper,” O’ Bright said. “And if I can’t find one, I’m going to call you up and I’m going to be 100% honest and tell you I cannot touch one for under this price.”
With local racetracks about to open for their race season, O’ Bright said he is hoping that will lead to increased interest.
“To me this is a dream,” he said. “If you don’t have a dream, so be it. But if you have a dream, chase it, because it’s not going to chase you back. That’s my one thing, if I’m doing it, I’m going to be committed 110% on the gas, and I’m not going to lift. I’m not going to let anybody get in my way. This is where I expect myself to be.”
Victory Lane Die-Cast is located at 1200 N Shawano Street, Suite 4, in New London. It is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.