NASCAR 26
Review
Start your engines
by Howie Howard
reviewed on PC
Start Your Engines
In the distant past when a car race started, the opening command was always 'Gentlemen Start Your Engines'. Now to welcome the ladies to the sport the opening announcement is simply Start Your Engines. Since it had been a rather long time since I last delved in to organized car racing on the PC, I enthusiastically accepted the opportunity to review the game. NASCAR 26 is the second so named title by the this developer in the series and it follows a long line of electronic racing games. It's always nice to read about a game series that has such a storied history. I enjoy researching things and even though I had played various racing games in the past, I was surprised to see that stock car racing had it's computer start back in 1991. That is an amazingly long time in the past. Yes, I am dating myself, but I was around during that time sitting behind my keyboard and grainy VGA monitor driving a crude looking video race car round and round. After I found a list of NASCAR based games I noticed some that I had played and that brought back some fond memories.
A veteran race car driver
I didn't play the original NASCAR 25 so I'm not going to do a comparison between the two. Let's just say that the 2026 game comes with new features and upgrades. The real NASCAR sport from what I could find contains fifteen different major national race series and more if regional series are included. However, the game features just four of them. Player progression starts in the ARCA Menards Series. Craftsman Truck Series comes next, then the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and finally the NASCAR Cup Series.
There are various game modes and they are Career, Quick Race, Championship, Multiplayer and a new mode called The Chase. All of these modes are pretty much self explanatory so nothing further needs to be said. I mainly played the Career mode but did take a look at The Chase briefly and that consisted of races against notable stock car racing figures. I'm not in to online racing because that's where the experts are and I simply would not fit in, so I can't say anything about online.
What does the racing world really look like?
Well, it feels kind of like NASCAR 26! Game graphics are updated as are driving physics for both human and AI competitors and they are quite impressive. All of the games images are laser scanned which made the level of realism and immersion feel amazing. I felt like I was actually at the track trying to make my way around the various racetracks and courses in game. Car engine sounds are great with engine speeds being rendered perfectly in either automatic or manual shifting mode. The race starting command, 'Start your engines' had proper levels of echo which seemed quite realistic! When the wide range of licensed music is added in to the picture when not racing, the spit and polish in this game will make your day shine just like the vehicles shine in game.
Some of the real-world racing track surfaces aren't present, although they don't need to be. There are various asphalt mixtures, surface deformities and grass that is visible. If you aren't using a race wheel then track surfaces seemingly don't effect race performance, but that is hard to tell. However, the usage of a race wheel that has force feed back functioning will vibrate and react to the different surfaces. A decent race wheel will enhance the overall race experience and present a more realistic experience - however a default game pad controller will do the job. The need to hold your line on your way around the track appears to be the difference between winning and losing sometimes. I say that because I did lose races when I couldn't hold the proper line in order to optimize speed, especially when negotiating curves.
Game settings and options are extensive. There is a casual mode along with two other higher skilled options known as Normal and Skilled. Each level has more in-depth level adjustments so the experience can be fine tuned. I tried the default normal setting because I like a challenge, but I did initially find it too hard. So I went to casual mode and I was like the second coming of Dale Sr in that I could win every race! So I went back to normal and adjusted the setting to a mid range number between the numbers eighty two on ninety four and I was good to go.
What's under the hood?
The main point of NASCAR 26 obviously is the actual racing but there is more to this simulation. A favourite game option was using the vehicle customization tool. This tool contains an enormous number of options that allows the game player to fully customize colours and designs present on their car, helmet and racing outfit. In the beginning the default race car is a Chevrolet. The AI cars - even though they carry various brand names like Ford, Toyota, etc. - appear to look similar. Since NASCAR 26 is the official game of the sport and the developer has a license to use the sports properties, that means everything official in the real NASCAR will be in the game.
Mechanical workings of real NASCAR vehicles are strictly regulated and engines need to fall with in certain perimeters. In-game vehicle parts consist of car bodies, chassis, engine and suspension which all come in levels from one to five. The higher the part level the better the part and the more it will cost. As you advance up through the higher level series, the parts available start over and so does the building of your team. Parts wear out and new ones need to be purchased. New car parts might last a few races or so depending on where the parts wear setting is set. The higher the setting the quicker the part will wear and be damaged based on a range of low to normal. Essentially every aspect of the game can be adjusted so that makes everything be quite customizable. If you are a smash and bash demolition derby style driver like I am parts might need to be replaced sooner.
What's the competition like?
AI is quite good actually, but it does have a few minor weak areas. There are generally forty drivers including yourself in each race but sometimes one or two less. AI drivers don't drive like you will. My car driving tends to be all over the track due probably to unstable gamepad usage. Depending on the track and it's percentage of banking I like to drive faster until I get to a curve, then I slam on the brakes in order to be able to slow enough to make it around curves as fast as possible. AI drivers seem to always follow the blue line which I call the groove and they make their way around in a steady and as fast manner depending on their individual skill levels. In some areas like road courses AI drivers, even lower skilled ones will out class the human driver and leave them in the dust.
The groove or the line is the optimal place to be on the track in order to be able negotiate your way around the course in the fastest possible manner. You can turn the blue line on or off in the settings. I'm pretty good on oval tracks but my road course driving has a lot to be desired. That's probably because the AI does have the advantage in some situations that the human driver is not able to duplicate. One noticeable exception of the AI was that when an AI driver, either a back of the pack guy or a champion, latches on to the blue groove line they don't like to relinquish it and you can't move them off. You either get in the groove before they do, or find the next best line around the corner. In fact, sometimes the next best path is better than the AI path and that could be an advantage for you. Even though AI drivers do behave based on their skill level, the top AI driver will want to take the groove and never relinquish it. As an example, back of the pack drivers will give the right of way to other AI drivers along with the human driver if they are lapped, just like in real life. Since AI driver performance is always the most important aspect of games such as this, AI is always the most talked about issue.
What's it like to be a driver really like?
It's exciting but there are other factors to consider. The season consists of 20 races. Points, money and reputation are awarded at race end and that's how advancement up the race series ladder is achieved. As your team moves up the ranking ladder, the accolades and autograph requests mount up. When you accept fan requests there are two answers to pick from. Each choice can add reputation, money or work points. Race points are based on race finishes and are used to determine series rankings. Reputation is required to advance to more prestigious series at seasons end and it determines your ability to be able to hire better team members and employees. Employees such as crew chief, PR manager, agent and mechanics are rated from basic level to elite and the higher their level the more help they provide. The agent will find better sponsors, mechanics make more efficient car repairs, etc. Money is needed to replace worn car parts. WP or work points are what mechanics need to repair your damaged car. If there aren't enough WP available then some damaged parts won't be fully repaired. The amount of money earned after each race is determined by the level of the sponsor and your race placings.
We won this race in a dominating manner!
Folks, I hope I provided a comprehensive review for your reading enjoyment - there is a lot involved in this game. When I was a younger person I loved stock car racing. I remember the excitement of going to the local track to watch weekly stock car races. The sounds and thrill of watching the cars speed around the track all came back after playing and writing about NASCAR 26. I might add that years ago I witnessed Dale Earnhardt Sr guest race in an event at the local track and he performed above and beyond any other driver racing against him. His son Dale Jr. makes an appearance in game in the many well done cut scenes!
I haven't played a whole lot of racing games recently but I think this version of NASCAR could be one of the best. Even though NASCAR 26 has a few of minor AI flaws that might allow the prediction which the AI will do, they are minor. Fun factor is the question and although nothing in this world is 100% perfect, I have to say that NASCAR 26 is pretty darn close to the top of the perfect ladder!
Thank you for taking this exciting race car ride with me!
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9.7
fun score
Pros
Top notch visuals, sounds and music with deep game adjustments make this race be a winner!
Cons
AI driver tactics can be predictable at times but it's not a game breaker.
