NASCAR 2K
Hasbro Interactive
NASCAR Heat
Developer: Monster Games
Publisher: Hasbro Interactive
Released: 2000
NASCAR Heat doesn't offer nearly the assortment of drivers that Papyrus' NASCAR Racing 3 offers - only 26 drivers signed on the dotted line to be featured in the game, so when you're facing a 43-car field, you'll see a lot of fictional names at the bottom of the pack. And apparently there was a bit of a problem regarding licensing from sponsors: Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt's cars are emblazoned with their names rather than Miller Lite and Budweiser logos respectively (users have already created accurate cars with the game's built-in paint kit, however).
Thankfully, just about every track on the Winston Cup circuit is included in the game - the only omissions are Indianapolis and Pocono. In the game's championship mode, you can take part in every event based on the 2000 NASCAR season save two races at Pocono, the Brickyard 400, and a couple of sprints preceding the Daytona 500.
"This surprisingly good racing game packs quite a bit of punch in terms of play modes and crazy fun."
NASCAR: Dirt To Daytona
Developer: Monster Games
Publisher: Hasbro Interactive
Released: 2002
NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona is a racing simulator developed by Monster Games and published by Infogrames in November 2002 for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube. It features NASCAR's Dodge Weekly Racing Series, Featherlite Modified Tour, Craftsman Truck Series, and the NASCAR Cup Series (originally Winston was the title sponsor but due to ESRB rating, all tobacco and alcohol related brands were censored). But Dodge Weekly Racing Series and Featherlite Modified Tour's all drivers were generic fantasy meanwhile the Craftsman Truck Series were also less real drivers.
Electronic Arts - EA Sports
NASCAR Thunder 2002
Developer: Tiburon
Publisher: EA Sports
Released: 2001
NASCAR Thunder 2002 was the first NASCAR game released for the Xbox and the second released for the PlayStation 2. Game modes consist of Create-a-car, Quick race, Season mode, Career mode, and practice. Before every race, the player has the option to qualify for a position at the start of the race, get to know the track in practice, or 'race' other cars in Happy Hour. The game has 35 drivers from the 2001 Winston Cup season (minus Dale Earnhardt due to his death, but the game has many tributes to him including a black No. 3 screen on start-up) and several then-Busch Series and fantasy drivers that can be unlocked.
NASCAR Thunder 2003
Developer: Tiburon
Publisher: EA Sports
Released: 2002
Returning from NASCAR Thunder 2002, it places the player in control of a custom NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver, who must manage pit crew, sponsorship and research and development for 20 seasons.
Although Season Mode, like Career Mode, allows the player to play through 20 seasons, it is essentially the Quick Race mode with season standings. Unlike career mode, which starts the player with inferior equipment and pit crew, they are equal to the AI's from the start. Players have a choice to play as either existing or custom drivers, and the settings are completely customizable, unlike the limited options in Career Mode.
To achieve multiplayer compatibility, it not only decreases the number of AI drivers in a race while also randomizing them, meaning only a handful of drivers end up participating in the entire season. However, like in Quick Race, they can be disabled for a 2–4 player competition.
NASCAR Thunder 2004
Developer: EA Tiburon
Publisher: EA Sports
Released: 2003
Features the 2002 champion Tony Stewart on the cover with a scowling look to represent the new Grudges and Alliances feature. It was the only game as of 2002 to feature the previous Winston Cup Champion on the cover. The game had the most extensive soundtrack of the series up from four songs from the previous game. The game also has a career mode, season mode, Lightning Challenge mode, SpeedZone, as well as a tutorial mode featuring Richard Petty.
