What’s Happening?

iRacing and NASCAR finally released the second episode of the NASCAR 25 Developer Diary. While this episode was more centrally focused on the benefits of having iRacing as the driving force behind this game, it also provided some fresh looks at what they have already developed.

• NASCAR 25 is the next NASCAR console game currently under development by iRacing. When it is released, somewhere in the fall of 2025, it will be the first NASCAR Console game since NASCAR Rivals.
• iRacing took over the production of the game following a bad breakup between NASCAR and Motorsport Games. iRacing is an online racing sim known for its physics-based realism.
• Fans are excited about the new game as iRacing has a tremendous track record with their PC game. However, the team at iRacing is rather tight-lipped about the game so far.

The Tracks

As this episode was so focused on the benefits of having iRacing behind the game, we didn’t learn a lot about what the game has in store as far as features, such as career, season, or online modes. However, we got a detailed look at some track scans.

Here is a look at the scan of Richmond Raceway.

These iRacing scans are extremely in-depth and capture every little crack, crevice, and patch job on all of NASCAR’s tracks. The use of these track scans was a wishlist item for fans.

We also got a look at the scan for Daytona International Speedway.

This scan used in the video notably highlights the infield road course. Of course, this could just be the general scan of the track and not a hint at the inclusion of that circuit in the game.

Notably, the video included a panning view of Daytona’s wireframe model. Here is a look at it from pit road.

The Cars

This video’s major highlight was the renderings of NASCAR Cup Series cars, including a 360° wireframe of a NASCAR Next Gen car. This frame shows the high number of polygons used to render the Next Gen cars in this new game.

The team at iRacing didn’t stop at the wireframe. They gave us a detailed look at a still-in-development engine bay without the body panels.

Plus, a fully rendered look at a NASCAR Ford Mustang Dark Horse that gives fans the impression that the blocky-looking cars of past NASCAR console games are gone for good.

In Game Environments

As previously stated, there was almost no information on the user interface, game options, or environment. However, they did give us a detailed panning view of a still-in-development garage.

This is a race weekend at the track rather than a race shop. Perhaps the team is bringing back an in-depth race weekend menu that takes place at the track. Most recent NASCAR console games have featured this. However, the iRacing one feels alive, similar to the NASCAR: Inside Line era of games.

While we did not get to see or hear any ground breaking details or information, this little taste of the game can hopefully hold us over for some time.

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