Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of the few old-school drivers who have quickly adopted the new trends in NASCAR racing. One of the big innovations made in the modern era is the simulation, and with that the rise of iRacing. Which has now become the most popular simulator game among the NASCAR community.

However, one needs a huge setup to be able to enjoy the thrill of iRacing. Thus there was a market for a mobile game, but no one had been able to pull off the similar success of iRacing until Bryan Backford launched his passion project, DRAFTYCAR. Little did he know that his mobile game would blow up in the manner it did, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. would give him a shoutout, congratulating him on the success of the game.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. adds DRAFTYCAR to his gaming collection

The DRAFTYCAR is a unique simulation game that resembles stock car racing. Unlike iRacing, all you need is a mobile phone and the gaming app to be able to enjoy the unique racing experience. The game is available for free with included ads, whereas there is an option for one-time payment to enjoy an ad-free experience.

Dale Jr. was introduced to this game during his Xfinity race at Bristol Motor Speedway. He was impressed by the work put in by the developer of the game, Byran Blackford. Heaping praise of him on DJD, the veteran driver said, “So the thing about Draftycar is that the developer is a single gentleman; it’s one guy that I have known for 20 years in sim racing. I follow him on social media; he’s posting about this couple of years now about building this, and man, it’s really achieved more than I’m sure he ever imagined. It’s a real app on the App Store.”

Bryan was almost in disbelief to see Dale Jr. speak highly about his creation. It was an emotional moment for him, as he took this moment to share it on social media. “10 years ago I was laid up in a hospital with severe burns, ready to give up. Glad I didn’t; dreams can come true.” And Dale Jr., again acknowledging his work, replied, “You created something fun and convenient around stock car racing. Bravo Bryan.”

The game designed by Byran has a career mode where you have to deal with an entire ecosystem like NASCAR. This ranges from sponsorship deals, loans, and building the racecars for the events. One of the biggest yet underrated features of this gaming app is that it’s user-friendly. “It’s not challenging; anyone can play it; it’s not a difficult game to play, but it’s kind of entertaining,” Jr. added.

It is indeed hard to find a good NASCAR video game these days, but back in the day the gaming geeks had a bunch of options.

Popular NASCAR racing games of the past

Trending

F1 Community Rages at Danica Patrick’s Return as Sky Sports Snubs Ex-World Champ for Her

Tony Stewart’s Wife Leah Pruett Pens a Heartfelt Message for Husband After His Unwavering Support for His Family

Unimpressed NASCAR Fans Call Out Chase Elliott’s 7th Consecutive MPD Award Sweep Amid Rekindled Dating Fire

Denny Hamlin’s One Final FedEx Tribute Steals the NASCAR Awards Spotlight as He Uncovers Drivers ‘Disgruntled’ Emotions

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Bud Return Plagued by Ugly Scenes at Florence Speedway

The first game that was a big hit among the fans was “NASCAR Racing.” This game was developed by Papyrus Design Group in 1994, and this was the initial concept of sim racing. For the time being, the game was able to nail down the track feel and how well the real-life events were incorporated in the game. NASCAR Busch Series drivers (Xfinity) used to practice for upcoming races on the game. Denny Hamlin credited the game for helping him sweep Pocono races in 2006.

By this time, EA Sports also entered the market and launched its number series. It started with NASCAR 98, and this year-on-year feature lasted until 2008. Initially, the game was available on platforms like Playstation and Nintendo, but soon it found its way to Microsoft Windows and Xbox. Ultimately, EA and NASCAR weren’t able to agree on a licensing deal, and the yearly edition had to be called off.

NASCAR, the game by Eutechnyx, tried to make up for EA’s exit and launched its first game, Inside Line, in 2012. Moreover, the publisher decided to enter the mobile and PC platforms simultaneously. In 2013, they lauded a licensed video game for iOS and rolled out NASCAR the game on Steam, which is a primary platform for PC users to purchase games. However, iRacing has become the popular choice for NASCAR gaming enthusiasts these days. Dale Jr. serving as the executive director has also helped the publisher garner more support from the traditional NASCAR fanbase.

Which NASCAR video games do you prefer, and what is your all-time favorite if you had to choose one? Do let us know in the comments.