NASCAR Racing: 2003 Season (PC, 2003)

I stumbled onto this game about 4 years ago, and immediately LOVED it.Having played and owned every NASCAR game that has come out for the pc, this is hands down the best racing sim game I have ever played. I was very sad to hear that EA Sports had taken over the production of the NASCAR Sims, because they just didn't do the game justice. The graphics are amazing, the populated pit road makes the experience that much more realistic, and the effects (windshield getting dirty during the course of a run or in a wreck) and the physics of it are awesome. The customizing options for your car and the AI cars in the paint shop is awesome, and the AI for once is actually spot on, so no matter what level driver you are, you can run a race at your own pace and have a blast. The only downside is you need a pretty decent computer to run it at it's peak, but if you can, it is definitely amazing. I just wish that Papyrus was still around to make a current game with the new cars.

Pros: I like every thing about this game but... Cons: You need a fast computer.

Compared to Nascar Racing 3 this is a LOT better. It has extreamly good graphics and the realisome is breath taking. Your car can flip over and rip appart. Your pit crew is animated as well as all of your aponets pit crew. Your windshield gets dirty as you race and they have the rules to the game some what like in real life.

If you want a realistic and authentic NASCAR game and have Windows XP, Pentium III or greater processor, more than 300*-1G MB RAM, Direct3D compatible video card and a steering wheel then this is the game for you. Thanks for reading my two sence about what I have to say about this awsome product.

*The requirments are 128 MB RAM but I say you need A LOT.

I have had Nascar Racing 2003 from its initial release and have enjoyed thousands of hours of race time. This is not a game, it is a simulation for sure. I have tried the later releases of Nascar games and have been sadly disapointed. This game stands up to the test of time.

Game play never tires out due to 3rd party dowloads that are available, you can dowload 2006 paint schemes and cars into this version.

Online play is super. Leagues are out there for the true racing fan, imagine taking the green flag at Daytona with a full field of "human controlled" cars. Nascar Racing 2003 can make it happen.

Sierra/Papyrus started this sim in 1995, putting out each year a more updated and better version. Over the years, tracks changed, rules changed, cars changed in NASCAR, and each were implemented into it's most recent sim. In 2002 with EASports getting into the Nascar action, Papyrus has to bow out in 2003 making NR2003 their best ever. They made sure that no stone was unturned. This was to be the final version, and nothing was left on the table. Nascar Racing 2003 is without a doubt the #1 online NASCAR racing sim in the world! There is and will never be anything as close to real racing as Nascar Racing 2003.... It's 2006 now, if only Sierra/Papyrus had kept going? Will we ever know.

I bought this about a month ago to get into online racing. I tried NASCAR Simracing by EA Sports, but the majority of the quality online racers use NR2003, so I bought it from a guy who had it in his closet, unopened, for 4 years. He got a heck of a deal because I won the auction for $117, and the pricetag was $29.99. Worth every penny. This simulator is far superior to the newer EA Sports version. The modeling is 4 years old but still holds up well. There are a ton of mods available from lots of racers online to update the cometition to any year or series you can think of. You can even contribute to the community by designing your own car, crew, or even tracks if you really know what you are doing. The only knock is that it is tough to get good online experience, which is really needed to race competitively. I guess that is simply the result of the popularity with serious racers - a noob like me will take some significant seat time to acquire the level of experience I need to compete, which is not only realistic, but the way it should be. Earn your ride!