Play NASCAR Arcade Online Free for Sega Hikaru.
That clip up top is the real NASCAR Arcade — the actual 2000 Sega Hikaru game from its publisher. Grab the free RetroPlayers.Club Player and it runs full-speed on your PC, no cartridge required.
NASCAR Arcade
Play this Game The Right Way Now -> Download Our Mini App & Start PlayingThe RetroPlayers.Club Player is a Premium perk. Go Premium or sign in to play NASCAR Arcade at full speed on your own PC.
NASCAR Arcade can be relived on your own PC through the free RetroPlayers.Club Player app — full speed, with a controller and saves just like your hardware. You confirm you own the game from your library, and no need to connect your console.
🎮 Bluetooth Controller? Click Here
| Action | Keyboard | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| D-Pad Up | ↑ | D-Pad up |
| D-Pad Down | ↓ | D-Pad down |
| D-Pad Left | ← | D-Pad left |
| D-Pad Right | → | D-Pad right |
| B (bottom) | X | Bottom face |
| A (right) | Z | Right face |
| Y (left) | S | Left face |
| X (top) | A | Top face |
| L | Q | Left shoulder |
| R | E | Right shoulder |
| Start | Enter | Start |
| Select | V | Select |
🎮 Sega Hikaru controls
These are the keys the RetroPlayers.Club Player app uses for Sega Hikaru, shown for reference. Your controller still lights up below so you can confirm it is detected — Premium members can remap here (keyboard or USB controller) and the app applies the map at the next launch.
No controller detected yet — plug one in and press any button.
Press buttons — your controller lights up here so you can see it is detected. Go Premium to save a custom map.
| Action | Keyboard | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| Gas Pedal | W | Stick up |
| Brake Pedal | S | Stick down |
| Steer Left | A | Stick left |
| Steer Right | D | Stick right |
| View Change | J | Arcade button 1 |
| Start | F | Start |
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NASCAR Arcade, initially known as NASCAR Rubbin' Racing outside North America, is a 2000 racing video game developed by Sega Rosso and published by Sega for arcades. It was produced at the suggestion of producer Kenji Arai, and the soundtrack was produced by Jun Senoue.
How to Play NASCAR Arcade
No setup needed — launch NASCAR Arcade in the RetroPlayers.Club Player and these bindings are live. Controller Mapping in the app changes them any time.
The Story Behind NASCAR Arcade
Production of a NASCAR-based game was suggested by the game's producer, Kenji Arai, despite concerns that NASCAR was not well known in Japan (although NASCAR had previously hosted exhibition races at Suzuka Circuit and Twin Ring Motegi). According to Anoop Gantayat of IGN, he felt the game's original name of NASCAR Rubbin' Racing would sound odd to native English speakers and needed to change when the game came to North America. Big on the title track for Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition, also called "Sons of Angels".
NASCAR Arcades soundtrack was created by Jun Senoue and recorded by Sons of Angels (later known as Crush 40), with Senoue on guitar and Johnny Gioeli singing the vocals. In 2011, Tim Daniels of Bleacher Report rated the game 15th in a list of the top 25 NASCAR video games, praising the game's realism. Official Dreamcast Magazine called the game's original title "very, very strange".
What You'll Play
The game is based on the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, and carries an official NASCAR license with permission from EA Sports, who permitted Sega to develop the game as a arcade-only title. There are Race and Time Attack modes in single-player, as well as a multiplayer mode where up to eight arcade cabinets can be linked. The goal of the game is to advance through the field of rival race cars, while racing against a timer.
It was produced at the suggestion of producer Kenji Arai, and the soundtrack was produced by Jun Senoue. Four tracks are available to select from: Talladega Superspeedway, Richmond International Raceway, and Watkins Glen International, as well as a "Team SEGA" secret track. The game's arcade cabinet seat will move when hitting an opponent or being hit, and the game's deluxe cabinet includes a tubular roll cage.
Why It Still Hits
initially known as NASCAR Rubbin' Racing outside North America, is a 2000 racing video game developed by Sega Rosso and published by Sega for arcades. It was produced at the suggestion of producer Kenji Arai, and the soundtrack was produced by Jun Senoue. The game is based on the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, and carries an official NASCAR license with permission from EA Sports, who permitted Sega to develop the game as a arcade-only title.
The game was released in both standard and deluxe arcade cabinets, and up to eight cabinets can be linked for multiplayer. Players have to race against competition at one of four tracks while also racing against a timer. Previews and reviews of the game praised the realistic graphics and smoothness, but had criticisms of the game's gear shifter and comparison to other Sega games.
NASCAR Arcade — Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I buy the original NASCAR Arcade?
Scroll to "Other Places You Can Get This Game" beneath the write-up — it lists trusted stores selling official copies.
Do I need to download anything to play NASCAR Arcade?
Yes — Sega Hikaru games run in the RetroPlayers.Club Player desktop app, a quick free download. The video on this page is real NASCAR Arcade gameplay so you know exactly what you are getting before you install.
Can I remap the controls in NASCAR Arcade?
Absolutely. Inside the app, Controller Mapping lets you change every NASCAR Arcade binding to whatever keyboard keys or pad buttons you prefer.
How do I play NASCAR Arcade?
Download the free RetroPlayers.Club Player from this page, then open NASCAR Arcade — it runs the real Sega Hikaru release full-speed on your PC. The video above is that same game so you can see it first.
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