Once you are able to race, the game soars. Despite having to seriously pay attention to whatever moment you're in — whether in relation to your track position, car setup, car performance, crew chief suggestions, etc. — insanely cool moments exist in every race where you just find yourself watching the scenery fly by your car as you smile.

Never has something so challenging been so fun. The closest I can compare it to would be the first (and only) moment when I solved a Rubik's cube without cheating. Sure, it took a lot of practice and concentration, but when those colors locked into place it was a sublime feeling of accomplishment.

It echoes nicely with the warm fuzzy feeling I got the first time I cracked the top ten on a race in this game. Of course, that fuzzy feeling is all wiped away every time that I think I'm finally a kick-ass NASCAR driver and take my "skills" online against 11 other players… only to have my ass handed back to me on a silver platter that looks a lot like a hubcap.

I almost forgot to mention how cool it was to have a game where I'm able to take the Car of Tomorrow out for a spin or 500! It's amazing the way that you can feel the difference in how it handles from the other cars… and this is just in a game. I can't imagine the thrill it must be to be able to actually strap yourself in one of those things.

I suppose it should come as no surprise that I really like this game. Sure, it might have been nicer to have the controls and racing situations more intuitive and something that anyone could pick up and excel at in a few hours, but I happen to like the fact that I had to work (and work and work and work) at becoming a better driver. It kind of hearkened back to the days when I'd play a game's level 99 times until I finally beat the damn thing, y'know?

If I were forced to come up with something that I'd like "improved upon" in the next incarnation of this franchise, it would be to have a career mode that would allow me to work my way up through the various racing series. If I could have begun as an egotistical young guy on the dirt tracks and then worked my way on and up until I was a seasoned veteran on the NASCAR level, it would be my idea of a perfect racing game.

NASCAR 08 is rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB. This game can also be found on: PS2 and PS3.