Ultimate NASCAR (Johnsonverse)

Ultimate NASCAR is a 2015 racing simulation game both developed and published by Johnson Games for the PS4, the Xbox One, PC, Macintosh, and Linux. The game covers every car, every track, every driver, and every series from 1949 to the present day, and is the first NASCAR game developed by Johnson Games after previous NASCAR games it published were from Papyrus, though Papyrus still developed the PC, Mac, and Linux versions. It is part of the Ultimate line of games.

Released on November 30, 2015, the game received universal acclaim for its close attention to detail, its wide range of cars, its "Challenge" mode, and its "Director's Mode" feature. The car of 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is featured on the cover of the game.

Features
The game has various features from prior NASCAR games created by other developers such as EA Sports and Infogrames, including the Team Communicator and Share Draft/Intimidator. Every series, every track, every driver, and every car since 1948 is included, and the game is continually updated with new cars in every series. The Create-a-Car mode is greatly updated with more sponsors, and also lets players create a driver to go with it.

Career Mode has been improved significantly from past games. There is also a mode in which players can take control of any team at any time in any series and take them straight to the top. This mode can also be played online and players can compete against other players' teams. It can be played by up to 100 players.

Development
Development of the game began in 2010. Tim Johnson sought to create “the biggest NASCAR game there was”. In 2011, the game, along with the rest of the Ultimate series, was announced.

Reception
The game was universally acclaimed for its attention to detail, its vast range of cars, and its Director Mode feature. IGN said “Forget all the other NASCAR games, this is THE NASCAR game to own”.