Ready to Rev Up Your NASCAR 25 Experience? The highly anticipated paint booth feature in NASCAR 25, dubbed ‘My Team,’ is finally here, and it’s a game-changer for customization enthusiasts. But here's where it gets controversial: while it offers more creative freedom than ever before, it’s not without its quirks. Let’s dive into how you can maximize this feature and turn your virtual ride into a track-ready masterpiece.
What’s All the Hype About?
NASCAR 25 marks the return of NASCAR console gaming after a three-year hiatus, and the paint booth is its crown jewel. Players can now edit their team’s identity like never before—from designing paint schemes to customizing haulers and even tweaking contingency sponsors like Goodyear. However, with great power comes great complexity. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry—this guide will help you navigate the process and get your car race-ready in no time.
Getting Started: Your First Lap in the Paint Booth
Once you fire up the game, head to the ‘My Team’ tab and select ‘Customize.’ Here’s the part most people miss: you’ll need to choose between the game’s four series before diving into the design process. After selecting your series, pick a slot—each serves a different purpose. Slots 1-3 are for single-player mode, Slot 4 is reserved for online play, and none can be used in career mode. And this is the part most people miss: every time you access the paint scheme, you’ll need to select an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), even if you’ve already created a design. Switching OEMs later? Your design stays intact, but you’ll need to tweak it to fit the new body style.
Building Your Team’s Identity: More Than Just Colors
Start by choosing your team’s primary color, which will appear on your hauler and pit box. You can also add up to five sponsors to your hauler—one large and four smaller ones. This is also where you’ll pick your car number, with font options limited by the series you’ve chosen. Fun fact: the numbers are tied to real-world National and ARCA series rosters, so no duplicates allowed! Customize your number’s italicization and color to make it pop.
Designing Your Car: Where Creativity Meets the Track
The ‘Car Design’ section is where the magic happens. Under the ‘Style’ tab, you’ll find preset paint schemes like flames, gradients, and racing stripes. You can also customize your rims and side skirts. But here’s where it gets controversial: while the game lacks custom logo uploading, the shapes tab has been a fan favorite for years. Players have historically used shapes to recreate sponsors and designs not included in the game. However, NASCAR 25 is missing some notable shapes like lettering and stars, which limits creativity. Still, you can layer shapes to build complex designs. For example, use a square as a base coat to cover sections of your car in a specific color.
Sponsors: The Good, the Bad, and the Workarounds
NASCAR 25 boasts an extensive sponsor list, ranging from longtime NASCAR staples to lesser-known brands. In free play and online modes, you can use any sponsor you like, but Career Mode restricts you to signed sponsors. Sponsors work similarly to shapes, with the most recent addition covering the previous one. However, you can’t rearrange layers, which can be frustrating. For instance, to recreate the stacked Mobil 1 logo, you’ll need to layer multiple logos and cover unwanted parts with white shapes—a workaround that’s far from perfect but gets the job done on the track.
Numbers and Decals: The Devil’s in the Details
The number editor is a fan favorite, allowing you to move or delete your car number entirely. For Next Gen cars, this means you can recenter your number on the door. You can also customize contingency decals like Ford Performance and Goodyear, though color options are limited. And this is the part most people miss: while you can’t use alternate number styles for different parts of the car, the freedom to reposition and remove numbers is a game-changer.
Helmet and Firesuit: Immersion Taken Up a Notch
Past NASCAR games often featured bland, unsponsored helmets and firesuits, but NASCAR 25 lets you customize these too. Choose from preset designs or create your own using colored shapes. However, the lack of a mirror function makes symmetrical designs tedious. Still, it’s a welcome addition that enhances the game’s immersion.
Online Cars: A Work in Progress
Currently, you can’t add shapes to the fourth slot for online play, but iRacing has confirmed this feature is coming in a future patch. This update, pending approval from Sony and Microsoft, will open up even more creative possibilities.
An Honest Review: Room for Improvement, But Still a Winner
While NASCAR 25’s paint booth is immersive, it’s not without flaws. The interface is cluttered, and having to select an OEM every time you access the paint scheme is unnecessarily tedious. The lack of a mirror function and limited shapes are also glaring omissions. But here’s where it gets controversial: despite these shortcomings, the creation suite is a massive step forward. iRacing has achieved more in two years than the NASCAR Heat Series did in five, thanks to features like helmet and firesuit customization and pit stall editing.
Final Thoughts: The Future Looks Bright
If this is just the beginning for iRacing, the possibilities are endless. What features would you like to see added? Should the game include custom logo uploading or more shapes? Let us know in the comments below, and join the discussion on our social media channels. Your feedback could shape the future of NASCAR gaming!
