The 14 Most Valuable NASCAR Cards of All Time

Our first spot on the list is from one of the GOATs of racing, Richard Petty.  “The King” recorded 200 NASCAR wins in his career, 95 more than any other driver in history.  Petty's stats are almost mythical, mirroring those of other legends like Wilt Chamberlain and Hank Aaron.  So, it’s only fitting that his rookie card is nearly impossible to find.

1972 STP is a small 11-card set that you will rarely find at shows and conventions.  There are currently only 21 copies of this Richard Petty rookie in the PSA registry, including one PSA 9.  This SGC 4-graded Petty recently sold for $1,500, and we will have to see if any higher grades surface in the future.

Numbered NASCAR parallels rarely pop up, so it’s no wonder why this reached a sale price of $1,970 in 2021. Fortunately for collectors, these boxes can still be picked up at an affordable price, especially at a time when Prizm boxes in other sports are skyrocketing.

Here we highlight the early usage of a redemption system, which is now commonplace in the trading card world.  It also showcases serial numbering, an addition to cards that would have been helpful during the mass-produced junk wax era. This card is so rare, in fact, that it is only one of 23 graded PSA 9s, with only 18 higher-graded copies in existence.

Have you ever seen a cooler card in your life? This booklet of Dale Jr. may be the NASCAR equivalent to an NBA logoman.  Newer products like NT are able to creatively show the branding of NASCAR, as these enormous booklets provide ample space for logos of its iconic sponsors.  

Legendary in his own right, Jr. had some immense shoes to fill after joining the Winston Cup in 1998.  Trophies and awards have piled up in a 20-year career, putting Earnhardt into the conversation of greatest drivers ever.  #88 was recently inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame;  he currently remains semi-retired from the sport.

Next up on the list, we have a two-parter: we took the average sales of Hailie Deegan’s 2020 National Treasures 1/1 booklets.  The “4 Wheel Parts” patch auto sold for $1,750 in April 2022, while the 1/1 auto on the right sold for $2,700 back in 2021.

While the existence of multiple 1/1 may have slightly hurt the value, these cards are still impeccably-made.  It's impossible go wrong with a massive patch and an on-card autograph, especially when it’s one of the most collectible names in the sport today.

Definitely one of the more unique cards on this list is this Beckett 10 rookie of NASCAR Hall of Famer, Jeff Gordon.  World of Outlaws, a 50-card set from James International Art, would probably have been lost in the junk wax era if it wasn’t for this picture of a skinny, 16-year-old Gordon. The rarity and obscurity of this gem can also explain why it sold for $2,300 in 2021. 

With a career spanning 4 decades, Jeff Gordon’s resume speaks for itself.  He’s a 3x Daytona 500 winner, and has battled with the greats of each generation.  Gordon now serves as Vice Chairman for Hendrick Motorsports after retiring in 2016.  Cards like this still remind us of the many races where NASCAR’s Iron Man came out on top.

Jimmie Johnson is another racer who dominated circuits in the late 2000s and 2010s. He is a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, and, at 47 years old, he has filled out every piece of the resume a driver would need. As a result, many of his trading cards retain great value, including this booklet 1/1 patch autograph out of 2021 National Treasures. This card, which features a stunning embroidered patch, last sold for $2,500 in March 2023.

Here we have a dual autograph of who many would consider the best to ever put on a tracksuit. Petty and Earnhardt have very few duals together, making this a rare piece of two American icons. This card from 1998 SP Authentic Tradition  features a neat “scrapbook” design to compliment the bold autos. It last sold for $3,000 in December 2022.

This is very symbolic of the resurgence in modern trading cards. It features a young athlete appearing on one of the most sought-after sets in all of sports, Panini National Treasures.  Oh, and it also received the coveted BGS 9.5 grade, which is a rare occurrence for thicker cards.  When combining a low serial number (/3), a sick patch, and an autograph, it’s no wonder this card reached an auction price of $3,380 in 2021.

Hailie Deegan has accumulated a huge following since turning pro in 2018. At only age 21, she has competed in both premier race car and truck events, becoming one of NASCAR’s most promising young stars. She has also been featured in flagship Panini products for 4 years now, so this may not be the last time we see her on this list.

Her 2018 Panini Prizm rookie has yet to record a 1/1 sale; however, this /5 white parallel closed at $3,600 in 2022.

Earnhardt tragically passed away after a 3-car collision during the 2001 Daytona 500.  As a result, many of his autographed cards and memorabilia maintain quite the premium on online marketplaces.  And none are quite as visually-striking as this auto from 2000 SP Authentic.  The card features a bold and blue John Hancock of #3’s famous signature.  It also received a 10 autograph grade from PSA, which is extremely difficult on older pieces.  

There are only 3 copies of this stunner even registered in PSA’s database, so coming across this is no easy task.  Needless to say, this is undoubtedly one of the best cards for a racing legend, so it’s no shocker that it reached its sale price of $3,750 in August 2022.

At #3, we have the first appearance from one of the GOATs of racing, Richard Petty.  “The King” recorded 200 NASCAR wins in his career, 95 more than any other driver in history.  His stats are almost mythical, mirroring those of other legends like Wilt Chamberlain and Hank Aaron.  So, it’s only fitting that his rookie card is nearly impossible to find.

1972 STP is a small 11-card set that you will rarely find at shows and conventions.  There are currently only 21 copies of this Richard Petty rookie in the PSA registry, including one PSA 9. Moreover, finding one with a beautiful hard-signed autograph is nearly impossible. Still, this PSA 5-graded Petty recently sold for $4,650, and we will have to see if any higher grades surface in the future.

This extremely rare buyback set was resulted from Upper Deck acquiring Maxx Racing.  They released a redemption for the 1997 Maxx product, and it also came with a hand-numbered certificate of authenticity.  This card is the holy grail for “The Man in Black,” and it’s just not one you see pop up every day. 

Rounding off this list is a card of Dale Earnhardt Sr., who is heavily regarded as one of the greatest to ever get behind the wheel.  “The Intimidator” made his debut in 1975 and quickly became one of the most imposing drivers on tour. His illustrious career earned him 76 Winston Cup victories, including a first-place finish at the 1998 Daytona 500.  

This late 90s insert actually features seven diamonds inserted into the bottom left side of the card. We see this often in newer sets like Flawless and Eminence, but this was a rare occurrence for 1996. As a result, it is both the most valuable NASCAR card and the most valuable Dale Earnhardt card of all time. There have only been two sales of this card in the last five years, with this CSG 7 ending at $10,000 in July of 2022.