History VideoGame / DaytonaUSA

* '''''Daytona USA''''' (1993/1994/1995): The game that started it all. Was ported to the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn as a launch title. Was also ported to the PC, but that version was based on the Saturn version.

* '''''Daytona USA 2001''''' (2001): A revised edition for the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast. The game also included the courses from ''Daytona USA CCE'', with three new ones, improved graphics, remixed music, and online play. Development duties were handled by Creator/{{Genki}}, the same developer of ''VideoGame/TokyoXtremeRacer'' games.

* '''''Daytona USA''''' (2011): A port for UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade and UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation Network}}, featuring the graphical updates from ''Sega Racing Classic'', both the original music and a new arranged version of the soundtrack, plus online multiplayer, challenge trials, a "Survival" mode (drive as far as you can, earning time bonuses for drifting), and a karaoke mode (drive through one loop of the music, with the lyrics appearing on the screen). The UsefulNotes/Xbox360 version is backwards compatible with the UsefulNotes/XboxOne and the UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS.

* '''''VideoGame/OutRun 2''''' (2003/2004): Another racing game developed by Sega [=AM2=]. Exclusive to the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} port, the Challenge course from ''Power Edition'' and the tracks from ''Scud Race'' appear as unlockable bonus tracks.
* '''''VideoGame/RidgeRacer [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita Vita]]''''' (2011): The Hornet [[GuestFighter appears in this game]] as a {{downloadable|Content}} car.

* LethalJokeCharacter: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmGIqk3nzz8 A horse]], a SecretCharacter that can be selected in the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn version of the first game. Lethal because it doesn't take pit stops, which allows it to just run through them. This is particularly helpful on the Beginner track (if you're in the mood to be a big fat cheater) as the pit lane doesn't run parallel to the main track like it does on other courses.

** The UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 port of the game comes with an 8-bit XMB theme.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/DaytonaHornet_7646.PNG]]

->''"TIME EXTENSION!"''

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: In ''Championship USA'', if the player chooses manual transmission and doesn't change gears, [[PlayerNudge the game will repeatedly tell them to do it]]. If they don't, the car will switch to automatic transmission for the remainder of the race. Not only handy for newcomers, but great if the actual gear shifter is malfunctioning.

* '''''Daytona USA 2: Power Edition''''' (1999): An ExpansionPack to ''Daytona USA 2''. Added in a Challenge course linking the three courses together in one continuous lap, and once again reintroduced the Hornet as a playable character, this time as part of the game's starting lineup and with the exact same handling characteristics it had in the original. Also changed the Beginner track from an oversized biodome to a more traditional NASCAR-style track.

** The crew chief will sometimes tell you there's a crash coming out of Turn 3 when there actually hasn't been a crash there. He may even say this in Time Lap mode, where you're the only car on the track.

* '''''VideoGame/LikeADragon'''''[[labelnote:*]]Formerly known as ''Yakuz'' outside of Japan[[/labelnote]]: One of Sega's most popular series, also produced by Toshihiro Nagoshi.

* '''''NASCAR Arcade''''' (2000): A fully licensed successor to both ''Daytona USA'' games, utilizing the actual NASCAR sublicense with permissions from Creator/ElectronicArts (the owner of the NASCAR license for video games at the time). The game featured real-life NASCAR racers and their cars (those who competed in the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Winston_500 1999 Winston Cup Series]]), with three real tracks available, namely [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talladega_Superspeedway Talladega Superspeedway]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond_Raceway Richmond International Raceway]], and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watkins_Glen_International Watkins Glen International]], plus the "Team SEGA" hidden round track[[labelnote:*]]labeled in-game as SEGA Motor Speedway[[/labelnote]] similar to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nard%C3%B2_Ring Nardo Ring.]] The physics were redone to even more realistic levels to prevent the players from doing powersliding and focus more on slipstreaming. The soundtrack was performed by Music/Crush40, which is their only non-''Franchise/{{Sonic|TheHedgehog}}'' soundtrack to date.

* '''''VideoGame/OutRun 2''''' (2003/2004): Another racing game developed by Sega [=AM2=]. Exclusive to the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} port, the challenge course from ''Power Edition'' and the tracks from ''Scud Race'' appear as unlockable bonus tracks.
* '''''VideoGame/RidgeRacer [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita Vita]]''''' (2011): The Hornet appears in this game as a downloadable car.

* '''''VideoGame/LikeADragon''''' [[note]]Formally known as "Yakuza" outside of Japan[[/note]]: One of Sega's most popular series which is also produced by Toshihiro Nagoshi.

** '''''VideoGame/LikeADragonGaidenTheManWhoErasedHisName''''' (2023): ''Daytona USA 2: Power Edition'' (under the title "Sega Racing Classic 2") appears as one of the playable arcade games in the game. Notable for being the first ever home port of the game, twenty five years after it released.
* '''''VideoGame/SonicMania''''' (2017): A love letter to Sonic's 16-bit days. In Studiopolis Zone, there are news vans decked out like the Hornet car in Act 1, and the lottery machines in Act 2 feature the Gallop logo. Takenobu Mitsuyoshi also voices the announcer in the game's Time Attack and Competition modes.

* '''''Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge''''' (1998): The true sequel to the original. Uses a powered-up Model 3 board and a refined ''Scud Race/Sega Super GT'' handling mechanic. Also included the car from the original ''Daytona USA'' (the Hornet Classic) as a SecretCharacter, [[https://tcrf.net/Daytona_USA_2:_Battle_on_the_Edge#Hidden_Hornet_Car an addition]] that went unnoticed for over two decades. Totally awesome.

* '''''NASCAR Arcade''''' (2000): A fully licensed successor to both ''Daytona USA'' games, utilizing the actual NASCAR sublicense with permissions from Creator/ElectronicArts (the owner of the NASCAR license for video games at the time). The game featured real-life NASCAR racers and their cars (those who competed in the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Winston_500 1999 Winston Cup Series]]), with three real tracks available, namely Talladega Superspeedway, Richmond International Raceway, and Watkins Glen International, plus the "Team SEGA" hidden round track similar to Nardo Ring. The physics were redone to even more realistic levels to prevent the players from doing powersliding and focus more on slipstreaming. The soundtrack was performed by Music/Crush40, which is their only non-''Franchise/{{Sonic|TheHedgehog}}'' soundtrack to date.

** ''NASCAR Arcade'' plays more differently from the other games in the ''Daytona USA'' series. Powersliding and drifting are not allowed due to change in physics, and time extensions in this game are not done with checkpoints. Instead, you have to drive like normal to reach target positions to get more time. It's easy to slipstream past the tail end of opponents, but as you progress further you'll encounter smarter opponents. If you crash or otherwise lose speed, completing the race will easily become impossible. This is already hard on the two oval-shaped courses, but apply this mechanic to a technical course, Watkins Glen, and the course easily propels into That One Course territory, even with only 15 opponents instead of 30.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The bonus viewpoints.

* '''''Daytona USA Championship Circuit Edition Netlink''''' (1997): Same as ''Daytona USA CCE'', but with online play and several improvements made to the Japanese Circuit Edition release. The rarest Saturn game ever made, even more rare than ''[[VideoGame/PanzerDragoon Panzer Dragoon Saga]]''!
* '''''Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge''''' (1998): The true sequel to the original. Uses a powered-up Model 3 board and a refined ''Scud Race/Sega Super GT'' handling mechanic. Totally awesome.
* '''''Daytona USA 2 Power Edition''''' (1999): An ExpansionPack to ''Daytona USA 2''. Added in a challenge course linking the three courses together in one continuous lap, and reintroduced the car from the original Daytona, with the same handling characteristics too. Also changed the Beginner track from an oversized biodome to a more traditional NASCAR-style track.

** Entering certain initials on the Name Entry screen will play a short jingle based on another Sega title or one of the game's own songs. These initials are usually the initials of the game or song (S.H for ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'', F.Z for ''VideoGame/FantasyZone'', KOS for The King of Speed, and so on). The arcade version has twenty-eight, and the Saturn port adds an additional forty-six.

* ExpansionPack: ''Daytona USA CCE'', ''SCUD Race Plus'', ''Daytona USA 2 Power Edition''.

** The crew chief will sometimes tell you there's a crash coming out of turn 3 when there actually hasn't been a crash there. He may even say this in Time Lap mode, where you're the only car on the track.

** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdvnJ5wct6E Hornet]] in ''Daytona USA 2 PE''. It handles and goes as fast as its original incarnation, and [[ObviousRulePatch is the only car you can do "4-1-4" shifter powersliding with]] (other cars will spin out if attempted on them).

** In ''Daytona USA 2 PE'', on ending a multiplayer race, you are shown a cutscene of your driver and pit crew reacting to your result. The cutscene gets more depressing the lower your final position is: from getting a sympathetic pat on the driver's shoulder, to being violently pushed onto the car and falling over, to banging on the floor in despair.

* TheMountainsOfIllinois: There are no mountains in the entire ''state'' of UsefulNotes/{{Florida}} and a large portion of Daytona Beach (the part with an actual beach, though not the speedway) has water on '''3''' sides, but the game prominently features them in skybox.

** The [=PlayStation=] 3 port of the game comes with an 8-bit XMB theme.

** Several cars in ''2001'' are hidden, like the Unicorn and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygu_vjAJohE Javelin]]. See a few of them being viewed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=G3LmdFRKmGU#t=110s here]]. ''Deluxe'' also had a special car called "Daytona, " shaped like the original Hornet.

** The Hornet Classic is playable in ''Battle on the Edge'', but can only be driven by [[https://tcrf.net/Daytona_USA_2:_Battle_on_the_Edge#Hidden_Hornet_Car inputting a secret combination at the track selection screen.]] Unlike ''Power Edition'', it doesn't drive exactly like the first game. Interestingly, this car was thought to have been dummied out because its unlock method wasn't discovered until December 31, 2020, over ''20 years'' after the game released.

* ShownTheirWork: The Hornet Classic in ''Daytona USA 2: Power Edition'' controls exactly like and has the same red-blue AT/red-yellow MT paintjob as the Hornet in the original game. It even has the same rolling start on the Beginner course. It's also [[GrandfatherClause the sole exception]] to the game penalizing you for attempting to shifter-drift with a spinout.

* WhatTheHellPlayer: In the Advanced course in the original ''Daytona'', there's a branching path that requires you to turn around at the starting line to find it. Drive to the end of this path and you'll see a message that reads "Congratulations! You just lost your sponsors!" [[AchievementMockery Doing so in the HD ports nets an achievement.]]

** Rusty Wallace's car has all references to Miller removed in ''NASCAR Arcade'', likely because it would be advertising alcohol to minors. Oddly, though, the bumper still reads "Great taste".

** [[https://segaretro.org/Daytona_USA_2:_Battle_on_the_Edge#Tracks Similar effects can be toggled with the start button in the other two courses.]] Pressing it during the third and fourth laps of the Advanced course while entering the "Space Haneda" attraction will cause [=UFOs=] to attack the course, while holding it at the port area of the Expert course will cause propellers inside the shed to continously spin until the button is released.

* OddlyNamedSequel2ElectricBoogaloo: The third game was originally called ''Daytona 3 Championship USA''. The number was dropped later on.

* SameLanguageDub: ''Battle on the Edge'' has two variations of its soundtrack; one is sung by Japanese-born Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, while the other by American-born Dennis St. James. Both are sung in English and have identical lyrics.

* AllTheWorldsAreAStage: The UpdatedRerelease of ''Daytona USA 2'', ''Power Edition'', adds a new "[[HarderThanHard Challenge]]" course that [[MarathonLevel combines the original three circuits into a point-to-point race]]. Specifically, the order goes Advanced > Expert > Beginner, ending with a single-lap sprint to the finish on the SEGA International Speedway that sees racers entering the track from the pit lane.

** "Congratulations! You just lost your sponsors!"[[note]]In case you don't know where to find this, in either ''Daytona USA'', ''CCE'', or ''2001'', start up a race on Dinosaur Canyon (Advanced) then spin your car around. Drive towards the back of the pit lane and you'll see another road leading up to a tunnel. Drive into the tunnel and be greeted by your "surprise".[[/note]]

** The second game's Expert course, Virtua City, is set in an anologue of the Big Apple known as New Joke City. The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Building Chrysler Building]] can be briefly seen in the distance while zooming through the metropolitan areas.

** The Hornet Classic is playable in ''Battle on the Edge'', but can only be driven by [[https://tcrf.net/Daytona_USA_2:_Battle_on_the_Edge#Hidden_Hornet_Car inputting a secret combination at the track selection screen.]] Unlike ''Power Edition'', it doesn't drive exactly like the first game. Interestingly, this car was thought to have been dummied out because how to unlock it wasn't discovered until over 20 years after the game releashed.

---> ''Streets filled with lights / Like a [[Film/{{Stargate}} star gate from an old sci-fi movie]]''

''Daytona USA'' is a successful 3D DrivingGame series created by Toshihiro Nagoshi and Creator/{{Sega}}'s [=AM2=] department and initially released in arcades in 1994. The first game, probably the most well known of the franchise, found great popularity in the arcades, for its simple yet realistic controls (the arcade cabinets were fairly unique in that they were among the few to actually have a clutch pedal for gear shifting), UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}}-like stock cars and up to eight multiplayer arcade cabinets. The original stands as the most successful arcade game in Sega's history.

* '''''Daytona USA''''' (1993/1994/1995):The original. Was ported to the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn as a launch title. Was also ported to the PC, but that version was based on the Saturn version.

** The courses are only referred to by difficulty level in the arcades, but they have official names. Three-Seven Speedway, Dinosaur Canyon, and Seaside Street Galaxy are the courses from the first game; Astro Waterfall Speedway,[[note]]replaced by SEGA International Speedway in ''Power Edition''[[/note]] Joypolis 2020 Amusement Park, and Virtua City are the courses from the sequel.
* AllTheWorldsAreAStage: The UpdatedRerelease of ''Daytona USA 2'', ''Power Edition'', adds a new "[[HarderThanHard Challenge]]" course that [[MarathonLevel combines the original three circuits into a point-to-point race]]. Specifically, the order goes Advanced > Expert > Beginner, ending with a single-lap sprint to the finish on the SEGA International Speedway.

** In the original game and its Saturn and HD remakes, if you hold down a specific VR button on the "Gentlemen, start your engines" screen, then you can play different music on the course. The red button gives you the beginner course theme, "The King of Speed"; the blue button is the advanced course theme, "Let's Go Away"; the yellow button is the expert course theme, "Sky High"; and the green button is a secret song known as "Pounding Pavement". On the Saturn version, these buttons are A, X, Y, and Z respectively.

** In ''USA 2'''s Beginner course, the player can press the start button and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARkeT8WSxKc make the bulletin board say different things]]. Messages include "Error!", "Hello!", "Sega", and "Go to Hell".

* EasyModeMockery: The beginner car in ''Battle on the Edge'' has a bright color scheme and cutesy bunnies painted on the hood, which makes it not exactly the coolest car to drive. ''Power Edition'' would rectify this by changing the bunnies into a much cooler-looking eagle.

* InNameOnly: Despite the "Daytona" in its name, [[NonIndicativeName the actual Daytona International Speedway doesn't appear in the original game or its sequel]] (with the Beginner Course merely being based on it). When it finally shows up in ''Championship USA'', it's as a retexture of Three-Seven Speedway rather than its actual layout.

** One of the more difficult arcade racing games. Many players have difficulty with the third turn of the ''Beginner courses'', and the [[TimedMission strict time limit]] ensures that only sufficiently skilled players will finish.

* NoCommunitiesWereHarmed: The first game's Beginner track, Three-Seven Speedway, is based off of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocono_Raceway Pocono Raceway]] with some alterations.

** Some versions of the first game have advertisements for the Sega Saturn in the attract mode. There's also a giant Sega Saturn ad in ''Scud Race'''s beginner day course.

** In ''Scud Race'', JAL airplanes appear in the beginner night course.

* WhatTheHellPlayer: In the Advanced Course in the original ''Daytona'', there's a branching path that requires you to turn around at the starting line to find it. Drive to the end of this path and you'll see a message that reads "Congratulations! You just lost your sponsors!" [[AchievementMockery Doing so in the HD ports nets an achievement.]]

* '''''VideoGame/SonicMania''''' (2017): A love letter to Sonic's 16-bit days. In Studiopolis Zone, there are news vans decked out like the Hornet car in Act 1, and the lottery machines in Act 2 feature the Gallop logo. Takenobu Mitsuyoshi also voices the announcer in multiplayer mode.

* AllTheWorldsAreAStage: The UpdatedRerelease of ''Daytona USA 2'', ''Power Edition'', adds a new "[[HarderThanHard Challenge]]" course that combines the original three circuits into a point-to-point race.

** The OST for the original Daytona USA includes a track called "Bitchin'," but in the in-game sound test it was renamed to "Raggin'."

* {{Expy}}: The beginner track, Three-Seven Speedway, is based off of Pocono Raceway with some alterations.

* TheMountainsOfIllinois: There are no mountains in the entire ''state'' of Florida and a large portion of Daytona Beach (the part with an actual beach, though not the speedway) has water on '''3''' sides, but the game prominently features them in skybox.

** The expert course in ''USA 2'' has roadsigns that mention Las Segas, Holy Canyon, and Central City[[note]]Presumably where Seaside Street Galaxy is located[[/note]], the locations of the tracks from the first game. Forest Island is also on a sign, which is where the beginner course in ''Battle on the Edge'' is located.

** One of the more difficult arcade racing games. Many players have difficulty with the third turn of the ''beginner courses'', and the [[TimedMission strict time limit]] ensures that only sufficiently skilled players will finish.

* NonIndicativeName: In a weird way, the series has always been a case of this. None of the "speedway" tracks (Three-Seven Speedway in the original games and Astro Waterfall/Sega International Speedway in ''2'' and ''Power Edition''), despite the physical similarity to Daytona International Speedway, are the eponymous track and there are no other NASCAR or Daytona speedway references in any of the games, all of them taking place in fictional locales. It wasn't until ''Daytona Championship USA'' in 2017 that anything to do with Daytona itself appeared in a ''Daytona USA'' game (though, ironically, said game also Three-Seven Speedway was reduced to an ArtifactTitle; see {{Bowdlerise}} above). Other than that, the only time "Daytona" is mentioned at all is in the song "Let's Go Away".

** The expert course in ''2'' is set in New Joke City, which at first doesn't seem like a good pun of New York City. "Joke" and "York" rhyme when spoken in Japanese, which led to the pun getting LostInTranslation.

* SceneryPorn: Multiple courses, such as the nature-themed Beginner course in the original ''Daytona USA 2''. It was sadly replaced with a generic NASCAR-style course in ''Power Edition''. The Beginner theme still remained "musical porn", though.

* ShownTheirWork: The Hornet Classic in ''Daytona USA 2: Power Edition'' controls exactly like and has the same red-blue AT/red-yellow MT paintjob as the Hornet in the original game. It even has the same rolling start on the Beginner course. It's also the sole exception to the game penalizing you for attempting to shifter-drift with a spinout.

** One of the A.I. cars in ''Championship USA'' (specifically, the #15 car) have almost the exact same scheme as Clint Bowyer's actual #15 5-Hour Energy Chevrolet during his one-season stint at [=HScott=] Motorsports.

* ArcadePerfectPort: The 2011 release is the first game in the series that doesn't compromise anything from the original arcade game.
* ArtifactTitle: In a weird way, it's always been. None of the "speedway" tracks (Three-Seven Speedway in the original games and Astro Waterfall/Sega International Speedway in ''2'' and ''Power Edition''), despite the physical similarity to Daytona International Speedway, are the eponymous track and there are no other NASCAR or Daytona speedway references in any of the games, all of them taking place in fictional locales. It wasn't until the 2017 game that anything to do with Daytona itself appeared in a ''Daytona USA'' game. Other than that the only time "Daytona" is mentioned at all is in the song "Let's Go Away". Ironically, in said 2017 game, Three-Seven Speedway was reduced to an ArtifactTitle (see Bowdlerisation below).

** Downshifting in ''Daytona USA'' is the easiest way to get the car to go into a slide, but doing so in a real car would [[StuffBlowingUp grenade the engine,]]. You would never see a professional drifter downshift from 4th to 1st to coax the car sideways.
** Ask any stock car driver, be it a local street stock racer or a professional Cup driver, and all of them will tell you that sliding consistently is a *very* bad thing unless you're on dirt. Doing so heats up the tires and causes excessive tire wear, making it difficult to handle on long stints and increases the risk of a tire blowout. That was the reason ''NASCAR Arcade'' disallowed sliding.

* BladderOfSteel: The games allow you to change how many laps in a given race, from the default of 8 (Beginner) / 4 (Advanced) / 2 (Expert) all the way up to, in ''Daytona USA 2'', [[SerialEscalation 500 (Beginner) / 223 (Advanced) / 87 (Expert)]][[note]]The reason for the odd numbers is that the length is actually 500 miles[[/note]].

** ''SCUD Race'' was renamed to ''Sega Super GT'' in the US. "SCUD" in Japan stands for "Sports Car Ultimate Drive", but in the USA [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scud it stands for a Soviet cruise missile.]]

* CanonDiscontinuity: For some reason, ''2001'' doesn’t feature any of the tracks from ''2'' .

* ColorCodedMultiplayer: Playing linked games of USA or USA 2 in the arcade. Each car is given a different paint job to help sort out each player.

* CriticalAnnoyance: Survival Mode in Daytona USA for XBLA and PSN. If you are ANY good at Daytona USA then you will just hear "TIME EXTENSION!" "TIME EXTENSION!" every couple of seconds due to the ways you earn time.

** The titular ''Indy 500'' course in ''Indy 500''. Rectangular oval track with only real challenge being slipstreaming.

** Circuit Pixie from ''2001'' is an standard oval track with no real challenge. Similar to ''Indy 500'' example above, for racing purists or beginners.

** The slot machine in Three Seven Speedway can be stopped with the start button. If you get 777, you earn bonus time.

* InNameOnly: Despite the "Daytona" in its name, the actual Daytona International Speedway doesn't appear in the original game or its sequel (beginner course being an {{Expy}} of it). When it finally shows up in ''Championship USA'', it's as a retexture of Three-Seven Speedway rather than its actual layout.

** Pressing on the brake pedal while selecting a car in''USA 2'' will load the track in reverse. ''2001'' also allows racing the course in reverse, as well as racing the mirrored version in reverse.

* ProductDisplacement: Both ''Sega Racing Classic'' games are rereleases of ''Daytona USA 1'' and ''2'' without the Daytona branding. ''1'' also removes the lyrics in the song "Let's Go Away" due to Takenobu Mitsuyoshi prominently singing "DAYTONAAAAAAA!" in it, while ''2'' also gets rid of the Dodge Viper pace car in the AttractMode and replaces it with a PaletteSwap of the game's usual stock car model.

** The expert course in ''2'' is set in New Joke City, which at first doesn't seem like a good pun of New York City. "Joke" and "York" rhyme when spoken in Japanese, which lead to the pun getting LostInTranslation.
* PurposelyOverpowered: The Daytona car in ''Deluxe'', which had maxed stats. You can take it for a spin if you get first place on every track.
* RecycledSoundtrack: The only new song in ''Championship USA'' is a new arrangement of "Let's Go Away" and a shortened attract version. The remaining songs are taken directly from the original arcade game, the Saturn port, ''Circuit Edition'', ''2001'', and an unused track from ''Daytona USA 2'' is used for the track and car select screens.

* {{Retraux}}

** The [=PlayStation=] 3 port of the game comes with an 8-Bit XMB theme.

* SceneryPorn: Multiple courses, such as the nature-themed Beginner course in the original ''Daytona USA 2''. It was sadly replaced with a generic NASCAR-style course in ''Power Edition''. The Beginner theme still remained 'musical porn' though.

** Ask any stock car driver, be it a local street stock racer or a professional Cup driver, and all of them will tell you that sliding consistently is a *very* bad thing unless you're on dirt. Doing so heats up the tires and causes excessive tire wear, making it difficult to handle on long stints and increases the risk of a tire blowout.

** Also, there's a statue of ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' 's Jeffry [=McWild=] in the Expert course. He's replaced with Akira in ''Championship USA''.

* LicensedGame: The game's title name was already owned by International Speedway Corporation and the game is obviously based on UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}}, more specifically races held on Daytona. Ironically, the actual Daytona International Speedway doesn't appear until ''Championship USA''.

* SpiritualSuccessor:
** The game itself is this to ''VideoGame/VirtuaRacing''.
** ''Indy 500'', a sister game with open-wheel UsefulNotes/{{Indy Car}}s.
** ''SCUD Race'', at least until ''Daytona USA 2'', a proper sequel, was released.
** ''VideoGame/LeMans24'' is this to ''Scud Race''.
** As for the stock car racing part, the series had this trope in form of ''NASCAR Arcade'', which used the actual NASCAR sublicense with real NASCAR drivers and their cars.

* '''''Daytona USA'' (1993/1994/1995):''' The original. Was ported to the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn as a launch title. Was also ported to the PC, but that version was based on the Saturn version.

* '''''Daytona USA Championship Circuit Edition'' (1996):''' Made as an apology for the original game's Saturn port, and was developed by the same team that brought ''VideoGame/SegaRally Championship'' to the Saturn. Added in a few new courses alongside the originals, retuned the handling to be more ''VideoGame/SegaRally''-ish, and included a new, remixed soundtrack.
* '''''Scud Race'' (1996):''' The SpiritualSequel to ''Daytona USA'', with exotic cars that competed in BPR/FIA GT Championship (Porsche 911, Ferrari [=F40=], Dodge Viper and [=McLaren=] [=F1=]) instead of NASCAR-like stock cars. Was released in North America as ''[[MarketBasedTitle Sega Super GT]]''. First racer to use Sega's Model 3 board, and it shows.
* '''''Scud Race Plus'' (1997):''' A Japan-only ExpansionPack for ''Scud Race'' with a ''Franchise/ToyStory''-ish "Super Beginner" oval course.
* '''''Daytona USA Circuit Edition'' (1997):''' The [[MarketBasedTitle Japanese version]] of ''Daytona USA CCE'', with some improvements to the handling mechanics.
* '''''Daytona USA Deluxe'' (1997):''' The Windows PC version of ''Daytona USA CCE'', which added the ability to race courses at different times of the day, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qrlv3SrNCs had a course unique to this version.]]
* '''''Daytona USA Championship Circuit Edition Netlink'' (1997):''' Same as ''Daytona USA CCE'', but with online play and several improvements made to the Japanese Circuit Edition release. The rarest Saturn game ever made, even more rare than ''[[VideoGame/PanzerDragoon Panzer Dragoon Saga]]''!
* '''''Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge'' (1998):''' The true sequel to the original. Uses a powered-up Model 3 board and a refined ''Scud Race/Sega Super GT'' handling mechanic. Totally awesome.
* '''''Daytona USA 2 Power Edition'' (1999):''' An ExpansionPack to ''Daytona USA 2''. Added in a challenge course linking the three courses together in one continuous lap, and reintroduced the car from the original Daytona, with the same handling characteristics too. Also changed the Beginner track from an oversized biodome to a more traditional NASCAR-style track.
* '''''NASCAR Arcade'' (2000):''' The fully-licensed SpiritualSuccessor to both ''Daytona USA'' games, albeit used the actual NASCAR sublicense with permissions from Creator/ElectronicArts (then owner of NASCAR license for video games). The game featured actual NASCAR racers and their cars competed in the 1999 Winston Cup Series, with three real tracks available, namely Talladega Superspeedway, Richmond International Raceway, and Watkins Glen International, plus the "Team SEGA" hidden round track similar to Nardo Ring. The physics were redone to even more realistic levels to prevent the players from doing powersliding and focus more on slipstreaming. The soundtrack was done by Music/Crush40, which is their only non-''Sonic'' soundtrack.
* '''''Daytona USA 2001'' (2001):''' A revised edition for the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast. The game also included the courses from ''Daytona USA CCE'', with three new ones, improved graphics, remixed music, and online play. It's developed by Creator/{{Genki}}, the same developer of ''VideoGame/TokyoXtremeRacer'' games.
* '''''Sega Racing Classic'' (2010):''' The original ''Daytona USA'' ported to the Ringwide board, but without the Daytona license. Aside from being true widescreen and increasing the draw distance, it looks and plays identical to the original game.
* '''''Daytona USA'' (2011):''' A port for UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade and UsefulNotes/PlayStationNetwork, featuring the graphical updates from ''Sega Racing Classic'', both the original music and a new arranged version of the soundtrack, plus online multiplayer, challenge trials, a "Survival" mode (drive as far as you can, earning time bonuses for drifting), and a karaoke mode (drive through one loop of the music, with the lyrics appearing on the screen). The Xbox 360 version is backwards compatible with the UsefulNotes/XboxOne and the UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS.
* '''''Daytona Championship USA'' (2017):''' Originally advertised as the second real sequel to ''Daytona USA'', featuring three new tracks as well as remastered versions of the three tracks from the first game. The game is actually yet another UpdatedRerelease of the original game with modern graphics and features with six courses; the original three and re-skinned and mirrored versions of them (one of which is a recreation of the real-life Daytona International Speedway). Also included are a 47" LED HD screen and embedded camera for each cabinet, a display that "broadcasts" multiplayer races, and a new Championship mode aimed at experts.

* '''''VideoGame/SambaDeAmigo''''' (1999 / 2000): A Latino-themed RhythmGame developed by Sonic Team. "Let's Go Away", among songs from other Sega games, is a part of the setlist.
* '''''VideoGame/OutRun 2''''' (2003/2004): Another racing game developed by Sega [=AM2=]. Exclusive to the Xbox port, the challenge course from ''Power Edition'' and the tracks from ''Scud Race'' appear as unlockable bonus tracks.
* '''''VideoGame/RidgeRacer Vita''''' (2011): The Hornet appears in this game as a downloadable car.

** The names of USA 2's drivers are in-game, but aren't too obvious to spot. Thanks to USA 2's official soundtrack, their names are clearly heard: [[EasyModeMockery Johnny]], [[JackOfAllStats Noel]], [[HardModePerks Mitch]], and [[GuestFighter Tom Brown]].

* {{Bowdlerisation}}:

* CreatorThumbprint: As a Genki game, ''2001'' has cars that roughly resemble Japanese tuner cars from ''VideoGame/TokyoXtremeRacer'' games, though in real life, only Toyota actually entered NASCAR in 2000, after a 1982 brief cameo with their Celica.

** 2's soundtrack to the rest of the series. The soundtrack has a more aggressive rock theme to it, and the vocals are provided by the same person who sang the English ''VideoGame/BurningRangers'' theme, Dennis St. James.

** Also, 2 itself has a gameplay mode that gives much longer courses than the first game, which, along with realistic car damage, full-course cautions, and the need to repair one's car in the pits, bring the game significantly closer to dangerous, arduous real life stock car racing.

** In the original game and its Saturn and HD remakes, if you hold down a specific VR button on the "Gentlemen, start your engines" screen, then you can play different music on the course. The red button gives you the beginner course theme, The King of Speed; the blue button is the advanced course theme, Let's Go Away; the yellow button is the expert course theme, Sky High; and the green button is a secret song known as Pounding Pavement. On the Saturn version, these buttons are A, X, Y, and Z respectively.

** The Hornet also appears as {{DLC}} in ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer'' for the [=PlayStation=] Vita.

* {{Homage}}: Entering certain three-letter initials in the original will play a short ditty from a past Sega game, but entering silly initials like 'ASS' or 'SEX' will actually cause the game to change it to one of the homage initials.

* ItsAWonderfulFailure: In the original game, when you finish a multiplayer race, a short cutscene is played where your driver stops their car in front of the camera [[BadassDriver in a badass way]]. And the lower your position is, the worse they'll mess it up.

* LethalJokeCharacter: A [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmGIqk3nzz8 horse]], a SecretCharacter that can be selected in the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn version of the first game. Lethal because it doesn't take pit stops, which allows it to just run through them. This is particularly helpful on the Beginner track (if you're in the mood to be a big fat cheater) as the pit lane doesn't run parallel to the main track like it does on other courses.

* LicensedGame: The game's title name was already owned by International Speedway Corporation and the game is obviously based on NASCAR, more specifically races held on Daytona. Ironically, the actual Daytona International Speedway doesn't appear until ''Championship USA''.

** ''SCUD Race'' ("SCUD" meaning "Sport Car Ultimate Drive" in this context) was renamed to ''SEGA Super GT'' for foreign markets, to avoid referencing [[UsefulNotes/ColdWar Soviet Scud missiles]].

** In ''Daytona Championship USA'''s cabinets, the yellow stamp next to VR buttons reads "Changing views since 1993," pointing out the first ''Daytona USA'' release.

** One of the more difficult arcade racing games. Many players have difficulty with the third turn of the ''beginner courses'', and the [[TimedMission strict time limit]] ensures that only sufficiently-skilled players will finish.
** To add some more difficulty, the AI racers in Power Edition are much more aggressive than Battle on the Edge. Then there's HarderThanHard Challenge level.

** ''NASCAR Arcade'' plays more differently from the other games in the ''Daytona USA'' series. Powersliding and drifting are not allowed due to change in physics, and time extensions in this game are not done with checkpoints. Instead, you have to drive like normal to reach target positions to get more time. It's easy to slipstream past the tail end of opponents, but as you progress further you'll encounter smarter opponents. If you crash or otherwise lose speed, completing the race will easily become impossible. This is already hard on the two oval-shaped courses, but apply this mechanic to a technical course, Watkins Glen, and the course easily propels into [[ThatOneLevel That One Course]] territory, even with only 15 opponents instead of 30.

** The different 'Hornets' you can unlock in Daytona USA's UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn port are this. And there's ''eight''.

** Several cars in 2001 are hidden, like the Unicorn and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygu_vjAJohE Javelin]]. See a few of them being viewed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=G3LmdFRKmGU#t=110s here]]. ''Deluxe'' also had a special car called "Daytona, " shaped like the original Hornet.

** The Hornet Classic is playable in ''Battle on the Edge'', but can only be driven by [[https://tcrf.net/Daytona_USA_2:_Battle_on_the_Edge#Hidden_Hornet_Car inputting a secret combination at the track selection screen]]. Unlike ''Power Edition'', it doesn't drive exactly like the first game. Interestingly, this car was thought to have been DummiedOut because how to unlock it wasn't discovered until over 20 years after the game releashed.

* SoundtrackDissonance: Keeping in the spirit of the first game, Mitsuyoshi versions of 2's soundtrack exist, and all three can even be raced to. Now try racing seriously with him singing in such a goofy way.

** ''Championship USA'' is this to the original game, running on modern and sharper graphics, but the inner workings of the code are actually based around a Model 2 emulator, hence why the physics, gameplay, and AI are identical to the original. Perhaps this is the reason that the extra courses are simply mirrored and re-textured versions of the originals.

** One of the AI cars in ''Championship USA'' (specifically, the #15 car) have almost the exact same scheme as Clint Bowyer's actual #15 5-Hour Energy Chevrolet during his one-season stint at [=HScott=] Motorsports.

* {{Expy}}: The beginner tracks, Three-Seven Speedway, is based off of Pocono Raceway with some alterations.

* {{Expy}}: The beginner tracks, most notably Three-Seven Speedway, are based off the actual Daytona International Speedway with altered designs.

** The crew chief will sometimes tell you there's a crash coming out of turn 3 when there actually hasn't been a crash there. He may even say this in Time Attack mode, where you're the only car on the track.

* GrandfatherClause: Downshifting to first gear while driving any of the new cars in ''USA 2'' will result with an immediate spin out. The Hornet Classic is still allowed to perform the 4-1-4 drift since it uses the physics from the first game.

** Pressing on the brake pedal while selecting a car in''USA 2'' will load the track in reverse. ''2001'' also allows racing the course in reverse.

** The expert course in ''USA 2'' has roadsigns that mention places from the first game.

* GrandfatherClause: Downshifting to first gear while driving any of the new cars in ''USA 2'' while result with an immediate spin out. The Hornet Classic is allowed to perform the 4-1-4 drift since it uses the physics from the first game.