Hey all. I've been kind of bitten by the collecting bug again, but since Hasbro has had nothing to offer, I went back and started upgrading my NASCAR stuff. Nothing too big, but I went and upgraded my 1999 1:24 scale Jeff Gordon Episode 1 car to the Elite version (found it on Ebay for $12.99 + modest shipping), and gave the original one to my son to play (at 2 1/2 he's into cars now).
I also started looking into the 1:64 scale (Like Sheldon half the size....double the fun!). I've managed to pick up a John Andretti episode II car at that scale with an opening hood and trunk, with an Episode I Jeff Gordon version on the way (probably in today's mail) to compliment the 1:64 scale cars from the Cheerios promotion back in 2002. These are nice because they already come in their own collector's case! The tricky one to get is going to be the Jeff Gordon Episode III car in 1:64 scale. I don't know why this one is so rare, other than he won the race when driving that car.
I've also purchased collector cases for all my 1:24 scale cars. It's forced a bit of a re-arrangement of the cars, but they do look nice. I'll update pictures soon.