Early Days
Richard Petty's Talladega - 1984
Developer: Cosmi Corporation
Publisher: Electronic Arts
An arcade-style racing game featuring Richard Petty and Talladega Superspeedway. It was published by Cosmi in 1984 for the Atari 8-bit family. A Commodore 64 port followed in 1985. It is the first home video game to feature NASCAR racers
Days of Thunder - 1990
Developer: Argonaut Software
Publisher: Mindscape Group
A 1990 NASCAR racing simulation video game loosely based on the 1990 movie “Days of Thunder”. The game utilized elements from the movie, using a movie license from Paramount Pictures for its graphical elements, plot, and music soundtrack. It was released for the PC, the NES, the Game Boy, and many other formats. It was created by Argonaut Software and distributed by Mindscape Group.
Bill Elliott's NASCAR Challenge
Developer: Distinctive Software
Publisher: Konami
Bill Elliott's NASCAR Challenge is a video game developed by Distinctive Software and published by Konami and was released for MS-DOS in 1990, and the Amiga and Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991. A version for the Macintosh was released in 1991.
Most notably, this title is the first to secure the NASCAR license for a video game. It features several real NASCAR tracks in the game, such as Watkins Glen International and Talladega Superspeedway.