NASCAR The Game: Inside Line was the second game released by Eutechnyx, and it improved on NASCAR The Game: 2011 in a lot of ways. The graphics were improved along with a deeper career mode. Online play was also improved, but there were still plenty of bugs, just like NASCAR The Game: 2011.
This is the classic example of a game that has aged quite well. Metacritic has user scores for the game being only 4.0 for the XBOX 360 version and 5.0 for the PS3 version. The game is definitely far from a perfect one.
The career mode is improved, but it has nowhere near the depth that the EA NASCAR games had. The online play was improved, but it did show some glitches and flaws. The AI in the game in single player also has some strange behaviors as well.
What the game gets right, however, is its gameplay. The driving model and tire wear are about as realistic as any NASCAR has ever gotten. If running a race with tire wear and fuel consumption, you must manage your tires or sacrifice later in the run. There is even a fuel save button on the controller input for the game.
For all the hate this game got from the community back in the day, many now look back on it fondly. Especially the driving model after succeeding games struggled in that department.
