Welcome to the official NASCAR 25 Career Mode walkthrough! In this series, we’ll give you the inside line on making the most out of your NASCAR 25 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.

Check Your Calendar

The Cup Series has the longest schedule in NASCAR 25, with well over 30 races on the calendar. If you elect to back up your rookie Cup season with another year in the Xfinity 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.

The Cup Series boasts the longest and largest playoff format as well. 16 drivers make the 10-race playoff through race wins and points performance in the regular season. The playoff field cuts down to 12 after three races, eight after six, and the Championship 4 after nine, setting the stage for one more showdown at Phoenix.

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 North Wilkesboro Speedway, which offers you a nice financial windfall of $1,000,000 to win.

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Welcome to the official NASCAR 25 Career Mode walkthrough! In this series, we’ll give you the inside line on making the most out of your NASCAR 25 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 explore the NASCAR Xfinity Series, which builds on some of the fundamentals you’ve mastered at the lower levels and deepens the experience further with new types of employees.

Building Your Team 3.0

It’ll take you a Level 5 reputation, or 75,000 RP, to be eligible for the Xfinity Series. Much like your move from ARCA into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, you’ll be starting your new team from scratch for the new season, with new employees across the board.

In Xfinity, your car count increases to three. On the one hand, it means that each of your parts will last longer into the season before they wear out and you have to replace them. On the other, you’ll have to make some more strategic choices on when and how to repair your equipment, especially early on when your fleet of mechanics is smaller. With that said, you’ll be able to hire up to six of them eventually, which should give you more than enough Work Points to do anything you need.

Xfinity will be your longest season yet, with more than 30 rounds on the calendar. The good news is that means more opportunities than ever to win your way into the playoffs; the bad news is your competition will be stiffer than ever.

Engineering Evolution

When you go to manage your staff in the Office, you might notice two new roles as part of your vastly expanded operation: a Performance Manager, and Engineers. These new roles are vital to granting you access to the best parts in the series. Similar to how your Mechanics give you Work Points, your Engineers give you R&D Points, which are replenished on a weekly basis.

At the start of your time in Xfinity, you’ll only be able to work your way up to purchasing Level 5 parts. Once you’ve hired a Performance Manager and at least one Engineer (of a maximum of six), you’ll start noticing Level 6 parts and higher. Each of these parts won’t just cost money, they’ll also cost R&D Points, similar to how your repairs utilize your Work Points.

Previously, you might have skirted around having a bad race due to incomplete repairs on a part by buying a new one after completing work for the week and installing it then. That won’t necessarily work here. While you may have enough money to buy a higher-level part, if you don’t have the R&D Points available on a weekly basis, you won’t be able to get it until you do. (Like Work Points, they don’t carry over from week to week.) And it may take you quite some time to be able to even think about buying two or more of the higher-level parts on the same week. So manage your resources carefully!