NASCAR 25’S Producer Matt Lewis Talks On New Multi-Player Feature

For the first time since 2023, a brand-new multiplayer NASCAR iRacing-themed game, to be branded NASCAR 25, is in development. The game is set to be available on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC this Fall of 2025, according to iRacing producer Matt Lewis. Insider Gaming’s Mike Straw sat down for an exclusive podcast interview aired via YouTube on July 15 with Lewis to discuss the game and the innate strategies and planning used to build it.

The concept and overall idea for the game is to create a virtual racing experience unlike anything before. Looking back into the early 2000s realm of NASCAR iRacing games, the most popular titles included names like NASCAR Dirt to Daytona, NASCAR 1994, and NASCAR Heat. It seemed fans were wild about these games because they captured the true essence of NASCAR as a sport.

iRacing producer Matt Lewis’ idea is to marry the elements of all three games to capture the intense competition, culture, history, celebrity driver flair, and sense of community that fans know and love. Lewis also hinted that the game would be based on a “driver model” that provides the realistic feeling of being inside a Next Gen stock car while playing the game.

He added that 20 years ago, when the first console-based NASCAR game debuted, such capabilities were incomprehensible due to the lack of interest from iRacing developers in producing one. Therefore, the production of NASCAR 25 is set to shape the future of stock car racing games today. From the game’s unique development to its game engine, there’s no doubt that an indelible mark is about to be made on the gaming world. Here’s why.

How NASCAR 25’s Development Will Transcend the Gaming World

Over the past six years, no NASCAR console game has been produced since NASCAR 21: Ignition in October 2023. So, when it was initially announced that Monster Games would develop NASCAR 25, iRacing producer Matt Lewis was all for it. During Lewis’s nearly 60-minute interview with Insider Gaming’s Mike Straw, he was asked about the development of NASCAR 25 and what he believes sets the game apart from its predecessors.

He mentioned that the lack of consistency in the way previous games were designed will ultimately set it apart from the rest. Additionally, being backed by the industry in competitive virtual racing, iRacing, means NASCAR 25 stands no chance of being overlooked or forgotten. The resources and tools made available by iRacing for this game are world-class and are setting the game up for an insurmountable amount of success, according to Lewis.

As a result, the game will feature state-of-the-art development technology that uses laser scan data, primarily based on the Laser Scan Model. Using laser scan data will enable developers to create 3D coordinates of a NASCAR speedway with the aid of a laser scanner, providing a more realistic gaming experience, but this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The Game Engine

Apart from NASCAR 25’s unique development, which utilizes laser scan technology, the game engine is next-level. The Unreal Engine, similar to the one used in the game, was first developed in 1998 by Epic Games and featured ahead-of-its-time 3D computer graphics that are both immersive and visually stunning. Insider Gaming’s Mike Straw discussed Matt Lewis’ reasoning for choosing this engine and why it stood out to him over other potential options.

He explained that NASCAR 25, like many racing games, is classified as its own engine. He then shifted gears by explaining that the Unreal Engine provides them with tools they wouldn’t otherwise have to push the envelope with graphics. Additionally, he noted that there’s the advantage of efficiency obtained from using larger platforms like iRacing, and this engine provides.

Therefore, the game will be more user-friendly, featuring a new and improved User Interface (UI). Perhaps, the biggest takeaway from this is that  Lewis wants the gaming world to understand that NASCAR 25 serves as its own engine due to its highly customizable experience.

It also gives users the feeling that they are at a real speedway, thanks to features such as career mode, which transitions between ARCA Menards, Craftsman Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series, featuring real drivers and paint schemes, and a memorable racing experience that showcases virtual career progression.

Matt Lewis assures that this is what makes NASCAR 25 one of the most exciting games to come to a console in nearly six years. He wants fans to understand that the game’s true engine and gameplay stem from decades of combining contributions from MGI and iRacing development. This is something you cannot get from traditional off-the-shelf console games running with Unreal.

Potential Technical Hurdles

Since NASCAR 25 is considered its own engine, the question on everyone’s mind is whether the technical hurdles that come with it are surmountable.  Mike Straw pointed this out to producer Matt Lewis during their interview, highlighting the hurdles that may be incurred by having the game operate in this way.

Lewis responded by emphasizing how this piece fits into what developers aim to achieve with the game, which is to produce a state-of-the-art, customizable racing game. Moreover, that comes with growing pains, and Lewis is aware of that. Still, he doesn’t foresee any major issues other than the hypothetical possibility that platforms like Microsoft might want a version tailored to their specific needs.

Even so, the hope is that the subsystems attached to NASCAR will not change before launch in the Fall. Doing so would only hold up the game’s release. It also diverts the resources game engineers have because opportunity costs factor into the need for making unexpected changes.

Final Thoughts

It’s an exciting time for NASCAR gaming fans, iRacing developers, and the gaming world. For the first time in nearly six years, a game that features high-level graphics and all four world-class NASCAR Series, including ARCA Menards, Craftsman Truck, Xfinity, and the Cup Series, is finally here! Hats off to the 70-man gaming team for emulsifying not only the NASCAR brand through the development of NASCAR 25, but involving the franchise weekly on its progress and marketing.