In the 1970s, auto‑racing trading cards remained a specialized niche within the broader hobby, with most mainstream card producers still focused on sports like baseball. However, racing‑themed cards and stickers became more common internationally, reflecting the growing popularity of motorsport. Collectible racing cards from this decade include Grand Prix and World Drivers’ Championship issues, often produced in Europe and Latin America, featuring drivers such as Niki Lauda, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti, and Jackie Stewart, along with series that showcase historic cars and circuits.
In the United States, the 1972 STP Racing Card set is a notable example of a small U.S. promotional issue, featuring stock car drivers and vehicles sponsored by the STP brand, giving collectors a glimpse of NASCAR and regional racing stars of the era. Other specialty and promotional cards, such as early drag racing and AHRA-related issues, documented vehicles and racers in professional drag categories, expanding the range of racing collectible cards beyond open‑wheel and Grand Prix subjects. While widely distributed NASCAR card sets did not dominate the hobby yet, these 1970s releases are actively collected today and represent a transitional chapter between early international racing cards and the mass-market racing card boom of the 1980s.