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NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup

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NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup
NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup box art
Developer(s)EA Tiburon
Publisher(s)EA Sports
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox
ReleaseAugust 31, 2004
Genre(s)Sim racing
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup is a racing simulator published by EA Sports in September 2004 for PlayStation 2, Nintendo Gamecube, and Xbox. It is the eighth game of Electronic Arts' NASCAR series, and dropped the word Thunder from the title, the first game in the series to do so since NASCAR 2001. Kevin Harvick appeared on the cover.

Unlike previous entries, which would normally add a few extra features but leave most of the game identical to its predecessor, the game brought massive change to the series. One example is the inclusion of NASCAR series other than the Nextel Cup; the Busch Series (referred to as the National Series because of rules prohibiting alcohol advertising in games), the Craftsman Truck Series, and the Featherlite(now Whelen Modified) Tour. More examples include the implementation of NASCAR's new Chase for the Cup points system, and Fight to the Top mode, where you control a custom driver throughout his career. This was the last NASCAR game released for the Nintendo Gamecube.

Drivers

All drivers from the NEXTEL Cup, Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series are included. The Featherlite Modified Series series is entirely made up of fantasy drivers.

Criticism

Many gamers viewed this game as a stepped backwards, as the career mode and many other aspects of the game were "dumbed down" in the minds of many players. The EA Sports forums take special note in this criticism. The strategy and player aspects of the game seemed to be removed or became more cheesy.

New features

  • Fight to the Top-Play as an up-and-coming racer hoping to achieve the ranks of champion in Nextel Cup.
  • Chase for the Cup-Select your favorite driver and compete in the last ten races of the Nextel Cup season in hopes of winning the championship.
  • Production Cars-Unlock new sports cars(i.e. Chevrolet Corvette, Dodge Viper) from winning showdown races with other drivers.
  • Intimidator-force competitors out of your way in the race and face the consequences afterwards. (Similar to the "Share Draft" Feature)
  • Skill Points-Earn Skill Points to unlock Thunder Plates that introduce new drivers, tracks, paint schemes, etc.
  • Favorite Driver would allow you to pick your favorite Cup driver and have him stand in front of his car on the main menu

Trivia

  • Although The Busch Series Logo Says "National Series", Bill Weber says in the What's New Video "The NASCAR Busch Series", Ace Moneymaker also says "Your Busch Series sponsor...".
  • Kevin Harvick suffered a cover curse similar to the Madden NFL cover curse. Harvick failed to make the Chase For The Nextel Cup and did not win a single race in 2004.
  • Jeremy Mayfield is absent in the game because he was planned to be on the cover, but EA put Kevin Harvick on instead and Mayfield refused to be in the game. In addition, Mayfield's number 19 is available at the Custom Car Garage.
  • Grudges and Alliances are still active but it is tampered a bit but the drivers will still get angry over bumping and rubbing.
  • The EA Sports Bio feature was dropped in this game and EA Sports Talk was also dropped.
  • Pocono Raceway, where Mayfield's first win was in 1998, was also absent in the game, for unknown reasons
  • In the Xbox version, this was the first NASCAR game to have online capabilities on the system. NASCAR Thunder 2004 was the first NASCAR game to have online capabilities, but it only had the features for the PS2 version.
  • Picking Dale Earnhardt as a favorite driver immediately unlocks him as a playable driver.
  • This is the 3rd, and final NASCAR game to be released on the Nintendo Gamecube.
  • Ken Schrader is absent in this game.
  • In the Lightning Challenge "That was close!", the information states that Kurt Busch avoided a "pile up" on the first lap, even though the real-life accident was only a one-car spin.
  • Drivers in the lower divisions are fictional drivers, and some extra drivers are unlockable in the Cup series.
  • The NASCAR Busch Series is called the NASCAR National Series because Busch beer is an alcoholic beverage.
  • The Craftsman Truck and Featherlite Modified vehicles have no official brand, they are simply referred to as cars or trucks--for example, the NAPA Auto Parts Car.
  • NASCAR Thunder 2004 was a 4 player game. NASCAR 2005 dropped that, and is only a 2 player game.
  • The My Favorite Driver feature allowed the player to pick their favorite driver and put him on the main menu. So far, this is the only NASCAR game to include this feature.
  • The Thunder License feature with Richard Petty was removed in the game.
  • There are fictional sponsors in the game rather than traditional sponsors. Some of the sponsors would also reappear as endorsements in Madden NFL 06 in NFL Superstar Mode.
  • There are unlockable alternate night races at every track, except for New Hampshire and Texas.
  • The new "The Intimidator" feature is an obvious homage to the late Dale Earnhardt. In addition, if one names their driver "The Imtimidator" in Fight to the Top mode, Earnhardt will be unlocked as a playable driver.
  • Some real-life NASCAR drivers appear in the National Series but they are mostly ones with ties to a Nextel Cup team.
  • Bobby Hamilton Jr.'s car has the special Timberland PRO Paint Scheme, but the regular Marines paint Scheme is absent in this game.
  • Terry Cook is mistakenly in the Nascar National Series. Cook was in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2004 and never ran a Busch race.
  • The Production Cars used in the showdown races are unlockable for use in Race Now mode.
  • The prologue features a one-on-one street race in a Dodge Viper against Ryan Newman. If the player beats Newman, Newman will agree to own a Modified team with the player as the driver. However, Alltel, Newman's sponsor, is misspelled on the NASCAR Scene cover.
  • Other Production cars that appear are the Ford GT, Ford Mustang, Ford Lightning, Dodge SRT-4, Chevrolet Corvette, Daytona Prototype. The cars also take no damage.
  • Martin Truex Jr. is absent in the game (for the Busch Series), even though he went on to win the Busch Series Championship in 2004, but his car, Chance 2's #8 Chevrolet, is in the game with Dale Earnhardt Jr's Oreo/Ritz Chevy.
  • Bill Weber replaces MRN Radio as the announcer of the races.
  • The only unlockable legend in the game is Dale Earnhardt.
  • NASCAR drivers add their voices to the game in Fight To The Top mode, where they will challenge the player to a showdown in a production car.
  • Players are called a "Hero" or "Villain" on how they race. If they race aggressively, the player is called a villain, and if they race clean, the player is a "Hero".
  • A unique mini-game is the autograph session, which is available only in Fight To The Top. The player must press buttons to "sign" for their adoring fans. If the player is late pressing the buttons, the fans will say things like "You're a jerk!" and "You suck!".
  • If you look closely, at Atlanta the Chevrolet logos to your right just before you pass the start/finish line are backwards. However, this is the only logo to be placed backwards on the track.
  • Red Ball is actually Mansfield Motorsports Park, and their backgrounds are very similar.
  • At certain tracks, the #1 garage and pit area appear, possibly because John Andretti was scheduled to be in the game ,but was taken out.
  • This NASCAR game is the very first to include Derrike Cope.
  • Travis Kvapil never races in Nextel Cup and Randy Lajoie never races in NNS unless you control them.
  • The #100 car in the Nextel Cup series is an obvious reference to the Dover International Speedway. The driver's name is Dover Monster, the Dover Monster is the sponsor on the hood and the driver was born in 1972 (Year of 1st Dover Cup Race) in Dover, DE. In addition, this driver races only and always at Dover
  • The Levi Strauss Speedway is comparable to Hickory Speedway
  • The Old Spice Speedway is a backwards version of Riverside International Raceway
  • Memphis Motorsports Park, and Nashville Superspeedway are absent from the game. The Memphis weekend is taken up by Richmond and Old Spice gets the Nashville Weekends
  • At Dover, only 42 cars have pit stalls and the #100 car will use up the pace car's pit stall with the pace car magically moving further down pit road when this happens
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