Welcome to the official NASCAR 26 Career Mode walkthrough! In this series, we’ll give you the inside line on making the most out of your NASCAR 26 career, working your way up from a start-up team in the ARCA Menards Series to the upper echelons of the NASCAR Cup Series.

This week, we’re taking you to the top level: the NASCAR Cup Series. This is what you’ve worked for throughout your time in Career Mode, and now’s your time to pursue the highest honors in the sport: the Cup Series title, a win in the Daytona 500, and as many trophies as you can take home along the way.

Welcome to the Big Show

Earning your way into the NASCAR Cup Series requires a Level 7 reputation, or 230,000 RP. As with your past promotions, your new Cup team will see an extra slot in your garage, bringing you to four cars now. And just like the previous series, you’ll start with all Level 1 equipment for the season-opening Daytona 500, while unlocking better parts as the season goes on.

By this point, you should have a strong grasp on the mechanics of Career Mode. Your Crew Chief and Mechanics will be responsible for working on your car, your Performance Manager and Engineers will be responsible for giving you access to the highest caliber parts, your Agent will find you the best sponsorship deals on the market, and your PR Manager will find you opportunities to add to your resources and reputation.

Facility Upgrades

Once again, the money you’ve stockpiled in lower series can go into upgrades to your Facilities before Daytona. The four Facility upgrades that are unlocked at this level are as follows:

• Purchase CNC Machine: Increase the amount of Mechanics you can hire from six to eight.
• Build In-House Testing Lab: Increase the amount of Engineers you can hire from four to eight.
• Create Supply Department: Unlock the ability to hire a Supply Coordinator, which provides a discount on part purchases.
• Create Data Analysis Branch of R&D: Unlock the highest level of parts available.

Check Your Calendar

The Cup Series has the longest schedule in NASCAR 26, with well over 30 races on the calendar. If you elect to back up your rookie Cup season with another year in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series to bank more money for upgrades, you’ll be in for nearly 70 races in all—so choose wisely if you decide to take on two series at once.

Just like the real-world NASCAR Cup Series, you’ll also see some additional races pop up on the schedule that won’t be run for normal points. At longer race lengths, the qualifying process for the season-opening Daytona 500 includes the Duel at Daytona, one of two shorter races that set the inside and outside rows for the race. Also included is the NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway, which offers you a nice financial windfall of $1,000,000 to win.

The Chase

The Cup Series boasts the longest and largest Chase format as well. 16 drivers make the 10-race Chase through points performance in the regular season. Here’s a look at the tracks you’ll face if you make it that far:

• Darlington Raceway
• World Wide Technology Raceway
• Bristol Motor Speedway
• Kansas Speedway
• Las Vegas Motor Speedway
• Charlotte Motor Speedway
• Phoenix Raceway
• Talladega Superspeedway
• Martinsville Speedway
• Homestead-Miami Speedway

With the addition of Kansas, this is the exact same Chase that you faced in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Put the lessons you’ve learned over your whole career into action, and you’ll be the next Cup champion!