The opening video got me pumped up and ready to go.

The scripts are ALL absolutely superb! You can tell the NASCAR community was involved in this project, because the interface is just like having someone explain it to you on TV. The writers are to be commended for not babbling, and putting in just the right amount of detail.

The menu options are very easy to follow, and you can get into and out of something if you just want to get in and 'poke around'… and again, at every avenue a real person is telling you where you are, or what to do.

Once you get into the car, you are offered a plethora of viewing options. This is normally an area that I see racing sims fall short, but not this game. You can be inside with a dash, be on the bumper, behind the car, or my favorite which shows the frame and front tires (enabling me to more easily see the cars trying to come up beside me).

Beginner Thru Advanced
There are several games within this one game. Ultimately the multi-player is the place to end up, but before you get there the game makers of thought of some great ways to help you get from spinner to winner.

Beat the Heat
The game makers give you thirty two challenges that get progressively harder to master. And rather than having to MASTER the challenge, you can finish with a Bronze, Silver, or Gold. Which allows you to meet the minimum requirements to unlock the next set of more advanced challenges. You start of learning how to pass, draft, and pit… then you advance to situations that put you in a variety of racing situations against different opponents. One of the challenges puts you starting behind several former and current Rookies of the Year with five laps left. One of the rookies is Richard Petty! So my plan was to get behind Richard and draft with him until the last corner, but I went blowing by someone else on the corner and didn't see Richard until it was too late… then I saw him real good - a nice full length side shot from the front of my car. I don't think he was smilin', and I new Wally would be calling me to the truck on that move.

Race the Pro
You get to race the tracks Mano-e-Mano (spelled wrong, but you get the point) against a variety of drivers. At the beginning of each event, the driver gives you tips.

Each of the sections has parts that are fairly easy, but get much harder as you get into more advanced sections. So the challenge is always there. And when you think you have that down, go get your buddies. No computer guy can put you into a wall like a good 'friend'.

When you get the game, make sure you leave the damage on, and drive your car around mashing into to everything you see. Why? So you can see the great job they did on the fire! Sooner or later, you'll be driving around in the heat of a race and you'll get to see somebody on fire.

One time near the end of Bristol we saw a guy on some SERIOUS fire, and we were all laughing - 'cuz the computer guy wanted to win so bad he was staying out there on fire instead of pulling off the track to get extinguished! I nearly put my car in the wall from the tears in my eyes.

Each time I got my first experience driving around a new track, the shadows and other track details just blew me away. Keep in mind, I have been racing sims long before they were ever 3D, and I have seen a lot… but these graphics rank up there with the best I have seen anywhere on anything.

Infogrames put in the right mix of levels and thought of some simply excellent racing scenarios. It is as if the Infogrames guys got together and talked about the ultimate scenarios with the drivers, and wisely listened. Now we all get to be the benefactors of those great conversations and decisions. At one point of the Beat the Heat section, you get to go up against the former champions at Daytona! That seems like every NASCAR guys dream, and this game lets you play it out.

This four player gaming style has set a new standard for how I perceive gaming, and it has renewed my interest in console gaming.