Is NASCAR Available in Real Racing 3?
No, unfortunately NASCAR is no longer available in the hit mobile racing game Real Racing 3 as of 2023. Back in 2019, Electronic Arts (EA)‘s licensing deal with NASCAR expired after roughly 6 years in the game. Despite hopes from fans, that beloved stock car racing content has not returned in the 4 years since.
What NASCAR Content Was Previously in Real Racing 3?
During its heyday, Real Racing 3 featured an extensive amount of officially licensed NASCAR vehicles, tracks, and race formats for mobile gamers to enjoy. This included:
- 16 different stock cars from major NASCAR race teams like Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Richard Childress Racing, and Team Penske
- 8 iconic real-life NASCAR tracks such as Daytona International Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, and Watkins Glen International
- The full NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule and Chase for the Championship playoff format
- Unique challenges like surviving Talladega‘s infamous "Big One" crashes and hitting top speeds at Daytona‘s steeply-banked tri-oval
Additionally, during special events like the Daytona 500, players could participate in limited-time only contests themed around the big races. This level of branding and authentic content seen in the NASCAR portion of Real Racing 3 was truly impressive for a mobile title.
| NASCAR Cars Previously in RR3 | NASCAR Tracks Previously in RR3 |
|---|---|
| Chevrolet SS | Daytona International Speedway |
| Ford Fusion | Charlotte Motor Speedway |
| Toyota Camry | Talladega Superspeedway |
Why Did EA Allow the NASCAR Licensing to Expire?
When asked in 2019, EA indicated that the licensing expiration came down to "budget considerations." Likely the costs to renew the extensive NASCAR access became too high to rationalize.
Additionally, as the game grew with new content from brands like Porsche, Lamborghini, and Formula 1, executives may have felt focusing resources on those fresh series made more financial sense for player retention and spending. While unfortunate for stock car fans, from a business perspective the NASCAR licensing was deemed non-essential.
Could NASCAR Still Make a Comeback in Real Racing 3?
With each passing year, hopes dwindle more and more that NASCAR could return to Real Racing 3 in the future. However it can‘t be ruled out entirely.
EA would need to negotiate and renew a broad licensing contract with NASCAR themselves, which does carry a substantial cost. The company may be hesitant to spend on NASCAR right away after allowing that access to expire before.
But it‘s possible fan demand could prompt renewed talks. Or if critical revenue thresholds need to be hit, bringing the NASCAR fanbase back into the fold makes sense.
What Would Need to Happen for NASCAR‘s Return?
For NASCAR to realistically get integrated back into Real Racing 3 again, some key events would likely need to occur:
- A vocal portion of the RR3 player base would have to keep calling for NASCAR‘s return on social media and community channels.
- Key metrics around player spending and retention would need to dip low enough for executives to feel adding major new content is critical for growth.
- The bean counters at Electronic Arts would need to determine if the licensing costs warrant the potential revenue upside.
Essentially it would come down to money and noise from fans. If there‘s financial incentive and enough organic interest from decision makers, NASCAR could find its way back in an update down the road. But only time will tell if stock car racing ever returns to RR3!
