Welcome back 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.

Today, we’re picking up from the start of your first ARCA action at Daytona as you meet your new race team and learn the ins and outs of team management.

First Career Start

Here it is: your first race weekend! You’ll start with a look at the drivers to watch and the weekend schedule, before jumping into practice. Once again, you’ll have a goal to accomplish for your sponsor. You’ll be able to run laps until you hit the desired lap time, and you’ll be able to end your session whenever you’d like once you do. You can also skip the practice and qualifying sessions if you’re in a rush just to get to the green flag.

From there, it’s time to race! Do your best to hit the minimum finish goal. If you don’t like how your race goes, you can run it again… just remember that you can’t reset your qualifying time.

Before you leave the track, you’ll get an overview of the weekend, including the full race results, any Reputation Points you’ve earned, and some post-race feedback from other drivers and industry professionals. Race clean, and you may see some supportive messages. Drive dirty, and, well… you may have a few new rivals.

Meet the Squad

After you leave the track from your first race, you’ll see a set of messages about your performance, earnings from the weekend, and the condition of your car. You shouldn’t head into the next race without doing some repairs, so head into the Race Shop before your next race. There, you’ll meet your Crew Chief and Agent. Your Crew Chief is here to help you organize and perform repairs and upgrade your car, while your Agent will help you sign sponsors.

After your second race, the full team headquarters unlocks. You’ll be able to view your personal achievements, lifetime accomplishments versus the rest of the field, and career finances before you head back into the Race Shop to get ready for the next race. There, you’ll also be able to see the rest of the upcoming schedule and current standings.

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.

Today, we’re starting from the beginning. We’ll guide you through your very first steps towards stardom, starting with the Discovery Race, setting up your team for your first ARCA season, and running your first race.

Get Discovered

Every NASCAR superstar had to find a way to stand out in the lower levels of the sport to catch their first big break. For you, that chance is the ARCA Menards Series Discovery Race at Rockingham Speedway. Here, you’ll hit the track with 29 other ARCA hopefuls in your first taste of on-track action.

The goal is simple: claw your way into the top 10. Of course, every driver wants to win every race, but what matters most in any given race is that you hit the goal outlined for you in the top right of the screen. These goals will be crucial to your progress through Career Mode, so keep them in mind! Once you’ve completed the challenge, you’ll be ready for your very first ARCA start at Daytona International Speedway.

Opening Up Shop

We start at your Career Headquarters, where the backyard garage has your ride ready to go for the opener with your very first sponsor on the hood. But don’t feel like you need to rush into your first race before looking the part—head over to the Customize tab to choose your team name and give your new ride a makeover in the Paint Kit, from choosing your manufacturer and car number to designing a paint scheme and picking your car colors.

In the very near future, you’ll be able to customize a lot more aspects of your race team. But for now, the focus is on getting to Daytona. Hit the Go Racing button to get your first ARCA season started.