Revisiting NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup

Once again, I have returned. Consider this video an early 20th anniversary special for this game. NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup came out back in 2004 for the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, and the original Xbox. Today, I’m showcasing the GameCube version. This game represents an interesting transition period in NASCAR history, a new title sponsor for the Cup Series, a new points format, green-white-checkered finishes at the Cup level, and plenty of other changes that have lasted to the modern day. I personally feel like this was the last truly exceptional NASCAR game to be released to date. The EA Sports titles that came after this were pretty decent… until they weren’t. Eutechnyx did okay, sort of. 704 was somehow worse, and I wouldn’t even call the games that Motorsport Games released finished titles. But hey, at least we don’t have to think about that today, because we’re revisiting a true classic. NASCAR 2005 even predicted certain elements of modern NASCAR, like racing in a stadium or on the streets of Chicago. It even managed to inspire Ross Chastain’s Hail Melon move so it’s still making history. You get the idea, it’s a massively influential title on the NASCAR fanbase, and it’s about time that I’ve featured it on the channel.
A huge thanks to my channel supporters:
DucksOnQuack
Ted Hatcher
Bo Brewster
Carson S.
Patrick
Gas-Station
DRC Motorsports Media
thedemogamer
Website: markleiffer.weebly.com/
Discord: / discord
Patreon: / markleiffer
Twitter: / markleiffer
You can also contact me at [e-mail].
Music from
Jason Shaw at audionautix.com/
Jimmie Leiffer at www.pond5.com/artist/jimmiele...
KZbin’s Audio Library
Just to serve as a reminder this show is a work of parody, I have no affiliation with any of the names, companies, or series mentioned in these videos.
#NASCAR #MarkLeiffer #NASCAR2005ChasefortheCup

[@Fakewhack-st8fl]

It's really depressing seeing how in-depth these older games were compared to our modern disgrace of a game.

[@ScootrPone]

Oh how much joy I got through my life just knowing about good ol' Walmart Exclusive

[@RheaStorm]

My favorite part of dodge stadium as a kid was running the other drivers into the pit lane.

[@bungieman2810]

The MASSIVE issue I had with the old EA titles was the lack of full rosters. Other than that, these are some of the best sports games out there.

[@Lego88fan]

1:15 "Hope you have insurance!" *Proceeds to destroy Newman's Viper* Love your videos dude!!

[@BUTTERRECRUIT]

Yeah... Street racing!

[@youfillmylifewithjello6661]

RIP Mansfield The truck series put on one hell of a show there

[@LifeintheHammerLane]

I grew up in Easton PA and used to pass by Nazareth Speedway all the time. You could hear the races from my grandparent's house. Not much is left besides cracked up concrete to closed off fences and severely overgrown grass, it's a real shame.

[@classicgamerlily587]

Agreed. My Aunt lives in Palmer Township so in both 2001 and 2002 we went to the IRL practice sessions to feed my interest in racing. Went to the final IRL race ever there and enjoyed myself immensely. Was practically another life ago tho....

[@RexcorJ]

I used to live in Stockertown, as well as growing up near Easton and Wind Gap, going up and down the roads between them. I remember getting one chance to go see the last race of Nazareth Speedway near my 10th birthday, and it was a blast, as well as one of my last connections to NASCAR at the time. Years later, whenever I visited my late grandmother or stayed over, we would pass by the stadium when it still stood, even beyond when it was finally torn down. I still remember the awe I felt at looking at such a lively area all those years ago. You can imagine how I felt as well, just seeing a decrepit lot as it stands now, though I haven't been in the area in almost a decade now.

[@floydfanTN]

This game predicted the Coliseum and the Chicago street race.

[@pandaplayr73]

Dodge Raceway will always live fondly in my heart. My favorite part is how you can strand somebody on the tires with cautions off and they will be removed from the race permanently. Its kinda fun to race there alone without a worry of anyone else getting in your way

[@MLGProSwag69]

I’ve always wanted to see someone do a career mode where they own their own teams but only upgrade the Engine’s, in theory then every race you’re driving an absolute piss missile down the straights that can’t turn and every pit stop could cost you 5 seconds on track lol

[@austin8783]

If this game would've had dirt to Daytona physics, except on the road courses, and a custom difficulty slider, it would've been perfect.

[@SebrystianVettel]

never clicked so fast on a Mark Leiffer's video before

[@dansyoutubechannel7812]

same here brotha

[@TheCamSays]

I love how I’ve managed to have this video game for years and only now do I know of the Lakeshore Dr. road course and its cheat code. Even now, I’m still finding secrets in games I grew up with.

[@64manxman]

I probably have 1000+ hours in this game and I never knew about Lakeshore drive or that there was Grand Am cars?! Wtf!!

[@Ultimate23Dragon]

25:26 Mark: "Look at Scott Riggs!" _(Hits Riggs while he's upside down)_ Mark: "I'm gonna call that one a mulligan." Me: "Well yeah... It's Riggs & not my driver!"

[@Dexter037S4]

"Lil bit of bumping, that's how you pass in prototypes right?" Homestead 2004, you're welcome.

[@roussin_]

also the EA track designers were correct about banked corners on road courses, they rule. wish somebody would port these tracks to assetto corsa

[@waltersobchak8080]

This was genuinely the peak of NASCAR racing for home console kids. I have returned to this, GT3, and GT4 many times over the years. They kept the right parts simple and the other parts complex, but you never felt a need to dive into the complex to enjoy the experience. It was just there for the die-hards without ruining the casual experience.

[@NottherealKyleLarson]

1:15 it feels like every video Ryan Newman has to be flipped upside down

[@carblazer31672]

Crazy how good it looks for a gamecube game

[@roussin_]

owned this game since it came out but certainly never beat all of it, I had no idea about the grand am cars

[@joshnunez5265]

It took me till today to realize dodge raceway is basically Raymond James Stadium

[@CasualRicer]

I grew up playing the absolute life out of this game! Had it since it came out when I was 4 or so and still play it to this day thanks to the PCSX2 PlayStation emulator. Hold up pretty well, nostalgia glasses on of course 😂. The new "nightly release" version of the emulator allows for texture dumping, so over the course of a week I kind of figured out how to make custom suits and vehicle liveries / export its assets! I run a Huggers Oranges craftsmen truck livery on a truck in Assetto Corsa for circuit racing

[@slideways7768]

I don't know about DP but in DPi Bourdais did a sick burnout at Sebring in 2021

[@CRL4624]

Now I wanna get my version I recently got of this game and do a season mode where it’s similar to the 24 schedule. Gonna have dodge raceway open the season 😂

[@ArthurCallahan389]

Thanks for reminding me about these older Nascar games. Graphics look better than I thought they would after so long. I love the cars they ran back then so I’m gonna fire this up for Xbox.

[@justinturley7071]

I do like how EA kept the Nazareth Speedway in the games that followed from 06-09 albeit as a Fantasy Track, but still cool to still include the now abandoned track in those games. If Wilksboro can return, then Nazareth can return, it would be really cool to see the Cup Series race there for the first time.

[@biggallcaps]

This game is so much fun. And I love how you know about the codes for the unlocks as well. A+

[@Tilco696]

This was my first NASCAR game. Thank you for unlocking a memory.

[@justinturley7071]

05 was a fun game for sure. Finally I was able to play as Jeff Gordon in his classic Rainbow scheme. Something I couldn’t play on Thunder 2004 (yes it’s his 04 All Star scheme, but they could’ve at least brought in his 90s rainbow scheme) career was different, although I wished with this new career mode, they imported the pit crew hire and fire into the mode, as you can own teams, and maybe adding a crew chief hire and fire mode would’ve been much better, also importing how to fix the car would’ve been nice, but the mode alone is different, and I like different. Tire wear is the biggest issue with this game, and pretty much loses its value, with no ai tire wear (even though they do pit, but you only have tire wear) it really takes the fun away from the game, and it can get VERY frustrating. The car feels lighter than 04. Unfortunately the car physics would get much worse in 06.

[@rantingandraving4193]

I loved this game and the three games before it. They were never the same after 2005.

[@bluntmechanic]

Few things in life have been as rewarding as dragging 1 and 2 star rides to victory lane in Fight to the Top mode.

[@misfortuneteller24]

I'll always miss nazareth. Hometown track. Was there for the real life race when truex jr won.

[@damplips3212]

03, 04, 06 and 07were my favorite nascar games

[@timwellslive]

I'm flooded with great nostalgia. Faked a lot of coughs to stay home from school to play this all day.

[@karstonkeel]

Hey Mark, big fan of the channel! Don’t know if you’re looking for suggestions or already have a bunch of ideas on the back burner, but I think NASCAR Rumble would make for a fantastic video!

[@mk.b.1309]

I was legit like waiting for this video because I knew it’d be peak I was right, great vid!

[@arctic4299]

holy shit i completely forgot i had this game UNTIL you showed the damn ryan newman intro lol

[@arctic4299]

This video made me find a way to play this game again and man. It's been a blast!

[@stormkelleh]

You passed the 8 and 9 in Chicago street and it occurs to me…. Both of them boys end up driving Bud cars and both of em wind up teammates of Jeff…. What a weird life we lived from 07-16

[@jesseleblanc8445]

Dude seeing you drive the square D truck is hilarious as I sell those as my reap life job lol

[@Pensfan5919]

Oh boy, Chase For The Cup! Even without Thunder 04, Gamecube folks had it made. Edit: The Mr. Clean pit crew became an inside joke in one of my discord servers. We're making a bunch of stupid, RNG aided paint jobs, and one of our pit crews came out looking like a bunch of Master Chiefs, so I joked that it was the Microsoft version of the Mr. Clean crew.

[@jamesstewart8377]

Best NASCAR game of all time. I loved the street racing and the trucks. Just awesome.

[@ThatSteeleGuy]

I really enjoyed this video. Would love to see Fight to the Top Mark edition! Recently I revisited NFSU2 and I've been impressed once again... Any thoughts about a foray into the classic Need for Speed games at some point?

[@coachjswinford4800]

Loved the soundtrack. 13 year old me was jammin'.

[@laucha2485]

Can't believe this channel only has 5k subs. Love your videos dude!!

[@AutoRockinRacing94]

Appreciate the fake Mansfield comment because it's so true

[@MrGerky]

Sticking to your word, love it man!

[@tomahawkchopboy89]

The hours I sunk into this game. Somehow I completely forgot about the prologue though.

[@JCdrksn]

Absolutely love your content, delivery, everything! Keep it up brother!

[@kyledabearsfan]

man this game was my childhood amongst others, it was just incredible. The soundtrack is S tier.

[@justinturley7071]

As a Jeff Gordon fan, NASCAR 2005 has his best paint schemes in any NASCAR game. It has his flames paint scheme, Rainbow (my favorite), platinum (really underrated paint scheme), 2003/2004 Pepsi Paint Scheme, and the Black test car. I would really like to know when this game finished production, because the only one missing is his 2004 Pepsi 400 paint scheme, the Million Dollar Pepsi paint scheme. All in all, I never was a big fan of his flames paint scheme, it just looked horrible. So I never raced with it.

[@cooperleardi3776]

the 007 edit made me laugh so much

[@TreelyTheTree]

Truly the greatest driver in NASCAR history... *Walmart Exclusive*

[@vladimirm8856]

I have this game on the Ps2 and it's awesome!

[@iluvtv2]

The opening intro could be used as a generation test. I think I named every driver in my head. I'm turning 30 this year lol Great video as always! You make me want to dust off my ps2 and get back into these games.

[@Lucrativecris]

NASCAR Thunder 2003 needs a review of its own

[@ryanward2855]

Oh how I’ve waited for you to upload another piece of gold

[@Pryde_]

Miss this damn game

[@Bradshaw_Staudt]

Move over Petty and Earnhardt, there’s a new GOAT in NASCAR and his first name is Walmart

[@caleykruse9852]

I love this game so much I still play it to this day

[@TotoDG]

Does anyone else think the "it's in the game" intro feel like a YTP edit?

[@TotoDG]

Sorry, *feels.

[@kevinspires9561]

The legend is back let's gooo

[@Valcerv]

Its always a good mark video when you ram someone into the sand barrels and jeff gordon screws with you The ai pitting in ea games is terrible. I think when there's a caution, the game runs a check to see if the car can make it to the end of the race and if not will not pit to stay on the current fuel run, even if they are seconds away from the finish line when they run out. I've noticed on 25% races at daytona, you can crash on lap 27, and none of the ai's will pit despite you being good to go until the end but will run out of gas 5 seconds before the line without drafting. Also sometimes the pits just glitch out and the cars won't pass you on pitroad, that's a thing

[@OTCHooly]

I loved this game growing up

[@jarredwalker9919]

That's surreal about the Chicago streetcourse.

[@TomoG4ch4_Alan94]

Even though they censored busch from the busch series, but they can still say busch series on pre-race

[@connyethompson]

I played one of these nascar games, maybe 2006, and if you had a mic plugged in, and sniffled, it would say "hey, watch your language."

[@Willy-vn3bt]

This channel makes me nascar

[@StarinRehab2]

I miss dodge and pontiac being in nascar, it would be nice to see more manufacturers in the sport

[@Silverlink28]

Bro it had Magna-Fi in it that’s a W

[@talhadevyt]

cant wait for the career series loved the thunder 03 and 04 careers!

[@lunareclipse6999]

The PS2 version of this game has the video for each lightning challenge, but for some reason i guess the gamecube version doesn't

[@Gaara019]

Smaller disc = Smaller amount of space to use

[@APrimusHokie]

Tony Walker sighting 👀

[@mikec.8604]

i remember on ps2 online in summer you could win a viper by racing in a cup online

[@elijahbritt7892]

I wont lie the beginning of the game made it feel like a need for speed vibe but still the enjoyment of thunder 2003

[@Roggie249]

Wait wait wait, how did I never realize this game had prototypes in it?

[@NotMattyDYT]

A thing most probably don't know is that some of the fantasy tracks were actually based off some real life ones like Old Spice being inspired by Riverside also the retexture mod for Dolphin is good you should check it out

[@justinturley7071]

Real life Jeff Gordon: can easily pass Rusty Wallace NASCAR 2005 Jeff Gordon: He’s too hard to pass.

[@Skeeeewoah]

How did I never know there was Prototypes in this game???

[@big_rand1558]

Bro I need you to make another video I have ran out of content lmao love the vids brother

[@MarkLeiffer]

working on it

[@irishbeary]

2005, Dirt to Daytona, and 2003 Thunder were the best nascar games personally

[@adammettd9362]

HES BACK

[@FayeHunter]

I waited until i could really enjoy this lol

[@biggusnikus6280]

Can we get a career mode for this?!?! Starting from modified all the way up

[@Nightmareof94]

I miss when games had cheat codes

[@Thrashifice]

2024 and I am using my PC to play 20 year old NASCAR and Madden games because somehow EA was actually somewhat competent then.

[@toddmanger7194]

i use to doorslam drivers into the pits at Dodge raceway stadium

[@SigmaNuHE481]

I wish this game had the in car like the other games

[@vaxiit]

YES! HES BACK

[@KR1736]

Thunder 03,04 and 05 are arguably the best run of any sports game ever.

[@JKSSubstandard]

..........................................................How did Ryan Newman get my cell number?

[@Kastros]

I hope you use the NCRD retexture mod when you do career

[@charlesgarcia4660]

When nascar games were fun

[@TheMNrailfan227]

Who put Mr. Clean on the pit crew

[@PWS666]

Is this pcsx2? I wish i would have your settings. Looks soo good. Greetings from austria

[@MarkLeiffer]

This was actually the Dolphin Emulator. I didn't have to change much other than upscale it to 1080p.

[@PWS666]

@@MarkLeiffer ah, ok! Thank you 👍🏼

[@austinking9912]

This one was good up there with 98

[@elchomper.1063]

I played this game so young I seriously didn't know how to start a race... My dad set it up and left for work and I was just too stupid to press X on "start race" so I gave up and watched Monday night Raw with my grandparents. But my GP is the entire reason I love pro WRASLIN not wrestling WRASLIN is because of them so it all worked out. I still got my white trash entertainment and I love pro WRASLIN to this day. Impact NJPW AEW WWE IDC just do cool or funny shit in the ring I'm a fan... Jarrett vs Hardy Texas chainsaw match is still my absolute favorite of all time just for how stupid it is. GWFL

[@rohansaini384]

Do you play on an emulator or GameCube? I got the disc running on a backwards compatible wii but the graphics and performance seem just a little worse than in your video.

[@MarkLeiffer]

This is being played on the Dolphin Emulator with the graphics being upscaled.

[@rohansaini384]

​@@MarkLeiffer Thanks

[@SKIN_DOGG_INC]

WALMART EXCLUSIVE!!!

[@SuperAllv]

@MarkLeiffer I just wanted to tell everyone here that Jesus Christ Loves You! ✝️❤️🙏

[@austinstitzel]

I'm going to guess that you are a Capricorn.