Tiburon Speedway track
Finish any Lightning Challenge. Suggestions for the challenges are either Wrecord or The Big One on Talledega starring the #4 driver. For Car Setups, set the Gear Ratio Preset to 10 where Top Speed is 7/8 full and Acceleration is 1/8 full. Set Tire Pressure to 30 PSI. Then go to Downforce and set both options to the minimum level so that Top Speed goes up. You will be able to reach speeds above 240 mph. The reason this is fast is because unlike other tracks, there are no Restrictor Plates to keep drivers from going above 200 mph.

Paint schemes
To obtain every paint scheme for all the drivers, race with the driver you want. Select any track in quick race mode under the veteran difficulty setting. Win the race to access one paint scheme. To receive more, go to another race track or the same one at a different time. This will not work if its the same time of day, like the two Richmond races or the two Loudon races.

When you finish a Lightning Challenge, you can get drivers, tracks, or paint schemes. Finish roughly four Lightning Challenges and you may get a few.

Thunder Plates
First select the Thunder Challenge or Lightning Challenge at the game mode screen. Finish the various challenges to get new Thunder Plates. Note: The Plates are awarded randomly bywinning a certain track with a particular driver will not access the same Plate between games.

Night tracks and alternate tracks
Race at the track you want in quick race mode within the veteran difficulty setting. Win the race to access a night or different version of it.

Hints & Tips

Eight Championships
Win all eight championships and obtain the Eight Championships video with a New Lightning challenge.

Easier paint schemes
Use this trick to access your favorite driver's paint schemes easier. First, set the difficulty level to veteran or legend. Then, set the race length to 3%. Turn on unlimited tires and fuel and turn off the damage. Go into quick race and choose the driver whose paint scheme you want to access. Choose Daytona Night. Before you qualify, go into car setup and set the transmission to manual. Set the gear ratio to 5. Quit and qualify. You will notice your car is a lot faster than the others. You are running it at roughly 193 to 198 mph. No one will be able to catch you. The race is quick. In less than an hour's time, you can access many driver paint schemes.

To unlock paint schemes, instead of using the veteran difficulty setting, go to the rookie setting switch the speed one level to the right. It will become custom. This will also unlock paint schemes.

Win two titles to unlock the Driver Kitt paint.

Get pole position
Before you run a veteran race in quick race mode, take the Thunder license and finish all three levels of the test for the desired track. This will give you the pole starting position.

Easier win
Be sure all races are set on ten percent race length. Now drive into the grass and spin out on lap four, not crash. This way, your car is not damaged and you are better able to draft. It will also work on lap 7 of all 26 lap races under the 10 percent setting, and on lap 12 or 13 of 39 to 40 lap races.

Just go to career mode and set it up at either 12, 24, or 36 races at 25% or higher. Then turn cautions off and when you start, slam on your brakes and turn around. Now hit the cars at high speed and they will sometimes catch on fire. When this occurs, the car on fire is out of the race. You can also do this by hitting the car and blocking its movements while it is up against a wall. This will also knock a car out of the race after a minute. Keep on doing this, and if you are good enough, you can knock every car out. Then, turn around and finish the race by yourself in first place. This is a good way to raise your prestige and earnings, especially in the early years of your career.

At any short track, set your psi (tire pressure) all the way to 60 and just run on the wall. Keep the wheel turned all the way to the left and you should have an easy win.

Tiburon Speedway track
Go into the Lightning Challenges. Now choose the one with Jimmie Johnson and win the race to access the Tiburon Speedway and another Thunder Plate.

Bristol: Easier win
First, turn on the running line, and unlimited fuel and tires. Then qualify as normal for any track. In the race, when the running line turns red, wait a moment before you let off the gas. Then, press the gas when you reach the green again. The car will go high, and the other cars will slow down. You can go around them. It may take a few laps, but in time you will be running in the front. This method can be adapted for every short track.

When your at Bristol Motor Speedway on the second lap, on the second turn the other cars will slow down.

Bristol: Great crash
Go to Bristol, turn around, and run into the lead car. If yellow flags are on, you will not be able to turn around.

Daytona: Easier win
Be sure the race is set on ten percent race length. Then, create a crash on lap four. If done right, there should be a caution. Go into the pits, and ignore that no one else goes in. You will be last, but there will soon be another caution and the leaders will come in. Remain out and do not pit. After the stop, you should be in first or second. You will run low on gas, but you will not run out. Just block and you will be able to win.

At Daytona in career mode in the Datona 500, when you pit instead of taking four tires or right side tires, take on left side tires and enough fuel to make it to the finish. You should leave the pits in first place, providing that you came in first or near it.

Better acceleration and easier handling
For all of the tracks but Daytona and Talledega, go into car setup before the race. Now change your tire pressure to 15 psi for better acceleration and easier handling. For Daytona and Talledega, leave it at 25 psi.

Pass easily
Draft with the car in front of you for some time. When you come out of a turn, move over and you should pass him. You can also do this on a straight away, but it will work better coming out of a turn. Also, drafting will help with fuel mileage and your speed.

Faster donuts on celebration
When you do win a race and start to celebrate, start to do a donut. When you are spinning, hold the brake and your car will spin even faster.

Daytona: Super speed
Just go to Daytona Super Speedway at any length. At a round of pit stops, before you go in, attain speeds of 71 to 75 mph. Do your pit stop with a penalty and your speeds should be at around 207 mph. This will work roughly 50% of the time.

Set your gear ratios to preset 6 and tire pressure at 21 psi. You will go up to 194 mph. Note: It will take your car some time to get up to speed, but on the second lap you might even reach speeds of 197 mph (because you will be drafting).

Tiburon: Great crash
Let every car pass you at the star of the race. Now line up on the start/finish line so that the front of your car is facing the wall and the back of it is facing the pits. Then hold the brakes and wait for the other cars to come around. With you parked out on the track and the other cars coming around, they will hit you. When they do, you and other cars will go flying up into the air. This will take out four or more cars, and maybe even all of them.

Watkins Glen: Easy win
Simply set the race length to 5%. On the first lap, cause a caution. When your asked to pit, do not. On the second lap, cause another caution. This time when asked do pit. You will be in 43rd place, but just before lap 4 everyone else will have to come in and pit. You will coast to an easier win with enough fuel and tires.

Simply turn damage off, cautions off and leave unlimited gas/tires off, so you cannot be destroyed. Note: This will work on Watkins Glen or Infineon. At the start of the race move off to either side of the track without slowing the other cars down. Around the start line, go sideways and hold the brake. When they do come around, they should run into but you will not go to far. Then, wait there. They should start running into each other. At one point they will go away. Go after any one that has gotten past by going backwards. When they are all blown up, keep getting fuel and doing laps until you are in first. Then, drive at the wall until your gas runs out. You will win. This useful for accessing the Thunder Plate races.

Talladega: Easy win
Go to the car set-up then select the gear ratios. Now set the ratio number to "5". Be sure damage is off, and tire wear is unlimited. Also, use a manual transmission. Note: You can also use this at Daytona.

Talladega: Car setups
Go into car setup. Go into "Gear Ratios" and change the two down at the very bottom to "89" and "4.45". Note: "4.45" for the bottom one and "89" for the one above it. Accept the changes, start a race, and by the end of the back stretch on the first lap, you can get above 200 mph.

Just go into car setup. Then, select "Auto Transmission". Now set the tire pressure to "30". Loosen or tighten the car as you like. Finally, go to the gear ratios. Leave the first gear alone. Set second gear to "1.85", third gear go "1.35", fourth gear to "1.01" or "1.02", and leave rear end alone. When you start the race, second and third gear will be a little slow, but when you get to fourth you will speed away. At the end of the first lap you should be going roughly 190 to 195 mph.

Bud Shoot Out
On the first lap, go into the pits and take on left side tires only. When you exit the pits, cause a caution. After all of the caution laps, there will only be one lap left and not enough time for anyone else to pit.

Pocono thunder challenge
Pause your game in a race. Go to the settings and set "Auto Brake" to "Off". Set "Stability Control" to "Limited". You will be able to catch your opponent. Attempt to stay off the wall if you hit it too much you car will be destroyed.

The Big One lightning challenge
At the start of the challenge or a few seconds after, slow the car to 181 to 183 mph. Do not let the meter at the top of the screen transfer below 24th or you will be out of contention. When you feel that you have the room between the cars that will wreck and yourself, speed up. You should have enough speed to place 4th. Remain alert to dodge the wrecking cars. Do not slow if you happen to drive through smoke. You have to time it right in order to catch the lead pack.

Career mode set-ups
In your first years in career mode, your crew chief will not be as experienced in choosing the right setup for Superspeedways. If you go with his choices, you will not finish well. Instead, go to practice mode and obtain a feel for the track. If your lap times do not come close to the pole sitter's time, then make changes on your car. Raise your fourth gear ratio by four or five notches and you will see your acceleration go up. This will allow you to achieve your top speed quicker, and you can accelerate out of the corners faster. It is also a wise to pit at the halfway mark on a 5% race, as most cars will take the next lap to pit and you will not run into pit road traffic. Also remember to draft, and you can finish with a good position, and maybe a win.

Rookie stripes
When your in career mode, the back of your bumper has yellow stripes on it. When you reach the second season, they will be gone.

Lap It Up lightning challenge
When your at Martinsville Speedway using the 43 car, drive the first few laps with the auto-brake on. Attempt to get as close as you can to Jeff Burton. Then on the final turn, turn off the auto-brake and attempt to hit Burton on the side, letting you in the lead and win. This may take several tries, as you may get penalized for reckless driving and sometimes will not be close enough.

Pay At The Pump lightning challenge
When your in the Pay At The Pump challenge, step on the gas through out the track. Obtain a big lead on Bobby Labonte and Sterling Marlin so that it is about a two to three second gap. You will run out of gas at the exit of turn four, depending on how hard you have been pushing your car. If the lead is big enough, block and you will win the challenge. This may take a few tries, but if you drive the car right it will be an easy way to win.