Three years ago, EA dropped its NASCAR franchise and racing fans have been looking for a video game outlet ever since. This year, Activision has partnered up with UK-based game developer Eutechnyx to revive the series with NASCAR 2011 which came out last week for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

Sports fans and NASCAR drivers are both happy about the release. Joey Logano, NASCAR driver said, “To have a new NASCAR game out, that’s huge. It’s a big deal,” he said according to USA Today. “It’s definitely really cool to be in a video game in itself, (and) I think all the drivers think the same thing. It keeps our sport going. It’s all video games now.”

According to Activision’s Ed Martin who joined the studio last year, developer Eutechnyx “had been looking for a big franchise to get into the U.S. market. They had some really cool ideas of what to do with the NASCAR franchise,” he said according to USA Today.

Martin added, “We strived to create a game that both could enjoy by either jumping in and playing quick races or getting under the hood and really tinkering with everything,” says Ed Martin of the game’s developers Eutechnyx. “It was no small challenge to get 43 cars out on the track at one time and have it look good, but we’re proud of how things have turned out.”

The game offers many different realistic-looking cars and the option to tailor the inside and outside of the car using various design tools, says the New York Daily News. The hits that the cars take are also realistic with accurate damage, and the in-race physics are also steady.  According to Cnet, the driving model is smooth with a lot of assists for new drivers. Gamers can play using career mode, or can just pick up a car for a one-off race, or compete in eliminator events.