NASCAR GAMING
WHEN NASCAR RULED THE CONSOLE GAMING WORLD
BY JOSH MULL
F
or many NASCAR fans, the games available for home
video game consoles were their main entry point into the sport. There’s something about being able to drive the car yourself, even without the greatest graphic fidelity, that can turn a casual NASCAR viewer into a lifelong fan. And for NASCAR fans of a certain age, it wasn’t just any console games, but specifically the series of games from the 2000s. This was a time when the sport itself was at its peak of popularity, but arguably also at the peak of its console gaming quality. This was, after all, when there were three video game publishers each putting its own unique spin on the series. Those publishers were the legendary trio of Papyrus, Eutechnyx and Electronic Arts. The fierce competition among these publishers led to the creation of features that are nowadays considered required fare, from paint scheme customizations to team management simulations. These games also had the boost of coming out at a pivotal moment in video gaming as a whole. The crop of consoles available at the time, from the PlayStation 2 through to the Xbox 360 era, were pushing new limits in
hardware, memory and graphics capabilities. This led to huge advancements, particularly in the multiplayer arena, as broadband internet and improved matchmaking technologies became more ubiquitous. But it wasn’t just multiplayer. The improved hardware for these consoles also allowed them to finally reach parity with computers in offering a full field of more than 40 cars on the track, along with the ability to facilitate mini-games outside of the core racing gameplay, like career modes and team management. Many of these games are still played by the hard-core fans in the online community. A quick browse through YouTube reveals countless players still working their way through career modes, modding in new content and features and competing in online multiplayer tournaments. While today’s NASCAR gamers are spoiled with photorealistic graphics and professional online tournaments as the expected norm, it shouldn’t be forgotten where these standards were set, and who helped to set them. With that, we look back at some of the most influential – and fondly remembered – NASCAR games from what many consider its golden age.
Leading the Pack: The Fan Favorite Games NASCAR: DIRT TO DAYTONA
NASCAR THUNDER
NR2003
PLATFORMS
PLATFORMS
PLATFORMS
PlayStation 2, GameCube
XBox, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Windows
Windows, MAC
DIRT TO DAYTONA IS REMEMBERED FOR
CONSIDERED THE PINNACLE OF THE
THE ONLY PC EXCLUSIVE GAME TO
a lot of reasons, but this game is where you
Thunder series of games, 2004 featured one of
appear on this list, it wouldn’t be a
started to see many of NASCAR’s lower
the most comprehensive series of game modes,
complete story without the inclusion of
series. Dirt to Daytona even featured the
from Thunder License (hosted by Richard Petty)
NR2003. This game is still wildly popular,
Dodge Weekly Series, better known to today’s
to the Lightning Challenges, which allowed players
with a whole range of mods available
fans as the Advanced Auto Parts Weekly
to take on special moments from past seasons.
to add everything from current season
Series, and was the only game in the series to
Thunder 2004 also expanded on the rivalry
drivers and paint schemes all the way to
ever do this.
system with its Grudges and Alliances features.
Indy and Formula 1 cars.
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POLE POSITION 2022
PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES
