The opening is small, but enough to squeeze through. Ok, so you cut off that other driver, it’s part of the game, and besides, your goal is simple enough – finish ahead of everyone else.

Riding in fourth with three laps remaining, you have your eye of the leaders and are forced a tough wide on the turn when you notice something odd. The driver you cut off earlier is pulling alongside you. While you cannot see his face, you can sense his malicious grin as he gives you a little rub, and puts you into the wall.

Remember, it is about finishing ahead of everyone else. Your cyber headset crackles with the sound of your pit boss telling you that he was likely looking for a little payback. That doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you have a long ways to go to get back into contention and not a long time in which to do it.

It’s all about the points, and the money that you earn from finishing higher. That translates into better rides and eventually a shot at the NASCAR Nextel Cup.

NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005 from EA Sports is an Xbox title that sports great looks, a sterling soundtrack and a whole lot of challenge.

The game begins simply enough with a qualifying test. Your red Viper pulls up to a stop light on a deserted stretch of city road. Another car pulls alongside you with NASCAR driver Ryan Newman behind the wheel. He points at the light. When it goes green, he is putting the peddle to the metal, and is challenging you to do the same.

Green light – GO!

If you don’t beat him, you try again. If you do beat him, he praises your driving abilities and offers to put you in touch with his agent about the possibility of becoming a NASCAR driver. Well, since that is what this game is all about, you don’t have to hang by the cell phone waiting for the call, you get it immediately.

There is a Featherlite race coming up and Newman would like you to take his ride in it.

Thus begins the odyssey through three racing classes up to qualifying in the fourth class, the NASCAR Nextel Cup. But don’t think this will be easy. Oh no, the AI in the single-player game is challenging, smart and will not give you much room for error. If you want to get to the Nextel Cup, you are going to have to earn it.

Control elements won’t be a problem. This game is easy on the gamer, and will let you decide whether to use manual or automatic transmissions as well as introducing another feature called the Intimidator. Tied to a controller setting, the Intimidator lets you put out a little attitude on the track, but of course the consequence of your actions will either brand you a hero or a villain.

After the qualifying race, you create an avatar from a nice customizable interface. Then you begin in the Featherlite division. Featherlite vehicles are the smaller cousins of the big NASCAR rides, and don’t seem quite as sturdy, but the overall idea is the same – there is an oval track, some the banked corners and some without, and you try to outlast a full field of AI controlled opponents.

Of course you do sign a contract and get a sponsor and try to earn money to upgrade your machine. More about that in a moment. There are four levels of competition, Featherlite, Craftsman Truck, NASCAR National series, and the Nextel Cup, and four difficulty modes – normal, advanced, extreme and custom. Once you set the difficulty setting, it cannot be changed.

You can sign a contract in the Race Shop, and while you won’t start with much, you can work up with success finished. The initial race only pays off $17,654 for 12 laps at the Red Ball Raceway. There are 16 races in the seasons for you to compete in. Once you pick your race, there are several options: Practice, Qualify, Happy Hour and the race, of course. You can also go into Car Setup and tweak your ride, trying to coax more power and acceleration out of it without sacrificing the handling too much.

Areas you can tweak include tire pressure, downforce, suspension and the gear ratios. There are 10 presets in the gear ratios, then you can go into the customization and create your own. Each adjustment you make may have an affect on the top speed, acceleration, handling, tire wear and whether the machine is loose or tight.

In addition to automatic gear shifting, the game will also let you manually shift gears.

While you can set up your ride in a variety of ways, what it really comes down to is your racing abilities. Most of the time it is a matter of speed, and if you don’t have it, you will be eating a lot of exhaust. Acceleration is important as well. Though a 12-lap race may seem like enough time to work through the pack, unless you can motor through toward the front, you will be subject to jostling in the pack while the leaders pull steadily away.

The graphics of the game are also very well done. You can switch views, and the environments are, for the most part, exceptional. Some of the smoke effects seem a little flat and with sharp edges, but if you rub a wall, or spin tires, you can count on seeing that track damage on your next trip around the track. The sound is superb, with lively musical tracks and, of course, the roar of the engines, the squeal of tires and the crunch of metal.

Using Happy Hour to test your set-up is very smart and once you have it figured out for the class, don’t expect it to last from race-to-race. Each class handles differently, and as you improve, and your ride gets better, you may end up spending as much time in the shop working on your ride as you do on the race track competing.

Is that a detriment? Not at all – NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005 is motoring entertainment. While the game does have a few very minor drawbacks, the game is a wonderful mix of challenge and eye candy, with even more treats for the ears. The game is almost as flashy as those television commercials you see with the pulsating music and the roar of the racing action.

While a slight departure from the more-traditional NASCAR titles, Chase for the Cup adds a little depth and revs up entertainment.

Gameplay: 8.3

You will end up doing a lot of tweaking on your ride, and testing it to get the right feel. And the game does have load times and numerous calls from your agent.

Graphics: 8.7

Environmental effects are very good and the car mechanics are superb as well. There are some sharply angled effects and sometimes smoke seems to lay across the track for no apparent reason, but otherwise this is a good-looking game.

Sound: 9

While there are some of those sound elements that seem to be forever linked to the NASCAR titles (like the pit boss stating the obvious), the game steps it up with a terrific musical score and all the sounds you would expect from solid racing action.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard

Solid AI and a variety of difficulty levels make for a challenging experience for just about anyone.

Concept: 8.6

The idea of working through the rankings is very nice and adds flavor to the NASCAR series. The racing action is as solid as ever.

Multiplayer: 8.7

The single-player mode is good, but the multiplayer, available in the four series and with a full field of competitors, ups the challenge ante.

Overall: 8.7

There are some minor flaws, but overall this title performs well, and should be on the list of racing fans. Working through the race classes is challenging. NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005 is a solid ride.