NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona

"A Must Have Game."

This is, by far, one of the best games I have ever played. It has options and different physics that other manufacturers wouldn't even dream of. The main reason I think it is good, is that you start out just like everyone else. At the bottom. And you eventually work your way up to the top. But if you aren't good enough or need to brush up on some skills, you can jump right into any type of car, on any track you choose for that level. The in-depth career mode is by far above the rest.

What really makes it stand out from the others is that the Winston Cup cars drive differently than the Weekly Racing Series, Modifieds, and the Craftsman Trucks. The addition of dirt tracks was a great idea, because not everyone goes out every week to a pavement track.

CONTROLS-9.9/10

Like I said before, all the car(and truck) types drive differently. But some are ''tight''er than others, and some are ''loose''r. In my opinion, the Weekly Racing Series is the hardest to control because of the ''power slides'', and that if you touch the grass on the insides of the corners, you must fight to keep it from spinning. But it doesn't take long to make a great handling car, especially if you know about what changes to make with your ''setup''.

GRAPHICS-9.8/10

The graphics are kind of blurry sometimes, but they still look great. They make the Modifieds look like Modifieds, the Trucks look like Trucks, and so on. They even let you choose your own sponsors, colors, and templates. Not the most advanced paint shop in this type of game, but it works.

DIFFICULTY-10/10

You choose the difficulty. You can set it low if you're a beginner, high if you're a pro. But really, it all depends on how much money you make/races you win at the start of your ''career''. Then you can buy upgrades, like a better engine, and then you will be faster for the next race.

SOUND-9.7/10

One of the things you will be paying attention to the most in a racing game is the sound. This is to see if you are ''redlining'', or squealing the tires in the turns. The sounds in this game are great, but the engines sound the same sometimes, and I don't think 300 horsepower sounds the same as 800 horsepower. Basically it tells you how much of that sound is being made at that time.

REPLAY VALUE-10/10

One of the main reasons for all these features included with the game is for the replay value. The career mode can be beaten in a couple days if you want. But you can challenge the pros at their best tracks, you can be put in racing scenarios and told to get through it as best you can, or you can run a Championship of all the races and see who wins. Since this game has all the different features, physics, vehicle types, and ways things can turn out, it leaves us with a game to be played for a long time.

OVERALL-10/10

Even if you are just a NASCAR fan that wants to race without paying the prices to race, if you are a ''grassroots'' driver wanting to test without going to the track, or you are a Winston Cup champion trying to re-create the ''good 'ol days'', this game is for you. I highly suggest this game to anyone that likes racing games or NASCAR.

Like the other review by Warhawk on GameFAQs, I suggest you rent this game first, then buy it. I just went out and bought it because that was the best game there. It turned out to be the game that changed the way I think about physics in NASCAR, and my life/career.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/25/03, Updated 01/25/03