EA NASCAR Games: Where Did They Go Wrong?

The EA NASCAR game series is beloved by most of the NASCAR fandom. So with the mixed reception of the Eutechnyx and NASCAR Heat series many are asking questions like why the deal ever ended and/or to bring EA back. So today I want to look back and see why this series ended and what let to it.
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[@racingrecorder8870]

It’s sad a game from 2005 has a better damage model than a game in 2020

[@rossracing6433]

@Cole the sgt frog and baby Tamama lover :3, of course life was better for you in those days. You were a little kid with no responsibilities.

[@Toxic2T]

@@rossracing6433 No dude trust me, I was born in 94 and he's right, everything was simpler, easier, less toxic, society was better, economics too. My parents had it easier and also my dad had a relatively new car(got it after years of driving rusty posses). After 2008 everything went downhill.

[@purwantiallan5089]

@@Toxic2T for me all of NASCAR PS2 games are WAY better than all 5 of NASCAR HEAT games.

[@Toxic2T]

@@purwantiallan5089 Bought Nascar Heat 4, It's pretty enjoyable tbh, more than Nascar 07 which was a mess.

[@purwantiallan5089]

@@Toxic2T true and also in NASCAR 07 to 09 has lots of missing drivers including Ichigo Hoshimiya (NASCAR 08).

[@MLGProSwag69]

NASCAR 06 was still a good game, NASCAR 07 was the true end of the run of innovation

[@nascarfanatic2425]

I disagree. 06 Total Team Control had cars that you straight up couldn't drive unless you went to Daytona or Talladega, unless you had the braking assist on. And even then, the cars just had no steer. 07 actually fixed this problem. The only downside to 07 was 1) Carl Edwards wasn't in it, and 2) you couldn't make a custom car with a number under 102, and no higher than 199. Other than that, 07 was actually a diamond in the rough compared to the games it was sandwiched between. 06 Total Team Control, I already mentioned. 08 played terrible, and 09 took one of the most important parts out of the game: the car manufactures. There was also a huge glitch in 09 that I noticed: Dario Franchitti drove for Chip Ganassi Racing in that game, but if you drive as David Gilliland, (car #38) who drives for Robert Yates Racing in the game, with Travis Kvapil as a teammate in #28, Franchitti is listed as your teammate. Honestly, the only true thing that I enjoyed about 08 and 09 is that if you were at Daytona or Talladega, and you wanted to wreck someone, not only was it easier to turn them, but they always got airborne if you were going fast enough.

[@whoasked9500]

I love both 06 and 07. The only EA NASCAR games I dislike are 08 and 09. Especially 08.

[@ArbitraryOutcome]

06 had good ideas but it was horrifically buggy.

[@whoasked9500]

@@ArbitraryOutcome I didn't really notice any glitches. Maybe that's a career mode thing.

[@nascarfanatic2425]

@@ArbitraryOutcome IMO, the worst part about it was how the cars drove.

[@kristoferschirmacher7232]

4:33: car gets absolutely destroyed. Game: *tires worn*

[@Waddle_Dee_With_Internet]

Hud you mean

[@DennyDeliversYT]

EA Sports, it’s in the game! After they rob you from buying DLCs

[@clayton9713]

EA sports, it's behind a way wall

[@TheNewChevyRoll48]

EA Sports, it's in the game for an extra $2.99

[@crippledcrusader1321]

EA Sports, what a shame

[@generallee1699]

EA sports- it's in the game EA sports- it's out of the game EA sports- it's back in the game again EA sports- go fuck yourselves

[@Jaceluyah442]

Ea sports it’s in the game..... almost

[@Michael29Shell]

I feel like you missed one other thing that played into the downfall: exclusivity. In March of 2004, EA Sports bought the exclusive licensing rights to NASCAR video games, which basically killed off the competition at the time (mainly with Papyrus). During the peak of NASCAR gaming, NASCAR games were being made by EA, Papyrus, and Monster Games, meaning that EA had to be on the top of their game or else Monster or Papyrus could've taken the top spot. But with the lack of competition stemming from the exclusivity license, it meant that EA didn't really need to put out the best product. The EXACT same thing happened with the Madden Franchise even though Madden 07 - 12 were still pretty solid games.

[@snappy452]

Papy likely wouldn't have been able to make NR2004 anyway as they were in dire financial straights and Sierra kept screwing them.

[@PaladinNL5]

This! This is exactly what caused the downfall of the EA games. EA owned a Monopoly in sports games due to it's status. With the lack of competition, EA really had no reason to improve the games.

[@Killer-Of-Night]

Not to mention Dirt To Daytona was a good underdog title for Monster Games, they had a pretty solid game in just their 3rd/4th try.

[@calebgoodman8729]

This is the case for most sports games, unfortunately. In addition to NASCAR and Madden, MLB the Show has been charging $60 for a roster update for almost a decade

[@carrsllccarrillo6507]

@@Killer-Of-Night right on! I actually played Dirt to Daytona much more not because of the graphics (EA had that hands down on the visuals) but the car sets ups was much more indept with Monster's game and I loved it. It was practically on par with Papyrus Nascar games.

[@tt-ln4mc]

I used to play Nascar 06 nonstop, it was so good especially the physics. Its crazy how that game 15 years ago is better than the modern Nascar games

[@memygunsandI]

NASCAR 04 and 07 were my favorites of all time! I still play them on my og Xbox to this day!

[@jabber1990]

2005 was about as good as it was going to get...so it couldn't' get better

[@DaHomieBurns]

EA Sports, We want your money.

[@Waddle_Dee_With_Internet]

EA $port$

[@lominoodles1122]

I think were glad EA left when they did, or else the games now would be much worse.

[@Foxdidnothingwrong]

Honestly if it’s paint schemes and tracks I’d be fine with paying

[@tingratty9189]

@@Foxdidnothingwrong Why would you ever want to pay for tracks?? I am glad EA lost their deal for nascar otherwise we would have to pay for "driver packs" and the like

[@Foxdidnothingwrong]

BrownStalin I’d kill for some fantasy tracks made in this era of gaming especially dodge raceway and devils canyon

[@legostopmotionguy13]

@@Foxdidnothingwrong probably a good 2.99 for each track

[@HisameSymouri1995]

I'm glad they left too, but I wish they would have at least made NASCAR 10 before they left though.....even if it was a copy of 09 it would have still been enjoyable with the badass paintbooth and fun online play.

[@XombieX]

I like 06 - '10. I loved the damage and the (almost) realistic way some car would spin and go airborne. Now I'm playing Heat 5 getting hit directly by the entire pack of cars and the damage looks exactly the same as it would if I hit the wall at 15mph and every now and then a car will just fly to the damn moon and back.

[@seanmealins3805]

I expected Magna Fi's "Where Did We Go Wrong". One of my favorite songs from these games.

[@Toxic2T]

Memento's "Nothing's Sacred" too and "Action" from Powerman 5000. 3 of the best songs from the franchise.

[@CaptainJdotJdot]

I remember putting that song on my iPod Nano back in like 2009 because I was listening to it twenty times a day while playing Chase for the Cup on the Gamecube and I couldn't get it out of my head. Probably the best 99-cent iTunes purchase I ever made lol

[@nascarmonsterjamindycar9031]

Nascar 07 is the most underated Nascar game of all time it's truly in my opinion the last good EA Nascar games 08 was not good on PS2 and 09 on PS2 is the worst game except for heat evolution Xbox 360 versions were better

[@moelester8547]

Did you ever play the 360 version? On ps2, you could at least drive the car, but 360/ps3 is easily the worst driving physics I've ever driven in my life, and that's saying something

[@nascarmonsterjamindycar9031]

Well graphics were the only improvement of the game on the next gen consoles on PS2 they were slow in mph and other than the driver changes that is it the game on PS2 I despise and the other as well And no I have not ayed the game at all and I hope not to

[@pens87668]

I agree with you! 07 is the only NASCAR game I still have left from my ps2, wish I had kept Thunder 2004. I use to play 07 all the with my dad. I enjoyed racing at Pocono, turning guys down the front stretch and watching them flip uncontrollably. Good times.

[@NASCARFAN93100]

It's a shame EA Sports NASCAR Games became shells of their former selves after NASCAR 07 And 704 Games May have gotten off to a rough start but lately they have been doing a great job with the NASCAR Games and I just got NASCAR Heat 5 for both consoles today PS: Happy Birthday Ally Brooke

[@tysonfrank2105]

704 fucking SUCKS

[@raf_cdn]

I think NASCAR 07 was when the series jumped the shark. Another way of seeing this is the paint schemes: compare the number of paint schemes in 2004-06, and then 07. In 2004, drivers had many throwback schemes that stretch from the 90s, 2005 removed a lot of them but had the 2003 schemes and current ones, 06 had a decent amount too, but by 2007, Ryan Newman, David Stremme, Roush Racing and Denny Hamlin had several schemes, while everyone else had none.

[@ryanbearden9709]

Nascar 2003 is still by far the best Nascar game because not only was the racing good but you got to actually upgrade the car by buying engine upgrades, drafting upgrades, tire upgrades etc... You also got to pick your pit crew... I like racing games where u can actually upgrade the care & run your team. The newer nascar games its like pick your sponsor & go race. Which that really isn't the case in legit nascar, If you are a new team you can't expect to have the best equipment etc when starting compared to the established teams... So I loved nascar 2003 where u had to buy chassis, engine, body style upgrades before your car got really good.

[@MWB7Xenon]

NASCAR 09 Online was fun, good memories on that game

[@Oneepicnight1]

these kids dont know about the intense racing online. still have friends today because of it

[@tannerbuckley8126]

It definitely started with 06, but DAMN, 2008 was SO BAD! I bought it a few years ago just to check it out, and literally remember pulling it out after 10 minutes and breaking it in half. Things really didnt seem to pick up until Heat 3/4 came out. Thunder 2004 and NFL2K5 will forever be my favorite Ps2 games.

[@generalshepherd2209]

I love these games with a passion, I’ve always wanted to play the arcade games again. They are very fondly situated in my heart as one of reasons why I love NASCAR. Best NASCAR game to date. Also love the reference to the Magna-Fi song in the game.

[@ozachz]

think 07 was the begining of the end, but 08 def did it for em

[@TChapman500Gaming]

Now I've got "Where'd we go wrong?" from NASCAR SimRacing stuck in my head just from reading the title. Thanks a lot! Perhaps it was EA Sport's exclusive license for making NASCAR games. We had five EA Sports NASCAR simulators released on PC (NASCAR SimRacing being the last, and being very buggy at that). After 2005, EA Sports abandoned the PC market for it's NASCAR games.

[@itz_jacoby3]

Nascar 07 was my child hood

[@Heisendorf]

NASCAR ‘04 and ‘07 were my two favorites. ‘07 was the first new NASCAR game I played and ‘04 I had a lot of good memories playing them game and having our own custom season. Good times they were...

[@lordshankracing4724]

I have NASCAR 08 and i kinda like it. But i wish i had the older games.

[@SamWilliams78]

Still Don't think EA ever touched Dirt to Daytona. So many hours of fun with that game.

[@dennisadamo5209]

Was waiting for someone to mention Dirt to Daytona. If I didn't see it I would have had to bring it up lol. Out side of sim racing that was my favorite NASCAR racing game of all time

[@nommersent9906]

I own '03 and '05 and I still am shocked that it devolved into NASCAR 08. I think the perfect Nascar game would need the Fight to the Top mode of '05, the Ownership mode in Career of Thunder '04, and the Create-a-Car of Eutechnyx '14. I'm terrified to even imagine a new NASCAR game under EA seeing how bad 08 was with how clunky the controls were in the default setups, you'd have to find custom setups to make the game playable, and if you didn't have access to it then you were just stuck spinning out every time you got tapped by another car in that game. The most important thing would have to be not signing exclusivity deals and invest with multiple video game companies in order for competition to ensure a better product. Otherwise it might head down the road Madden did, essentially a cosmetic only game with no new features to excite it's fan base.

[@HisameSymouri1995]

I dont care what anyone says....NASCAR 09 had the BEST paint booth and the BEST online features. The locker system was great so friends could share paints and setups. The lobby system was amazing where you enter then pick your car and go into a practice/happy hour until the host started the race. The game only allowed ONE PLAYER PER DRIVER which needs to come back. The newer games have never come close to offering the same amount of fun as I had with my friends on NASCAR 09 for the ps3.....I really hope the next game is good and offers the features that we've been asking for since 2015 when they took over. I am going to give up on nascar games if the next one is bad.....ive been burnt too many times and its getting sad that not one damn company can replicate the online features and paintbooth of 09 and the amazing single player of Thunder 2004.

[@dalejr183]

EA Sports Nascar Thunder 2002 best intro ever if your a Southern like me and in your 20's in the year 2000. God Bless Dale. Shout out to Talladega and Alabama. PS2 version

[@alexandriashannon7438]

To be honest around their 2002-2003 release when I feel they went off. When career mode first came out it came with every release except their PC one. As a PC only gamer I just stuck to updating the Papyrus NR2003 and forgot about EA completely as it was clear where their loyalty was, until I picked up a 2007-ish game in a bargain bin for like $10 and regretted it. Losing Papyrus was a blow to the NASCAR PC gaming community.

[@DoubleTime53]

I don't think 06 was the declining point, but that is when the series plateaued. It did add upon 2005, but not by enough to make it better. 07, however, is where I think the decline started. Nascar 07, in a nutshell, is just Nascar 06 again, but this time with Ford Fusions and more motion blur!

[@bonvct]

The only good thing of 08/09 Next Gen was the EA locker where you could upload picture files to plaster on the cars. Its why that video in the end of the Pepsi Max car has Manufacturers on the car but not in-game (look at the rest of the AI cars)

[@Wesley_J]

First NASCAR Game I’ve Ever Played Was NASCAR Thunder 2003. Second Game Was NASCAR 2005:Chase For The Cup. Third Game Was NASCAR 09. And Fourth and Current Game I’m Playing Is NASCAR Heat 4. And I’m Telling You, When I First Played NASCAR 09, I Was Like “WTF Is This?!”. So I Got To Say To Me, NASCAR 09 When Everything Went Wrong.

[@SWiFTMK7]

NASCAR 09 ps3 online was the funnest game I ever played on ps3. It was a sad day when servers shut down

[@spartan5713]

Is it a bad indictment of sports video games when the best baseball game(MVP 05, Nascar game(2005), and NFL game (2k5)...were made a decade and a half ago.

[@556Outlaw]

Total team control was the best nascar game I’ve ever played.

[@81casperflip]

Nascar 06 had horrible physics with no assists on. It's ashame because it had the most paint schemes and drivers of any of the nascar games on ps2. But even today I cannot get used to the driving physics when I can play 04 and 05 without a problem

[@pfcravt]

Dirt to Daytona had hands down the most in depth carreer mode.

[@jarednewman6033]

I had nascar thunder 2004 on PC and it was amazing, nascar 2005 on ps2 was just as good but the addition of the other series bumps it up just a little more and to this day is my favorite nascar game

[@dathyr1]

I will still say my best Nascar game besides IRacing was and still is Nascar Racing 2003 by Papyrus. Though by todays graphic standards, NR2003 graphics is now crude, but the gameplay is very realistic. Plus when this game first came out, I did hours on end racing online in the Sierra FREE servers. I belonged to 3 private leagues back then and was allot of fun. Even now in 2024 I have NR2003 installed on my Windows 10 PC and works great. There are allot of additional tracks, cars, and series mods to get for this game. There are even private leagues that still support this game. I have the RFactor 2 game and have all the Ovals and Road/Street tracks and a car set to do Nascar Racing. I can also do Indycar on the same tracks in this game. I have two other Nascar Heat games which were made by Monster Games. They are so so and not very realistic to me. Never got into doing EA sports games. I think IRacing now has the licenses for Nascar and they will be developing a dedicated Nascar game in 2025 for the PC and some console systems. We shall see how well this game will operate when released.

[@sheridan5175]

Literally everyone: I hate paid DLC Breath of the wild: ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT

[@knuckleheads1929]

Personally I think thunder 2004 is the top bar set by the ea team . While you were only given the option of the cup teams , the thunder challenges were great , the career mode was both incredibly frustrating to start out yet rewarding once you started getting the upgrades needed . The way they did the upgrades made a lot of sense too you didnt just buy +5 engine power you bought a block hoeing kit . And as you got better you could afford to pay better engineers which made your program better too . I really wished they would have expanded on the career mode by letting you field a 2 car operation by offering competitive contracts to vetrans or by scouting for rookies to join the fold that would have made the immersion really next level.

[@charlesatkinson813]

I keep watching Nascar in 2021, and can't figure out what has happened to Kevin Harvick and team. Not a single win yet this season and close to falling out of the top 10 in points. No stage wins, no race wins, and almost out of chase contention.

[@cr7-th8gt]

4:27 damage because bro that look so good why is it gone

[@chrisu.-blurrrproductions3940]

Chase for the Cup will always be my favorite NASCAR game. SOOOOOOOO many hours logged.

[@Eli-dd5jc]

These games were my childhood. Played these before school and after I got home from school while snacking on a sandwich and drinking coke. Those were the days.

[@dillonpierce7599]

To be fair I have thunder 02-08 and I like all of them. Dont forget dirt to daytona either. Still one of the best.

[@TheCulturedMan34]

Always the same problem: Cannot create my own goddamn car!!!!

[@TheNewChevyRoll48]

I'd say NASCAR 08 and 09 is where the dip in quality is very noticeable. Imo the gameplay was still good in 06 and 07 and I liked the team controls. Hell 06 had the best paint booth because you could chose most numbers between 0-199 like in Chase For The Cup, but also had all the paint scheme styles from NASCAR 07.

[@tgs2141]

They just ran out of ideas, it’s happening with the NHL series lately where they don’t know what to put in, while 704 is going on a slow start they seem to care very much and are make upgrades as time goes on, EA leave was good for the NASCAR gaming series and just imagine had they stayed, it would have been hell on earth. I have lots of hope for 704 in the future and Nascar does as well😊

[@loganestes2841]

I just picked up my Nascar 06 Total Team Control (PS2) from my dad's. I also have Nascar thunder 2003. I prefer these to the newer Nascar games

[@timlarrabee1854]

Nascar 98 with the paintball cheat was so fun

[@cudaman340]

The entire NASCAR gaming scene went downhill. Back when EA started making NASCAR games, there was Papyrus's NASCAR die-hard ultra-realistic sim series, EA's arcade series (which were very playable and fun!) and Hasbro's NASCAR Heat games, which blended both of what Papyrus and EA were doing. The depth in each series was amazing, though in different ways. When NASCAR started awarding one publisher exclusive rights the games started going downhill, and NASCAR's decline in popularity hasn't motivated many developers to put a lot of effort into the games.

[@fordtough91]

I don’t mind the newer NASCAR games I miss the EA games when you rubbed up against another car it gave you wheel marks on your door

[@gooseflatwaterfowlers]

When I was a kid I couldn’t wait until I got this game every year. To me NASCAR 2000 was the best followed by 2004. I think around 2006 is when it started to go downhill I didn’t get another one after 2006 it just wasn’t the same. One thing I wish EA would’ve done was have throwback tracks on it like Atlanta old configuration and Wilksboro. I was a huge fan of NASCAR racing on PC

[@Racinrasslinfan36]

The only positive of NASCAR 09 was that of the online and Montreal as DLC they literally removed features

[@BUTTERRECRUIT]

I respect all opinions and comments towards this, and I may have a bit of nostalgia with this but I think 07 is the one of the better ones not the best but considered good, I really haven't played the older ones, the oldest I've played is 2000 on the N64 but I bought one when I was 12 and it came with it, I never played 2004 or any of the classics, but I have played the the newer ones and agree that there about as horrible as EA's greed in microtransactions but as it stands for my opinion I think 07 should have a little bit more of love

[@FalseHope61]

NASCAR 98 was the first race car game I ever played on console. 8 year old me got lost in his imagination, driving around as Earnhardt. This kept me buying the new NASCAR game year after year, until the late 2000s. Then I tried to hop on the bandwagon again when Evolution came out “bad idea”. That was by far the worst game I’ve ever played. I tried Heat 5. But the steering is far too twitchy, and I’m not a bit fan of the car setup and handling model.

[@blakestoner9679]

What track was ward burton raceing in the end of the video

[@Luckyboydied]

Nascar 2005: Chase for the Cup was all I would play for almost a year.

[@bmgill85]

That Watkins Glen clip is hilarious

[@Conrailfan2323]

NASCAR 09's online was still amazing.

[@hotdogs5265]

I played a ton of NASCAR 99' for N64

[@Riggsfan99]

I get that the EA sports games was better but I am more focused on improvements because after a few years they could be at the quality of the thunder games and I dont understand why the heat games have so much hate they are great games.

[@iggy1297]

I don't recall EA NASCAR games being remembered "fondly". Most people have always wanted something better, the EA game were simply 'good enough'.

[@therealfanmaster7097]

Considering the destruction of franchises like Madden and FIFA, you think EA would treat their NASCAR games with any more respect? Honestly we don’t need more great things ruined by EA.

[@antborb7215]

Jesus Christ, that Watkins Glen footage looks like Wreckfest with mods. Is that the actual game?

[@reginaldgraham5221]

The 64 was my first console and I cant tell you how much nascar 99 I played

[@Brian_rock_railfan]

great video liked 👍🏆

[@michaelmcallister457]

‘08 is where it went off the deep end

[@ChevyBuddy]

NASCAR 07 marked the end of good PS2 NASCAR Games and NASCAR 09 was an absolute disgrace on the then "Next Gen" Systems. NASCAR 08 tried something innovative, by shifting the handling-style to a more simulation-like system, however it didn't resonate well with the Mainstream players + the bugs and glitches killed 08, along with the piss-poor "Career Mode" attempt in that title.

[@dinsmore1994]

hey hey hey, Maybe this is only me because i came in at 06, but nascar 09 was the best online on xbox 360! aside from iracing and nr2003!

[@BrunoBrix11588]

Best was 2004 by far. Once total team control came it it went down hill super quick.

[@rosumin38]

It might just be me but the Nascar Racing series by Papyrus are still the best Nascar games you can play.

[@TwailsGTR]

Nascar Thunder 2003 is my favorite.

[@garrett8668]

NASCAR 07 was my favorite NASCAR game. NASCAR 08, 09 and that stupid ass Kart Racing game was the beginning of the end. I honestly haven't really liked any of the NASCAR games that have come out since NASCAR 07, I play them because that's the only thing there is, not because I enjoy them.

[@loganc7941]

I feel like since EA is super stingy with micro transactions our biggest chance of having a game that could be relatively close would be if Codemasters made the game. They’ve done an absolutely beautiful job with the F1 games. Unfortunately I think EA recently bought out Codemasters so I don’t think we’re gonna have a good game of Nascar anytime soon.

[@savagekingtexas_3990]

EA Nascar games from 2000-2008are the most Nostalgic games on the PS2 My favorite is Nascar Thunder 2002

[@backbayproductions9508]

I know this may get some angry but I think Nascar 2005 Chase for the Cup was when EA began to go downhill. I say this because my experience with the game was awful due to the horrible steering and driving mechanics. It made trying not into hit into a wall or somebody's car impossible 95 percent of the time.

[@nascarfan9724]

At least EA NASCAR had some good soundtracks...

[@Baynes91]

If you like the song at the end of the video, go check out Steven Crowder intro to his show

[@nolandavis9040]

NASCAR 2008 on PS2 was actually a good game because it had a similar handling model to NASCAR 2003 🤷‍♂️ at least that’s what it felt like as a kid 😂

[@fabian_balle]

A change of the Engine will hopefully help Nascar for next year

[@andrewwinslow9315]

where did we go wrong was a song in the NASCAR 05 soundtrack

[@mikefranzen]

I played from 98-06 then 2011-2015 my favorite was thunder then 05 and then inside line

[@marthflores3515]

Nascar Thunder 2003 is where it's at

[@katya7918]

Honestly nascar 09 wasn’t a bad game as its pretty good actually compared to a lot of modern games

[@dustinehli4296]

I still play nascar 06 and nascar thunder 2004

[@mariorivera4552]

It was over for me after NASCAR '05 sadly.

[@BobbertYates]

Nascar 07 was where it went downhill imo

[@Tylnorton]

It was the last good EA NASCAR game so you're definitely right. Still a great game, but just slightly not as good as 06. 08 was where EA really fucked up.

[@od13166]

using new engine and broke game is something happens on NFS nowdays also

[@S.K.R.E.Inc.]

You should try Nascar games skipping Nintendo or Nintendo and Nascar. The 2000s games were good, but they ended up not going on Nintendo but a few games

[@KylitoNewt]

NASCAR 06 and 07 were my favorite games of the whole series. 08 and 09 were not drivable in the slightest. I loved the games from 05-07 though.

[@clipy51]

Nascar 08 was the end of EA

[@joshjackson797]

NASCAR 09 was a terrible game when it came to single player, BUT it hands down had the best online lobbies when it came to organizing lobbies and super speedway racing. NASCAR heat online has a long way to go.

[@stewpuddy4161]

Papyrus blew them out of the water. Fans wanted more of a Sim. The cars in these games drive nothing like a real car. It was too "arcadey" and no matter how much fans begged for more realism, they refused. Career mode.in "Dirt to Daytona" was amazing, with good physics. All of the EA games were garbage in my opinion.

[@dennisadamo5209]

I think that's why I enjoyed Dirt to Daytona so much was that it felt almost realistic for a game that came out when it did. I remember on full races you would have to watch tire temps cause you could really burn up the RF. I also loved having modifieds but wish that could have gotten the licenses to use tracks that the mods actually raced at lol.

[@bowtiezr2534]

I still play nascar racing and nascar 98

[@tysonfrank2105]

Nascar 05 was the beggining of he end

[@samuelmcneill1120]

Hey I’m happy EA doesn’t own NASCAR games rights anymore. I don’t want to have to pay twenty bucks just to unlock Erik Jones

[@shannongrayRFK]

Nascar 05 06 07 were great games the best nascar games by far

[@KingmanHighborn]

When EA began to buy the exclusive license to all the sports leagues, that's when the decline began. They no longer had any threats to compete against and phoned stuff in, year after year.