<s>
EA	B-Application
Sports	I-Application
NASCAR	I-Application
,	O
alternately	O
known	O
as	O
NASCAR	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
,	O
is	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
NASCAR	O
video	O
games	O
published	O
by	O
EA	O
Sports	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
series	O
began	O
with	O
NASCAR	B-Application
98	I-Application
and	O
NASCAR	B-Application
99	I-Application
in	O
1997	O
and	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
EA	O
Sports	O
released	O
NASCAR	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
2002	I-Application
in	O
2001	O
,	O
and	O
ever	O
since	O
then	O
,	O
Jeff	O
Gordon	O
(	O
2002	O
)	O
,	O
Dale	O
Earnhardt	O
Jr.	O
(	O
2003	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Tony	O
Stewart	O
(	O
2004	O
)	O
were	O
on	O
the	O
cover	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2004	O
,	O
they	O
changed	O
the	O
name	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
NASCAR	B-Application
2005	I-Application
:	I-Application
Chase	I-Application
for	I-Application
the	I-Application
Cup	I-Application
and	O
added	O
the	O
new	O
features	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
game	O
more	O
up-to-date	O
with	O
the	O
recent	O
changes	O
to	O
NASCAR	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
next	O
year	O
,	O
they	O
changed	O
the	O
name	O
yet	O
again	O
to	O
NASCAR	B-Application
06	I-Application
:	I-Application
Total	I-Application
Team	I-Application
Control	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
NASCAR	B-Application
Kart	I-Application
Racing	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
2009	O
,	O
EA	O
discontinued	O
the	O
series	O
due	O
to	O
budget	O
cuts	O
and	O
the	O
expiration	O
of	O
EA	O
Sports	O
 '	O
contract	O
with	O
NASCAR	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Polyphony	O
Digital	O
has	O
since	O
bought	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
develop	O
official	O
NASCAR	O
cars	O
and	O
tracks	O
in	O
their	O
simulation	O
video	O
game	O
Gran	B-Application
Turismo	I-Application
5	I-Application
,	O
marking	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
under	O
the	O
EA	O
Sports	O
label	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eutechnyx	O
later	O
acquired	O
the	O
license	O
,	O
starting	O
the	O
NASCAR	B-Device
The	I-Device
Game	I-Device
series	O
with	O
NASCAR	B-Device
The	I-Device
Game	I-Device
:	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
