You might be surprised that I would call this the 'first effort' but in many ways it is. This year's effort is really the first part of EA's move from the arcade-tilting versions of previous years to the simulation-style represented previously by NASCAR Heat (Hasbro/MGI) and NASCAR Racing 2002 (Sierra/Papyrus). It's no coincidence that Ed Martin's resume would list both the latter companies, as he has hopped from one NASCAR game maker to another...