Making a NASCAR sim is not new. Getting one with this depth - is. I grew up in NASCAR country. I literally lived a few miles from the Pettys, and even had the same dentist as The King, Richard Petty. I've met Dale Sr., and taken a ride around Charlotte Motor Speedway (as it was then called) at 120+ mph with a racing has-been (still fun) that I'll leave nameless, though he still races from time to time. One of my best friend's dad used to BUILD some of the engines used by the stars of the late 70s and into the 80s, and now indirectly works for Terry Labonte, who will be retiring this year after many years of racing. Still, I was slow to come around to liking the sport, itself.

I may run into Kyle at the Winn Dixie in High Point, N.C. - but at that time I just knew his face and not much else. Then, I started paying attention to the sport. I started to appreciate it for more than the wrecks, which is the stereotype assigned to fans of racing, in general. I saw the skill, athleticism, labor and determination required just to stay in the pack. Little by little, it became a favorite activity for a Sunday afternoon - watching "The Race". Fellow fans know those two words, and there's nothing left to say. New fans are being created every day, and it has long been the largest spectator sport in the country. The only thing missing has been a way to more fully immerse yourself in the sport - without risking your life. 

Many racing games have been created over the years. In the arcade and in the home for PCs and consoles. However, I have never experienced a more in-depth, well-done racing game such as EA Sports' NASCAR SimRacing in 2005 (note: the actual paint schemes for 2005 will be available from EA as a downloadable upgrade shortly). It is, in a word, AMAZING. I have played NASCAR Heat, Thunder and other types of racing (not all of them NASCAR). Some of them are quite good, but this is the closest to the actual world of racing I have seen. Not only are you given a full spectrum of drivers (including the late Dale Sr.) from the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, but also get to play with the worlds of National/Busch and Craftsman Truck racing. You get to race trucks! As if a 60-driver lineup and 28 tracks (three are not actual tracks) weren't enough for the Nextel Cup - you get to race the cool trucks!

Like many sports games, you can choose how you want to play: from Testing to full-blown Career mode. Due to the painfully small manual, I recommend a lot of Testing-time. The manual does offer some very useful tips (such as finding and following the groove(s) of the track for stability), but there is no one in your ear whispering useful hints, otherwise. Harry Gant isn't going to advise you in some Yoda-esque fashion on how best to draft behind the leader and wait for just the right time to make your move. There isn't much help at all, and you'll learn that quick. Sure, there is a (sometimes slow) Spotter that helps warn you of track issues and dangers ahead, but they don't tell you how to actually make your car perform at its best. That's done by trial and (car-smashing) error. EA promises more help via their online Garage 101 scenario. Thank you, EA.

One of the most vast aspects of the game is the ability to go online and race against 42 opponents in real-life or with mixed AI drivers. You can talk to your opponents (using headsets) and actually help each other if you make a friend here and there. That's done every week in the real sport when drivers help teammates gain advantage. Being able to do that online is miraculous, though currently still under-appreciated. In time, I'm sure the servers will be packed and some of the current lag issues will be addressed.

Think that's all there is to it? Race and win? Nope. If you want the full-career experience, you can take your chances with management of the team, which can include merchandising and other such necessary evils. Those tires are expensive, and you'll have to sell a lot of shirts and hats to buy more. You want to keep your sponsors happy, too. 

The sound is quite amazing. The music is hard hitting and fits well with the scenario in which it plays. The voices are clear and the car sounds are great - right down to the shoulder-hunching scrapes from trading paint with your opponents. The sounds have been sampled from real-life, so it's genuine - not some nerd's interpretation of what one of those ear-pounding machines sound like. I did notice the spotter was a little slow on the "heads-up" that's critical to avoid adding your car to an upcoming crash in turn 3. 

The graphics stand out quite strongly considering all they've packed into this (2-CD) game. With it being a sim, at heart, it could be plain and uninspiring in lieu of making all of the little details about running a team be more noticed. But, to their credit, they delivered all of the crucial aspects with enough clarity to not cut corners too badly. Replays are nice, skid marks stay where they're laid, and other such details stand out and make you aware of the work that went into making this special. I did not experience many glitches (maybe an occasional disappearing act of some fans and bleachers) using a 256-meg Radeon 9600, though I am sure it would lag a lot of slower systems. I think they're a bit generous with their minimal requirements. I would be sickened if I was unable to play this on my modest, newly built system. 

For a fast growing sport that was already the top in the country, this game is a nice treat as the new NASCAR season gets underway. It's current with using the new points system, and offers the flexibility of playing for solo fun or engaging in wheel-rubbing action against online opponents across the globe. Play it as a manager trying to mass a great team and fortunes, or just do some single races on the well-rendered tracks from all over the U.S. It's a great game to have, and a must for NASCAR fans that want to feel more like a part of the action. 

Gameplay: 9.0
The small manual leaves most of the learning up to the player. That's a serious flaw, but EA does promise more help online, and I am sure they will deliver. It's in their interest to make the game more appealing by making it more friendly to new-comers to the arena of racing games. It was a challenging but fun experience going from cars to trucks, though the trucks are merely cars with "truck" bodies fastened to them. Still, the physics are different, and after playing hours of Nextel Cup, then going to Craftsman Series, there was some (re)learning to do. In a good way. One thing that should be known up-front is that there is no way to stop and save your game mid-race. If you want to run a long race to the finish, clear your agenda to do so. The real guys don't get to do it, so why should you?

Graphics: 8.5 
The moving objects (i.e., cars!) do not stand out in as detailed a fashion as do the non-mobile items such as walls, signs, track grooves and such. Those stationary objects look great. Though there are visual shortcomings, I have to grade on a curve considering the game is focused on the realism of creating and running a successful racing team - not just making pretty cars turn left at 170mph. Smoke, dusk and shadow are all done very realistically. Considering the other aspects of the game being so strong, I was actually surprised to see a sky start to change tones as the afternoon went on. That kind of detail makes you forget that the cars sometimes look blocky and there's no "alcohol" (i.e., BEER) branding on the cars like real-life. 

Sound: 9.5
The sound stands out above most other features. It's not often I feel a balance of environmental sounds, music and speech so well delivered. I am (painfully) used to one or two of the aspects being nice - but rarely all three!! I usually recommend turning the music down/off and listening to your own tunes while playing (some) games, but not here. I, personally, enjoyed the music and it rarely got old.  

Difficulty: Medium
I did not like using the keyboard as my wheel, but since I do not have a steering wheel for my PC, I had no choice. It's hard to steer with arrow keys!! It just doesn't feel right. The mini-manual is a let down. Most things you just have to learn without help - for now. Once you learn the physics of what a car can and can't do on the track, it's a matter of control and focus. The game is generous in allowing you to slide in front of an opponent's nose. In other games, I've gotten "tapped" out of control for minimal contact. This game is a bit more forgiving, which may be a flaw for the hard-core fans. Certainly makes it harder to be "The Intimidator." 

Concept: 9.0 
Though not the first to tackle a NASCAR sim, EA now owns the rights (for years to come) and did a good job of making it feel fresh. Since they own the name for a while, there's nothing to stop them from taking it easy and churning out a mediocre game with a name-brand on it to sell. Instead, they approached it with clear vision and an appreciation for the fans, whom will notice every flaw and nuance of the game.

Multiplayer: 8.5
EA has dedicated servers for just this game. They require you to register and "join," but then you can race with/against up to 42 opponents. I only tried this a couple of times, and never raced with more than a handful of humans. Maybe it was the timing. The potential here is immense, however. As the community grows and any bugs are ironed out, the online play will be one of the best facets of this game. There is a "Racing 101" to help you understand your way around the online world. 

Overall: 9.0
The first thing to catch my attention when setting up my first experience was the presence of Dale Sr. Though no longer with us, he has since been reduced to a hidden extra driver in other games. That was nice to see, though I wonder how the purists would feel knowing that they could be racing in the 03 car against someone in Harvick's 29 - when they are the same car? Maybe no one will notice! Fat chance. NASCAR lovers will most likely gobble this game up and revel in finding such quandaries. NASCAR SimRacing is a tire-burning escape into the deep world of motor sports. They could have just given us the Nextel Series and called it a day, but reached deeper and handed out the Triple-Crown by adding Busch and Craftsman Series. Did I mention you get to drive a truck? I am looking forward to EA expanding on this via patches (none at this time) and upgrades with more help online. As is, however, this is a full-speed fun and challenging venture that will have you sweating, shaking and yelling in triumph. Isn't that what racing's all about? Oh yeah ... and the wrecks.