Simulated racing or racing simulation, commonly known as simply sim racing, are the collective terms for racing game software that attempts to accurately simulate auto racing, complete with real-world variables such as fuel usage, damage, tire wear and grip, and suspension settings. To be competitive in sim racing, a driver must understand all aspects of car handling that make real-world racing so difficult, such as threshold braking, how to maintain control of a car as the tires lose traction, and how properly to enter and exit a turn without sacrificing speed. It is this level of difficulty that distinguishes sim racing from arcade racing-style driving games where real-world variables are taken out of the equation and the principal objective is to create a sense of speed as opposed to a sense of realism like the Need for Speed series.
Oval track racing is a form of motorsport that is contested on an oval-shaped race track. An oval track differs from a road course in that the layout resembles an oval with turns in only one direction, and the direction of traffic is almost universally counter-clockwise. Oval tracks are dedicated motorsport circuits, used predominantly in the United States. They often have banked turns and some, despite the name, are not precisely oval, and the shape of the track can vary.
Papyrus Design Group, Inc. was a computer game developer founded in 1987 by David Kaemmer and CEO Omar Khudari. Based in Watertown, Massachusetts, it is best known for its series of realistic sim racing games based on the NASCAR and IndyCar leagues, as well as the unique Grand Prix Legends. Papyrus was acquired by Sierra On-Line in late 1995 and Omar Khudari left Papyrus soon after that. Dave Kaemmer left Papyrus in late 2002, just before the release of NASCAR Racing 2003 Season (NR2003).
NASCAR 2000 is a racing simulator video game developed by Stormfront Studios and published by EA Sports.
NASCAR Racing 2003 Season, or NR2003 for short, is a computer racing simulator released in February 2003 by Papyrus Design Group for Windows and Mac OS X. The game was the last to be released by the company before EA Sports bought the NASCAR license exclusively from 2004 to 2009. The game included all of the 2003 NASCAR season tracks and many of the drivers, including Dave Blaney, who was absent in NASCAR Thunder 2004. In May 2003, Papyrus published a free DLC for the game, containing three fictional tracks.
NASCAR Thunder 2004 is a racing simulator by EA Sports, released on September 16, 2003 and available in separate versions for PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Windows. This was the last NASCAR game for the PlayStation. It was succeeded by NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup.
NASCAR Racing 3 is a racing simulator produced by Papyrus Design Group and published by Sierra Sports for Microsoft Windows in 1999.
Mickey's Racing Adventure is a racing video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color in 1999. It was followed by Mickey's Speedway USA in 2001.
ESPN SpeedWorld is a Super NES and Sega Genesis video game that was released in 1994 exclusively for North America based on the television series of the same name. The title screen of the video game was partially inspired by the 1993 running of the First Union 400 racing event; which occurred on April 18, 1993. The real-life drivers from the mid-1990s are missing because the game only has an ESPN license and not an official NASCAR license.
NASCAR '98 is a racing simulator video game developed by Stormfront Studios, published by EA Sports, and released in 1997 for Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn. This was the first game in the EA Sports NASCAR series.
NASCAR Racing is a series of car racing video games originally developed by Papyrus Design Group in the 1990s. The series started in 1994 and ended with the release of NASCAR Racing 2003 Season in 2003. Later NASCAR games were released by Electronic Arts who, through their EA Sports brand, took over the official NASCAR license. This article deals with the original series release, NASCAR Racing.
NASCAR Racing 2 is a video game developed by Papyrus Design Group and published by Sierra On-Line for Microsoft Windows and MS-DOS in late 1996. The game had an expansion, called NASCAR Grand National Series, released in late-1997.
IndyCar Racing is a racing video game by Papyrus Design Group released in 1993. Papyrus, consisting of David Kaemmer and Omar Khudari, previously developed Indianapolis 500: The Simulation, released in 1989.
IndyCar Racing II is a racing game developed by Papyrus Design Group. It is the sequel to IndyCar Racing, and was released in 1995 for the DOS, Mac OS and Windows. A little over a year later, the game was re-released, with a few minor upgrades, under the title CART Racing. The name change came about as a result of the CART series losing licensing rights to the name IndyCar, after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IRL lockout in 1996.
NASCAR Racing 4 is a racing simulator produced by Papyrus and released in February 2001.
NASCAR Rumble is a racing video game created by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation. Players race through 18 different courses set in six different areas collecting powerups to aid them. The game is a departure from many NASCAR games, as it is an arcade racer featuring various tracks and Mario Kart-esque powerups. A non-NASCAR licensed sequel was made for the PlayStation 2, called Rumble Racing. There are drivers from the then Winston Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series, as well as legend racers and bonus vehicles.
NASCAR 09 is the twelfth simulation installment in the EA Sports NASCAR series and the sequel to 2007 game NASCAR 08. It is developed by EA Tiburon and released on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in June 2008, and for mobile phones in September of the same year. Jeff Gordon is the cover athlete for NASCAR 09 for the first time since NASCAR 06: Total Team Control. Through the career mode, "Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup", Gordon leads a mentoring program, a new feature offered in NASCAR 09.
NASCAR The Game, occasionally abbreviated as NTG, is a discontinued series of NASCAR video games developed by Eutechnyx, which held the NASCAR license from 2011 to the end of 2015. The first installment, NASCAR The Game: 2011, is the first NASCAR game to have been released since EA Sports relinquished the license after NASCAR 09 in 2008.
NASCAR Racing is a 1994 video game developed by Papyrus Design Group and published by Virgin for the PC. A PlayStation version was released in 1996 by Sierra On-Line.
