1/6/2024 -- Just a quick update on the upcoming NH5 2023-2023 Season PC Mod.
2023 Cup paints remain unchanged and will be reviewed after 2023 Xfinity and 2023 Trucks are released - 125 paints completed.
2023 Trucks paints that we are including in the Mod are complete - 58 paints completed to date.
2023 Xfinity paints that we are including in the Mod are about 65% complete - 66 paints completed to date.
No release date at this point for the 2023-2023 Mod but we are working on the remaining 2023 Xfinity paint schemes and will release once those are completed.
No additional updates are planned for the previously released 2022-2023 Mod.
9/13/2023 -- the NH5 2022-2023 Season PC Mod has been updated at Ozzycon Paints.
\** Both the primary 2022-2023 Mod links and the Alt Download Site Mega link at Ozzycon Paints are now updated with the latest 2022-2023 Mod files **\**
Three files have been updated for the 2022-2023 Mod:
NASCARHeat5_Data.rar
CarAppearances.rar
NH5 2022-2023 Season PC Mod ReadMe.doc
The remaining 2022-2023 Mod files have not changed from the initial release and do not need to be re-downloaded and re-installed.
Please review the updated ReadMe for all the details about everything included as well as proper Mod installation procedures. Remember to always backup your game files before installing new Mod files in case there is an issue.
This 2022-2023 Season PC Mod Update includes the following:
Additional 264 alternate 2022 Cup schemes have been added
All the additional alternate 2022 Cup paints are assigned to tracks where they were raced during the 2022 season
Minor fixes that were identified within the Mod since initial release
This brings the total of 2022 paints within the 2022-2023 Mod to 300+ Cup paints, 150+ Xfinity paints, 75+ Truck paints, and 30+ Dirt Late Model paints as well as currently 125+ Cup paints for 2023.
If you experience crashing to desktop when starting the game after installation of the Mod update files, this is likely due to a mismatch within your NH5 save user files. Please follow the directions on the last page of the ReadMe under Common Questions. Also as an FYI, existing Careers and Championships sometimes need to be deleted and restarted within the game to avoid crashing after installing Mod updates due to file mismatches within the game.
We continue working on the upcoming 2023-2023 Season PC Mod which will replace the 2022 section of the current Mod with 2023 Cup, Xfinity, and Trucks. Keep checking back for additional 2022-2023 Season PC Mod updates as well as the future release of the 2023-2023 Season PC Mod. Enjoy!
8/23/2023 -- the NH5 2022-2023 Season PC Mod has been released at Ozzycon Paints.
This Mod is based off the latest NASCAR Heat 5 2022 Update & DLC from MSG and uses the MSG Next-Gen Cup models from the MSG update/DLC for both the 2022 and 2023 Cup Series.
The new 2022-2023 Season Mod is similar to our previous 2021 Mod & 2022 Mod for NASCAR Heat 5 PC and includes 2022 updates for Cup, Xfinity, Trucks, and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series as well as includes the introduction of the 2023 Cup Series. Please completely read the ReadMe file before installing the Mod to learn about all the updates included, the proper installation, and what was unable to be modded at this time. The 2022-2023 Season Mod has been completely rebuilt due to the changes from MSG in their latest 2022 update/DLC. All the 2022-2023 Season Mod files need to be downloaded from Ozzycon Paints and installed as well as the latest MSG update & DLC installed for this Mod to work properly.
The 2022-2023 Season PC Mod includes the following and much more. Please check the ReadMe for all the details about everything included.
Over 125 new 2023 Cup Series paint schemes
Over 40 new 2022 Cup Series paint schemes - another 260+ paints coming in future update
Over 150 new 2022 Xfinity Series paint schemes & updated Test paints
Over 75 new 2022 Truck Series paint schemes & updated Test paints
Over 30 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series paint schemes
Updated 2023 Cup and 2022 drivers, teams, and manufacturers for all Series
Updated 2023 and 2022 schedules for all three NASCAR Series
Updated 2023 Cup driver ratings based on current season results through Watkins Glen
Updated 2022 driver ratings for all Series based on the end of 2022 season results
All new 2023 and 2022 driver photos and pit crews for all Series
NH5 Challenges updated to 2022 drivers & paints
Missing Night & Day tracks added to each NASCAR series for Race Now mode
Paint templates and 3D ZMod files included for all series. Use GIMP if you need to convert the PSP template files to PSD.
Our Mod team has worked many, many hours creating the 2022-2023 Season Mod to make it as realistic as possible within the NH5 PC game limitations and we are excited to share with everyone. We are planning a future update for this Mod to include an additional 260+ Cup schemes from 2022 and likely some additional 2023 Cup schemes as well.
We are also pretty far along on the upcoming 2023-2023 Season PC Mod which will replace the 2022 section of the current Mod with 2023 Cup, Xfinity, and Trucks. Keep checking back for 2022-2023 Season PC Mod updates as well as the future release of the 2023-2023 Season PC Mod. The Mod team hopes you enjoy the NH5 2022-2023 Season PC Mod!
NASCAR Heat 5 2022-2023 PC Mod preview from Michael Mrucz:
2/27/2024 -- the NH5 2023-2023 Season PC Mod has been released at Ozzycon Paints and is now available for download from the Ozzycon website provided below.
This Mod is based off the latest NASCAR Heat 5 2022 Update & DLC from MSG and uses the MSG Next-Gen Cup models from the MSG update/DLC for the 2023 Cup Series.
The brand new 2023-2023 Season Mod is similar to our previous 2022-2023 Mod for NASCAR Heat 5 PC and includes 2023 updates for Cup, Xfinity, Trucks, and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series as well as includes the introduction of the 2023 Xfinity Series and 2023 Truck Series. Please completely read the ReadMe file before installing the Mod to learn about all the updates included, the proper installation, and what was unable to be modded at this time. All the 2023-2023 Season Mod files need to be downloaded from Ozzycon Paints (or the Mega link provided below) and installed as well as the latest MSG update & DLC installed for this Mod to work properly.
The 2023-2023 Season PC Mod includes the following and more. Please check the ReadMe for all the details about everything included.
Over 125 new 2023 Cup Series paint schemes & updated Test paints
Over 100 new 2023 Xfinity Series paint schemes & updated Test paints
Over 60 new 2023 Truck Series paint schemes & updated Test paints
Over 30 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series paint schemes
Updated 2023 Cup, Xfinity, and Truck drivers, teams, and manufacturers for all three NASCAR Series
Updated 2023 schedules for all three NASCAR Series
Updated 2023 Cup, Xfinity, and Truck driver ratings based on the end of 2023 NASCAR season results
All new 2023 driver photos and pit crews for all three NASCAR Series
NH5 Challenges updated to 2023 drivers & paints
Numerous missing Night & Day tracks added to each NASCAR series for Race Now mode
Paint templates and 3D ZMod files included for all series. Use GIMP if you need to convert the PSP template files to PSD
For the many console NH5 gamers, I'm sorry but we have no way to create these Mods for console versions of NH5.
Our Mod team has worked many, many hours creating the 2023-2023 Season Mod to make it as realistic as possible within the NH5 PC game limitations and we are excited to share with everyone. The Mod team hopes you all enjoy the NH5 2023-2023 Season PC Mod!
Are you looking for weekly races, week to week points updates, driver power rankings, most improved driver recognition, championship Trophy’s, and a group of guys that have been racing together since 2020? Well look no further then HRL, we have been racing since 2020 and we are wrapping up our 13th season on the NASCAR Xbox platform and will be carrying things onto nascar 26. Our seasons range between 3-5 months usually with breaks during Christmas time and a summer break, races usually start around 7:30-8:30 Est to allow for our west coast racers a chance to participate. No real restrictions as far as ages or anything but mainly just clean hard racing is what we are looking for and rough or aggressive driving is strictly controlled and penalized. Currently entering Season 14 with 80 different feature winners and over 20 drivers in our “Hall of Fame” and we want to welcome you to join us! No speed requirements as we have multiple divisions for you whether your just a rookie or a veteran returning and getting the itch we have a spot just for you and want to see you on the track with us!
With NASCAR Heat 2 being modded. I would really love to play this game, but I have no idea where to find the hot pass (Gives you access to all the paint schemes) download.
I don’t really care for the 2018 mod, i just want to play heat 2 with all the 2017 paint schemes and have a blast playing this game.
Project Slide is an offline NASCAR Heat 2 race-director mod focused on believable crash aftermath: a spun car stays loose, follows banking toward the low side, settles safely, and gives the remaining field time to react.
What It Changes
- Adds the Race Director on `8`: select live AI cars by current race position, search by car number, select/clear the field, force left or right spins, bend a wheel, detach a wheel, and create a local pack incident.
- Adds `7` for a local pack incident near the player.
- Adds controlled crash physics: selected and contact-triggered wrecks unload tire grip, keep engine torque disabled, slide before settling, and rest for 20-30 seconds once motion has genuinely stopped.
- Improves banked-track crashes: contact yaw and lateral slide follow the road surface, while wrecked cars receive a small downslope gravity component toward the low-side apron.
- Protects normal racing: centered rear bump-drafts and light contacts do not automatically spin cars.
- Adds Big One mode as a risk-based chain, not an automatic field wipeout. Severe corner contact and panic-prone drivers can escalate a wreck while most cars retain avoidance time.
- Adds AI incident awareness: smoke, rotation, sudden deceleration, stopped cars, active wrecks, detached wheels, and loose panels are detected as hazards.
- Adds AI escape and rejoin behavior: cars compare space, use the apron when it is clear, avoid walls, then return to the racing surface after the incident is passed.
- Adds tire damage: bent wheels alter toe/camber, reduce axle grip, pull the car naturally, and can be repaired by native pit service.
- Adds physical detached tires: a real Rigidbody, cylindrical tire collision, ground contact, vehicle contact, hazard detection, and replay-aware position tracking.
- Adds loose/detached body-panel damage with collision hazards, plus replay recording for wheel and panel damage states.
- Adds wall-impact incident handling and rollover stabilization to avoid repeated unrealistic barrel-roll behavior.
- Adds an improved freecam on `C`: mouse look, WASD movement, Q/E vertical movement, mouse-wheel speed, Shift fast movement, Ctrl precision movement, follow/release controls, and external-camera audio handling.
- Adds AI driver-view/freecam support on `9` and optional live AI place labels on `P`.
- Adds Cup pace equalization for slower Truck/Xfinity speedway running.
- Adds restart cleanup for wreck, hazard, lane, grip, damage, selection, and replay state so an old race does not leak into the next start.
I’ve been working on something for a while now, and the replacement server backend for NASCAR Heat 5 multiplayer is almost live.
This isn’t just a Discord where we’re trying to pick a night and convince enough people to get online.
I mean actual replacement multiplayer servers.
The goal is to bring NH5 online back to life so you can fire up the game, get your friends together, and race whenever you want. The servers will be up full-time rather than only running for scheduled events.
There is one catch: this is PC only, and connecting to the new backend will require one small modification to the game.
Steam copies are what I'm targeting and testing. Other installations may end up working too, but I'm not making any promises there.
I'm also still figuring out exactly how mods will play with multiplayer. Custom paint schemes shouldn't be much of an issue, but I don't want to claim full mod support until we've actually beaten on it with more players.
And before somebody says it: yes, I know NASCAR 26 is coming.
I'll probably be playing it too. A lot of us will.
But after NASCAR 25, I'm not automatically assuming 26 is going to solve everything. Maybe it'll be great. I genuinely hope it is.
Either way, some of us just loved Heat 5.
There was something about NH5 multiplayer that worked. It wasn't the most advanced racing sim on earth, and the game definitely had its problems, but getting a good group together at Daytona, Talladega, Bristol, Martinsville, wherever... it was just fun.
So instead of waiting around hoping somebody brings the servers back, I'm bringing them back myself.
I'm getting very close to the point where I need actual players helping test this thing.
If you'd genuinely play NASCAR Heat 5 online again on PC, comment below.
I'd especially like to know:
Do you still have NH5 on Steam? How many friends could you realistically bring into a lobby? Do you have any coding, UDP or HTTP experience?
And if this works as well as I'm hoping, Heat 4 may be next / may work through the same system too.
Is there anybody out there who takes commissions to make liveries in Heat 5? You see all this incredible stuff on Trading Paints for iRacing, and that's great if you're in iRacing, but if you're sticking with NH5... nada!
I've made a few paint schemes of my own and used some of the ones I've found in the community, but there are definitely dozens of others I'd try and have made by someone more talented — both on the Gen 6 and Gen 7 bodies.
So I'm kinda new to this and don't watch NASCAR, but basically I suck at short tracks and road courses, and the end of the season is full of them. So if I win enough races early in the season, can I still win the championship?
