The physics are the thing

Ask anybody who plays racing sims "Which developer created the best NASCAR sims?", that person will no doubt respond "Papyrus".  Papyrus was always king when it came to sim physics. Sadly, when it comes to NASCAR, they're gone. EA rule the roost, by bidding higher for the rights than anyone else could go.

For their 2005 NASCAR sim, EA promised to up their game and come up with some real sim physics. From the writers comments, it sounds like they've maybe pulled it off. Though a lot of the community, myself included, will be sceptical until we get to try it.