The graphics for NASCAR 99 are done well, if a little on the flat (cartoony) side. The game has an outstanding commentary that seems like you are watching an actual race. Some nice graphic touches include skid marks on the track, and rub marks left on the track walls and other cars when you make contact. Unfortunately, the game has no sense of speed.

In NASCAR 99, you can choose to play Arcade mode or Simulation. Racing hard is important, but even more important is how you set up your car with shocks, weight distribution, and fuel load, among other things. Bashing up your car will hurt its performance, and if you don’t pit for the necessary repairs, the rest of the drivers will pass you by.

You can choose from different levels, from fun (Arcade) to anal (Simulation). I chose to stay on the fun side most of the time in NASCAR 99.

Before each race, you can run some practice laps to get a feel for the track (there are more than 15 in all). After you feel comfortable, you can go for the time trials, and how well you did will determine your placement in the race. Every race earns you points (the better you do, the more points you get), and these points determine who is king of NASCAR. Besides the aforementioned lack of speed, I also had a few problems with the computer A.I. The other drivers are like T-1000 cyborgs -- you can try to cut them off or crash into them, although they often will brake to avoid you -- even when you are coming up from behind to “tap” them (perhaps into a spin), they almost always see you coming and break, swerve, and avoid you like a hot chick at a Babylon 5 convention. NASCAR 99 was a little too unrealistic for me.

So why did I give it an 85%, you ask? 75 plus 10 bonus points for being able to play as someone named "Dick Trickle".