EA Revs Up NASCAR…Kart Racing?

Electronic Arts‘ EA Sports label has announced the only official NASCAR title to be launched in the Nintendo Wii—NASCAR Kart Racing. Players can take on one of 10 animated characters—or one of more than a dozen real-life NASCAR drivers—and compete in 24 challenging courses that span deserts, freeways, back roads, canyons, junkyards, and more, including areas surrounding the well-known NASCAR tracks at Talladega and Daytona, as well as the Dover International Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway. Courses can be raced forward or backward, and as many as four players can compete against each other simultaneously in split-screen mode.

Each of the featured NASCAR drivers has a different set of skills and strengths, adding an element of strategy when choosing a player and teammate for a particular course. Players who win all the events at a track can earn a sponsorship that puts their character’s face up on billboards around the track: more fun than in-game advertising, and a fun way to show off madd racing skillz to friends and family.

EA will ship NASCAR Kart racing on February 10, 2009, and will be available exclusively for the Nintendo Wii. No pricing information has been announced. The game has been rated E for “Everyone” by the ESRB.