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The NASCAR series is a weird one. On one hand its a ten year old series that has always offered up a fairly competent simulation of NASCAR that is sure to satisfy fans around the world. Meanwhile on the other hand it’s a circle driving simulator that barley offers any excitement. Whatever your point of view is the NASCAR franchise is here to stay but will this version be able to bridge the gap to the non-NASCAR fan?

NASCAR games are all about the simulation and realistic controls. Cars feel weighty and drifts aren’t to be found this is really the opposite of arcade despite that, the gameplay does feel good but not great. The thing is that while in your in the middle of the pack you have things going on all around you and this provides a fast paced thrilling racing experience but when your first you are forced to race defensively. Despite the in ear co-driver giving you pointers on where drivers are coming from defensive racing doesn’t work very well and leaves you with quite the opposite of the middle pack experience.

This year the main addition is the ‘Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup’ Mode. This allows you to sign contracts, join teams, build up reputations and basically offers up a more in-depth NASCAR experience than the normal career modes. Throughout this mode you get to take part in three distinct racing classes; Craftsman Truck, Nationwide Series & Sprint Cup. The mode offers a bit of pay off and sense of achievement for your investment of time but despite the different things to do in between races they really just prolong the career.

Another new feature this year is the Driver Challenge Mode. This pits you in random challenges against some of NASCAR’s best. Their is a lot of variation in this from the simple complete a lap in a set time to the more unique stay in a drivers draft for x amount of time. Not only are there loads of different challenges to complete but they also take place on different tracks. These range from simple oval speedways to more in depth challenging road courses. You even get to watch a video of the driver specific to each challenge although its more like advice then an actual challenge.

Finally, the last main extra this year is the create-a-skin mode where you get to modify the look and feel of your car. This might not be new but now you can import custom made jpeg’s through the EA website to fully customise your car. This might not be to the level of Forza’s excellent customization but its pretty damn close.

Throughout the game you will be mentored and tutored by professional NASCAR driver, Jeff Gordon. In the games career he provides a nice touch but at first you’ll notice him asking you to try out every mode even when your in a mode. This provides a nice sense of confusion when you start off. Despite that the interface and menus look slick but they also look like every other EA Sports game from the last few years.

The only real problem is the problem the series has always had and that’s the nature of the sport. It’s the fact that simulation style racing on an oval speedway isn’t the best combination. NASCAR 09 is a perfect fit for even the most casual NASCAR fan although it is still a long way of being the mainstream hit that will appeal to anyone.

This is only real problem with the game and despite some of the modes being little thin on the surface this title should appeal to any form of NASCAR fan but its hardcore nature and simulation controls make it hard to recommend to anyone else.