Review:

NASCAR Racing 2 is widely known as one of the best, if not THE best stock car simulation on the market today. With that going for them, Papyrus has released an expansion pack for the popular racing simulation - the Grand National Series Expansion Pack. NASCAR Racing 2 contains drivers, cars, and tracks from the 1996 racing season. The expansion pack adds 1997 features to the game, including ten new tracks, two fantasy tracks, and 30 new drivers and cars.

The new tracks and cars look great, especially the fantasy tracks. Everything you've come to expect of NASCAR 2 is still here, exceptionally rendered tracks, fantastic physics model, great looking cars, and all the rest. Sounds are pretty much the same as in NASCAR2, nothing new really stands out in the pack.

The racing model is pure NASCAR. The cars are all fully configurable as you would expect, quick race, championship races, and seasons are all present and integrated seamlessly into the game. The full install gives you a ton of new driver info, as well as 30 new drivers to compete against, all taken from the 1997 Grand Nationals. New tracks include the Texas Motor Speedway, California Speedway, and the Gateway International Raceway to name a few. The fantasy tracks included are the Bull Run Raceway and Red Rock Raceway, and boy are they fun to take on. High banks, twists and turns, these are a ton of fun - almost worth the price of the pack by themselves. New drivers include Steve Park, Todd Bodine, Randy LaJoie and a ton of others. Once installed, you enter the game as you would normally, only you'll have a few more options on the race calendar and entry list screens. You may still play the 1996 season, the 1997 Grand National, or play them all. The same goes for the driver configuration.

If you're a NASCAR 2 fan, you'll love the added information that this pack includes, especially if you've grown bored with the tracks from the original game. This should be just the shot you need until NASCAR Racing 3 comes out...

Bottom Line: A great extension to the king of NASCAR sims. Well worth the investment, especially for NASCAR junkies. The whole 1997 Grand National series experience comes alive with 10 new tracks, 30 new drivers, and two fantastic fantasy tracks.