Take One for the Team

Tony Stewart sits atop the NASCAR world as its reigning champion. Did he get there because he was the best driver? Maybe.

Could he have gotten there without his pit crew, chief, spotters, and teammates from the Joe Gibbs Racing team? Not a chance.

Sure, NASCAR races may seem simple—turn left as fast as you can—but there's a lot more to it then that. Each race is a symphony of organization and performance at high speed. Stewart's pit crew has precision work to perform in seconds. His crew chief helps him keep close tabs on every facet of his race car. His spotter has to call out his opponents' positions to him over the radio constantly, and his teammates, Bobby Labonte and Jason Leffler, have to draft with him or run interference to keep him in front of the pack.

That'll bring out the caution flag.

Of course, Stewart himself has to drive perfectly, navigating through traffic, keeping the car on the track despite getting "rubbed," and generally performing mistake-free at 150-plus miles per hour for three to four hours straight.

Otherwise, yeah—it's pretty simple.

Electronic Arts has brought the depth and breadth of NASCAR race management to Xbox® in a whole new way with NASCAR® 06: Total Team Control, and while it's still a fast and furious racing experience, you need to use your smarts and savvy as much as your reflexes.

Building upon EA's successful series, the game replicates the authentic NASCAR experience, from the "Chase for the Cup" to its robust "Fight to the Top" career mode. NASCAR 06: Total Team Control adds the ability to completely control your racing team and use their abilities to your advantage.

The key to this lies in the Team Communicator, which is easily accessed by the right analog thumbstick.
The numbers of each of your teammates surrounds the Team Communicator icon near the bottom of your screen. Flick the stick in a teammate's direction, and the icons around the Communicator change, each representing a team-based command.

Draft with your teammates.

You can access four commands from this second menu, but there are eight available, and it's easy to customize your Team Communicator to display the four commands that you most commonly use in the Race Commands menu. The eight commands are:

• Follow: This instructs your teammate to get behind your car so the two of you can share your draft and quickly move up to the front of the pack. If you're running first and second, this can even be used to extend your lead.
• Drop Back: This tells your teammate to let you pass him. Now, this isn't used to steal the glory from your teammate, it's used to help him. If his car is slightly damaged, you can set up in front of him and let him draft off of you, hopefully offsetting the damage somewhat.
• Move: This one's simple. If you're coming into a turn hot and high, your teammate will swing his car low to get out of your way and possibly obstruct any competitors at the same time.
• Block: Another simple one—your teammate will stay behind you and actively block the traffic behind him, giving you a chance to get further ahead.
• Hold: This command tells your teammate to hold his position. This can be valuable if your team is running well—set everyone up for a last-minute push to the front.
• Pit Now: Telling your teammate to do this will help you get on the same lap with a teammate, or even allow your team to gamble on fuel depending on the track. If you time it right, one less pit stop can be the difference between victory and defeat.
• Work With Me: Your teammate will line up with you and allow you to draft off of his car, speeding you both towards the front of the field.
• Swap: This is the big one. Instead of giving your teammate a command and watch him follow, you'll do it yourself, as you'll be spirited across the track and into the other car's cockpit.

In NASCAR 06, you're not just driving one car—you're controlling a team, and oftentimes, you'll be driving more than one car in every race, switching back and forth to give your whole team the best shot at victory.

Swappin' paint at 160 mph.

With the Team Communicator, you're in charge, and in more ways than one. NASCAR drivers are always on their radio—it's their most important tool—and now, it can be for you, too. Attach an Xbox Live® Headset communicator to your controller, and you have all the commands above and many, many more at your disposal with only the sounds of your voice.

Ask your crew chief how far you're behind the leader, and he'll tell you. Need advice when to pit? Ask him. Just want a "splash-and dash" pit stop with no tire changes? Tell the pit crew before your next stop.

Using NASCAR 06's voice commands in conjunction with the Team Communicator makes you more than just a driver—you're the field general. Your team is counting on you.

Tony Stewart plans on defending his Nextel Cup next year, but now you're ready to take it for yourself on Xbox with NASCAR 06: Total Team Control.

Article by Shawn Drotar, Managing Editor, OperationSports.com