NASCAR Racing 2002 Season

{{Short description|2002 video game}} {{distinguish|NASCAR Thunder 2002}} {{Infobox video game | title = NASCAR Racing 2002 Season | image = NASCAR Racing 2002.jpg | caption = Cover art featuring the cars of [[Kevin Harvick]], [[Terry Labonte]], [[Dale Jarrett]], [[Ward Burton]], and [[Jeff Burton]] | developer = [[Papyrus Design Group]]{{efn|[[Mac OS X]] version ported by Westlake Interactive.}} | publisher = [[Sierra Entertainment]]{{efn|[[Mac OS X]] version co-published by [[Aspyr]].<ref name="allgamereview">{{cite web |url = http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=42551 |title = NASCAR Racing 2002 Season (Macintosh) - Overview| author = Games, Rovi|publisher = [[AllGame]] |access-date =September 11, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114113849/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=42551|archive-date=November 14, 2014}}</ref>}} | designer = | released = '''Windows'''{{vgrelease|NA|February 13, 2002<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 13, 2002 |title=''NASCAR Racing 2002 Season'' ships |url=http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2847664,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020411160310/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2847664,00.html |archive-date=April 11, 2002 |access-date=December 10, 2023 |website=[[GameSpot]]}}</ref>|EU|March 15, 2002}}'''Mac OS X'''{{vgrelease|NA|January 2, 2003<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aspyr ships The Sims: Unleashed, NASCAR |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/157398/unleashed-2.html |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Macworld |language=en |archive-date=2023-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404151820/https://www.macworld.com/article/157398/unleashed-2.html |url-status=live }}</ref>}} | genre = [[Sim racing]] | modes = [[Single-player]], [[multiplayer]] | platforms = [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[Mac OS X]] }}

'''''NASCAR Racing 2002 Season''''' is the successor to ''[[NASCAR Racing 4]]'', released in 2002. The game utilizes the physics engine used in NASCAR Racing 4.<ref name="allgamereview">{{cite web |url = http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=42551 |title = NASCAR Racing 2002 Season (Macintosh) - Overview| author = Games, Rovi|publisher = [[AllGame]] |access-date =September 11, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114113849/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=42551|archive-date=November 14, 2014}}</ref>

==Reception== {{Video game reviews | align = left | MC = 89/100<ref name=mc>{{cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/nascar-racing-2002-season/critic-reviews/?platform=pc | title=NASCAR Racing 2002 Season for PC Reviews | website=[[Metacritic]] | publisher=[[Red Ventures]] | accessdate=April 14, 2020}}</ref> | AllGame = 4/5(Mac)<ref name="allgamereview">{{cite web |url = http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=42551 |title = NASCAR Racing 2002 Season (Macintosh) - Overview| author = Games, Rovi|publisher = [[AllGame]] |access-date =September 11, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114113849/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=42551|archive-date=November 14, 2014}}</ref> | CGW = 4/5<ref>{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_215.pdf | title=NASCAR Racing 2002 Season | last=Hermes | first=Wade | magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] | publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] | issue=215 | date=June 2002 | page=82 | accessdate=April 14, 2020 | archive-date=March 4, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060518/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_215.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref> | GSpot = 8.8/10<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/nascar-racing-2002-season-review/1900-2848234/ | title=NASCAR Racing 2002 Season Review [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006"] | last=Goble | first=Gord | date=February 15, 2002 | website=[[GameSpot]] | publisher=Red Ventures | accessdate=April 14, 2020}}</ref> | GSpy = 5/5<ref>{{cite web | url=http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/nascar-racing-2002-season/543772p1.html | title=GameSpy: NASCAR Racing 2002 Season | last=Cauthen | first=John | date=April 4, 2002 | website=[[GameSpy]] | publisher=IGN Entertainment | accessdate=April 14, 2020}}</ref> | GameZone = 9.3/10<ref>{{cite web | url=http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r19611.htm | title=NASCAR(r) Racing 2002 Season Review | last=Lafferty | first=Michael | date=February 25, 2002 | website=GameZone | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080317123952/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r19611.htm | archivedate=March 17, 2008 | url-status=dead | accessdate=April 14, 2020}}</ref> | IGN = 8.9/10<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/03/07/nascar-racing-2002-season-review | title=NASCAR Racing 2002 Season Review | last=Sulic | first=Ivan | date=March 7, 2002 | website=[[IGN]] | publisher=Ziff Davis | accessdate=April 14, 2020 | archive-date=May 14, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514172928/https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/03/07/nascar-racing-2002-season-review | url-status=live }}</ref> | PCGUS = 93%<ref>{{cite magazine | url=http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/nascar_racing_2_1.html | title=NASCAR Racing 2002 [Season] | last=Mahood | first=Andy | magazine=[[PC Gamer]] | publisher=[[Future US|Imagine Media]] | volume=9 | issue=5 | date=May 2002 | page=76 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060315141337/http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/nascar_racing_2_1.html | archivedate=March 15, 2006 | url-status=dead | accessdate=April 14, 2020}}</ref> | PCZone = 70%<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Hill | first=Steve | title=PC Review: NASCAR Racing 2002 Season | magazine=[[PC Zone]] | publisher=[[Future plc]] | date=May 29, 2002}}</ref> }}

The game received "generally favorable reviews", according to the [[Review aggregator|review aggregation]] website [[Metacritic]].<ref name=mc/>

''[[Macworld]]'' editor Peter Cohen gave the Mac OS X port a positive review, describing it as a "great auto-racing game for the Mac".<ref>{{cite web|last=Cohen|first=Peter|title=NASCAR Racing 2002 Season Review|url=https://www.macworld.com/article/160077/thegameroom.html|publisher=Macworld|access-date=September 10, 2025|archive-date=19 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319175916/https://www.macworld.com/article/160077/thegameroom.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to ''[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]'', the game sold at least 100,000 copies in the United States, but was beaten by ''NASCAR Racing 4''{{'}}s 260,000 sales in the region.<ref name=edgepcsales1>{{cite web | url=http://www.edge-online.com/features/top-100-pc-games-21st-century/3/ | title=The Top 100 PC Games of the 21st Century (Page 3) | author=Edge staff | date=August 25, 2006 | website=Edge | publisher=Future plc | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019052748/http://www.edge-online.com/features/top-100-pc-games-21st-century/3/ | archivedate=October 19, 2012 | url-status=dead | accessdate=April 14, 2020}}</ref> Total US sales of ''NASCAR Racing'' computer games released in the 2000s reached 900,000 copies by August 2006.<ref name=edgepcsales1/>

The game won the award for "2002 Best Racing Game" at the 9th Annual ''[[PC Gamer]]'' Awards.<ref>{{cite magazine | title=The Ninth Annual PC Gamer Awards | author=PC Gamer staff | magazine=PC Gamer | publisher=Imagine Media | volume=10 | issue=3 | date=March 2003 | pages=48–50, 54, 58, 60, 66, 68, 70}}</ref> It was placed second for ''[[GameSpot]]''{{'}}s February 2002 "Game of the Month" award. The staff called it "one of the best racing experiences in any computer game to date".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/pc/gotm/030102/p3_01.html | title=PC Game of the Month, February 2002 (Runner-Up, Second Place (Gold)) | author=GameSpot staff | year=2002 | website=GameSpot | publisher=[[CNET]] | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20021009000120/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/pc/gotm/030102/p3_01.html | archivedate=October 9, 2002 | url-status=dead | accessdate=October 17, 2021}}</ref> It was also a runner-up for ''GameSpot''{{'}}s annual "Best Driving Game on PC" award, losing to ''[[Rally Trophy]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/bestof2002/pc17.html | title=GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2002 (Best Driving Game on PC, Nominees) | author=GameSpot staff | year=2003 | website=GameSpot | publisher=CNET | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20021223075155/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/bestof2002/pc17.html | archivedate=December 23, 2002 | url-status=dead | accessdate=October 17, 2021}}</ref>

==Notes== {{notelist}} ==References== {{reflist}} {{notelist}}

==External links== * {{moby game|id=/nascar-racing-2002-season}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nascar Racing 2002 Season}} [[Category:2002 video games]] [[Category:MacOS games]] [[Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games]] [[Category:NASCAR video games]] [[Category:Papyrus Design Group games]] [[Category:Racing simulators]] [[Category:Racing video games]] [[Category:Sierra Entertainment games]] [[Category:Video games developed in the United States]] [[Category:Windows games]]