NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup
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| NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup | |
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| Developer(s) | EA Tiburon |
| Publisher(s) | EA Sports |
| Platform(s) | GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox |
| Release date | USA August 31, 2004 |
| Genre(s) | Sim racing |
| Mode(s) | Single Player, Online, Split Screen Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: E |
NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup is the eighth installment of the EA Sports' NASCAR video game series. It was developed by EA Tiburon and released on August 31, 2004 for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube and Xbox. NASCAR 2005 is the first game in the series to drop the word Thunder from the title since NASCAR 2001. Kevin Harvick driver of the #29 GM Goodwrench Chevy Monte Carlo 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 Series; the National Series (Busch Series), the Craftsman Truck Series, and the Featherlite Modified Series. 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.
Contents |
[edit] Features
- Race in NASCAR's top 3 series: Craftsman Truck, National (Busch), and NEXTEL Cup.
- Fight to the Top Mode, play as an up-and-coming driver hoping to achieve the ranks of champion in NASCAR's NEXTEL Cup Series.
- 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.
- Unlock new 2004 Production cars: Dodge Viper, Ford GT, Dodge SRT-4, Chevrolet Corvette, Dodge Magnum, Ford Mustang GT, Daytona Prototype, and the Ford SVT Lightning. From winning showdown races with other drivers.
- Intimidator, force competitors to make mistakes in the race and face the consequences afterwards.
- Earn Skill Points to unlock Thunder Plates that introduce new drivers, tracks, paint schemes, etc.
- Favorite Driver allows you to pick your favorite NEXTEL Cup driver and have him displayed on the main menu.
[edit] Drivers
While a large number of real drivers are present in the NEXTEL Cup Series, Busch Series, and Craftsman Truck Series in NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup, fantasy drivers are still present, sponsored by fictional or unused sponsors. However, the Whelen Modified Tour is entirely made up of fantasy drivers.
The list of NEXTEL Cup Series, Busch Series, and Craftsman Truck Series drivers with their paint schemes and make in NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup are:
[edit] NEXTEL Cup
[edit] Missing Drivers
| Car No. | Driver | Reason For Absence |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Kevin Lepage | Unknown |
| 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Disagreement with EA Games |
| 84 | Kyle Busch | Ran Part-Time Schedule |
| 49 | Ken Schrader | Unknown |
| 60 | Boris Said | Ran Part-Time Schedule |
| 72 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Unknown |
[edit] National (Busch)
| Car No. | Driver | Primary Paint Scheme | Make |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Hermie Sadler | Zapf Creations | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Ron Hornaday | ACDelco | Chevrolet |
| 5 | Kyle Busch | Lowe's Home Improvement | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Oreo / Ritz | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Jeff Burton | Cottman Transmission | Ford |
| 9 | Mark Martin | Pennzoil | Ford |
| 10 | Terry Cook | Power Stroke Diesel | Ford |
| 12 | Tim Fedewa | SUPERCUTS | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Casey Atwood | U.S. NAVY | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Express Personnel Services | Ford |
| 18 | J.J. Yeley | Vigoro | Chevrolet |
| 20 | Mike Bliss | Rockwell Automation | Chevrolet |
| 21 | Kevin Harvick | Reese's | Chevrolet |
| 22 | Jason Keller | Airplus Insoles | Ford |
| 23 | Kenny Wallace | Stacker 2 | Chevrolet |
| 25 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | Timberland | Ford |
| 27 | Johnny Sauter | Kleenex | Chevrolet |
| 32 | David Stremme | TrimSpa | Dodge |
| 33 | Paul Menard | Menards | Chevrolet |
| 37 | David Green | David Green | Chevrolet |
| 46 | Ashton Lewis | Advertise Here!!! | Chevrolet |
| 60 | Greg Biffle | Charter Communications | Ford |
| 66 | Billy Parker | Duraflame | Dodge |
| 82 | Randy LaJoie | Jani-King | Chevrolet |
[edit] Craftsman Truck
| Car No. | Driver | Primary Paint Scheme |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Bobby Hamilton Sr. | Square D |
| 6 | Matt Crafton | GM Goodwrench |
| 16 | Jack Sprague | Chevy Trucks |
| 18 | Chad Chaffin | Dickies |
| 22 | Bill Lester | Bill Davis Racing |
| 24 | Travis Kvapil | Line-X / eBay |
| 38 | Brandon Whitt | Werner Ladders / Cure Autism Now |
| 50 | Jon Wood | Pennzoil |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Superchips |
[edit] Tracks
[edit] NEXTEL Cup
- Atlanta Motor Speedway
- Bristol Motor Speedway
- California Speedway
- Chicagoland Speedway
- Darlington Raceway
- Daytona International Speedway
- Dover International Speedway
- Homestead-Miami Speedway
- Indianapolis Motor Speedway
- Infineon Raceway
- Kansas Speedway
- Las Vegas Motor Speedway
- Lowe's Motor Speedway
- Martinsville Speedway
- Michigan International Speedway
- New Hampshire International Speedway
- Phoenix International Raceway
- Richmond International Raceway
- Talladega Superspeedway
- Texas Motor Speedway
- Watkins Glen International
- Note: Pocono Raceway is not included in the game due to licensing problems.
[edit] National (Busch) / Craftsman Truck
[edit] Other Real Tracks
- Daytona Infield Road Course
- Phoenix Infield Road Course
- Talladega Infield Road Course
- Texas Infield Road Course
[edit] Fantasy Tracks
- Devil's Canyon Speedway
- Dockside International Raceway
- Dodge Raceway (Which seems to be loosely based on Bowman Gray Stadium)
- Levi Strauss Speedway (based on Concord Motorsport Park 1/2 mile track)
- New York Metro Speedway
- Old Spice Speedway (based on Riverside International Raceway)
- Red Ball Raceway
- Speedway Blvd.
[edit] Lightning Challenges
Lightning Challenge mode is back for the third straight year, this time with brand new challenges of moments that happened in NASCAR from 2003 and the 1st part of 2004. Michael Waltrip, driver of the #15 NAPA chevrolet, returns as the commentator for all the challenges except for two, Kevin Harvick does the challenges that involve Michael being the driver in the challenge. These challenges are played on all difficulty levels.
[edit] Soundtrack
Note: This list does not feature instrumental tracks by Neils Bye Neilsen and Matt Anthony and John Loeffler.
| Song | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|
| Thunder | David Robidoux | NASCAR Theme |
| Drivin' Wheel | Foghat | Night Shift |
| Clever Kicks | The Hiss | Panic Movement |
| Divide the Hate | Submersed | In Due Time |
| Life | Seven Wiser | Seven Wiser |
| Survival of the Sickest | Saliva | Survival of the Sickest |
| Not Listening | Papa Roach | Getting Away with Murder |
| Where Did We Go Wrong | Magna-Fi | Burn Out The Stars |
| Pencil Fight | Atomship | The Crash of '47 |
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- In The "Clean The Slate" challenge, after the movie, a "Nascar Thunder 2005" Logo can be seen, although it is not part of the "Nascar Thunder" series.
- 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. 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 licensing difficulties. (See above)
- 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 second 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 Intimidator" 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 didn't make his Busch/Nationwide series debut until the 2008 Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlington.
- 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 based on Mansfield Motorsports Park, and are located in nearly the same region with Red Ball being in Bloomington, Indiana and Mansfield being in Mansfield, Ohio.
- Old Spice Speedway is based on one of the road course configurations at Riverside International Raceway. The same goes for the Levi Strauss Speedway in Clearfield, Wisconsin, with it being based on Concord International Raceway.
- 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.
- 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 very similar to the main 1/2 mile track at Concord Motorsport Park.
- The Old Spice Speedway is based on Riverside International Raceway.
- 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.
- The NEXTEL Cup drivers with NNS rides never run at fantasy tracks.
- On the lightning challenge "Clean the Slate", the announcer says "Nascar Thunder 2005" instead of "Nascar 2005 Chase for the Cup"
- If you win the NASCAR National (Busch) Series Alan Kulwicki 250 at Milwaukee, in victory lane, you will be seen celebrating with your crew in front of a background that shows a checkerboard layout with the race's name. In the "0" of the Alan Kulwicki 250 name, the uncensored NASCAR Busch Series logo can be clearly seen.
- Whenever you win a race, if you look at the flags above victory lane, they are the flags for Chicagoland Speedway.
- You cannot pick Travis Kvapil, Paul Menard, Johnny Sauter, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Derrike Cope, custom cars, or any fictional drivers as Chase rivals in Chase for the Cup mode, however, you can race as them.
- Dodge Raceway (fantasy track) has its pit road on the outside of the racing surface rather than the inside. This causes much chaos and confusion during green-flag pit stops as you will often come out of the pits and slam into someone who is entering the pits. This also happens at Red Ball Raceway
- The other drivers (and you on pit road and under caution) have a tendency to fail to avoid crashes, although you can stop in the apex of a turn or go around backwards and all of the drivers will try to avoid you. This results in the monster 30-40 car wrecks that are often seen on YouTube and other online video players
- The Modified race "Appalachian 100" at Martinsville Speedway takes place at night. In reality Martinsville does not have a lighting system.
[edit] See also
| Preceded by NASCAR Thunder 2004 |
NASCAR seasons 2004 |
Succeeded by NASCAR 06: Total Team Control |
[edit] External links
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