Stern’s NASCAR, released in 2005 and designed by Lonnie Koziarz with the legendary Pat Lawlor, brings stock-car racing to the playfield with the kind of clean, accessible design that made it a hit with casual players and league regulars alike. A captive ball, a Newton ball, and a pair of three-bank drop targets anchor a layout built around the thrill of climbing the leaderboard across a full season of races.
The scoring rewards a player who learns the racing rhythm. Spelling RACE lights locks and multiball, which can be genuinely lucrative when played well, while the spinners are the key to the “bump and run” mode — when they’re spinning freely, that mode becomes a points bonanza as the spinners pump up the value of your car. There’s a satisfying bit of strategy baked into the locks, too: after locking the first ball, holding the left flipper while plunging earns the second lock for free, a clever shortcut to multiball.
Approachable up front but with real depth for the dedicated, NASCAR (later re-themed as Grand Prix and Dale Jr.) is an underrated entry from one of pinball’s greatest designers. For fans of motorsport and players who enjoy a clean, combo-and-multiball-driven table, it’s an enjoyable mid-2000s Stern that captures the roar of the track — start your engines and chase that checkered flag.