Trophy / Achievement Overview
Welcome to the NASCAR 26 Trophy Guide & Roadmap. This guide covers all 18 PS5 trophies, including 1 Platinum, 8 Gold, 7 Silver, and 2 Bronze trophies, with information on Career progression, championships, online requirements, and the fastest methods for completing the longer objectives.
This trophy guide is currently in progress and will be updated as we complete NASCAR 26
Estimated Difficulty: 3/10
Estimated Time to Platinum: 30–40 hours
Offline Trophies: 16
Online Trophies: 2
Missable Trophies: 0
Required Career Seasons /Playhroughs: 10
Minimum Career Championships: 4 — one in each series
Difficulty-Related Trophies: No
Does Difficulty Affect Trophies?: No
Minimum Players Required for Online Trophies: 2
Step 1: Complete and Win a Championship in All Four Career Series
Begin Career Mode by creating your driver, which immediately unlocks Create a Driver. Your first season takes place in the Menard’s ARCA Series.
Set the AI difficulty to a comfortable level and use a short race length to make the Career grind faster. Try to race cleanly, win regularly, and avoid unnecessary contact because clean performances award more reputation. Winning the ARCA championship should give you enough reputation to unlock the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for your second season.
Your recommended Career progression is:
- Season 1: Menard’s ARCA Series
- Season 2: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
- Season 3: NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series
- Season 4: NASCAR Cup Series
You will need approximately 25,000 reputation for Trucks, 75,000 reputation for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and 230,000 reputation for the Cup Series. Winning races and championships should allow you to reach each requirement within a single season.
Always select only the newly unlocked series at the beginning of the next season. Competing in multiple series during the same Career year does not count as completing multiple seasons.
The Truck, O’Reilly Auto Parts, and Cup championships use a playoff system. Win at least one regular-season race to secure your playoff position, survive each elimination round, and finish ahead of the other championship contenders in the final race.
By the end of Season 4, you should unlock:
- Create a Driver
- ARCA Racer
- Racer of Trucks
- O’Reilly Auto Parts Racer
- Cup Racer
- Champion of ARCA
- Champion of Trucks
- Champion of O’Reilly Auto Parts
- Ultimate Champion
- First of Many
- Getting Warmed Up
Step 2: Complete Six Additional Career Seasons
After winning a championship in all four series, you must complete another six Career seasons for Seasoned Veteran.
The quickest option is to return to the Menard’s ARCA Series for Seasons 5–10. ARCA has fewer events and shorter races than the higher divisions, making it considerably faster than completing additional Truck, O’Reilly Auto Parts, or Cup seasons.
You no longer need to win championships at this stage. Your only objective is to finish each season, so use the shortest available race length and lower the AI difficulty if necessary.
Remember that entering multiple series during one Career year still counts as only one completed season.
You will unlock:
- Established Pro after completing five Career seasons
- Seasoned Veteran after completing ten Career seasons
Step 3: Complete a Race at 100% Length
Select Quick Race from the main menu and change Race Length to 100%. You only need to finish the event, so winning is not required.
For the quickest method, choose the Menard’s ARCA Series and race at Watkins Glen with the following settings:
- Race Length: 100%
- Damage: Off
- Yellow Flags: Strict
At the beginning of the race, deliberately trigger a caution. Do not enter the pits when the game prepares the restart. Each caution should advance the race by several laps, allowing you to skip most of the event.
Repeat this until the counter reaches approximately 40/41 laps. You must then complete one clean lap so the white flag appears. Once the final lap has officially started, another caution should end the race.
Completing the race unlocks Go the Distance.
Step 4: Complete and Win a Multiplayer Race
The final two trophies require an online Multiplayer race. You can earn both during the same event.
Create an invite-only private lobby and invite one friend. Select a short ARCA event and have your partner allow you to finish first. Only two players are required to start the race.
Finishing the event unlocks Racing in the Wild, while winning it unlocks Born Competitor.
After completing every other requirement, you will also unlock Total Victory and earn the NASCAR 26 Platinum trophy.
Total Victory
Acquire all Trophies
Unlock every other NASCAR 26 trophy to earn the Platinum. The list requires ten completed Career seasons, championships in all four series, one 100%-length race, and one online victory.
First Place!
Win a race
Win any race in Quick Race, Career, Championship, or Multiplayer. Lower the AI difficulty and use your preferred assists if you want to unlock this immediately.
Go the Distance
Complete a race of 100% length
From the main menu, select Quick Race and set Race Length to 100%. You only need to finish the race; winning is not required.
For a faster attempt, select the Menard’s ARCA Series at Watkins Glen with damage disabled and yellow flags set to Strict. Repeated cautions can advance the race by several laps. Once the counter reaches 40/41, complete the next lap cleanly so the white flag appears. A caution after the white flag should end the race.
Create a Driver
Create a Driver
Start Career Mode and complete the initial driver creation process. The trophy unlocks after confirming your created driver.
ARCA Racer
Complete a full Menard’s ARCA Series season in Career
The Menard’s ARCA Series is available from the beginning of Career Mode. Complete its entire schedule to unlock the trophy. Try to win the championship during the same season so you also earn Champion of ARCA.
Racer of Trucks
Complete a full NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season in Career
Complete one Career season and reach approximately 25,000 reputation to unlock the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Select that series for your next season and finish its full schedule. Winning races, driving cleanly, and claiming the ARCA championship should provide enough reputation.
O’Reilly Auto Parts Racer
Complete a full NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season in Career
Reach approximately 75,000 reputation and complete at least two Career seasons to access the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Finish its entire schedule to unlock the trophy. Winning the ARCA and Truck championships should place you close to the required reputation.
Cup Racer
Complete a full NASCAR Cup Series season in Career
Complete at least three Career seasons and build approximately 230,000 reputation to enter the NASCAR Cup Series. Finish the full Cup schedule during your fourth season. Race cleanly, win regularly, and claim the previous three championships to reach the reputation requirement efficiently.
Champion of ARCA
Win a Menard’s ARCA Series championship in Career
Finish your Menard’s ARCA Series season with the most championship points. ARCA does not use the playoff format, so consistent high finishes throughout the schedule are important. Lower the AI difficulty, upgrade your car when possible, and restart races that go badly.
Champion of Trucks
Win a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship in Career
Qualify for the Truck Series playoffs by winning at least one regular-season race or scoring enough points. Continue advancing through each elimination round, then finish ahead of the other championship contenders in the final race.
Champion of O’Reilly Auto Parts
Win a NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship in Career
Win at least one regular-season race to secure a playoff place, then survive each elimination round. In the championship finale, finish ahead of the other title contenders to win the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship.
Ultimate Champion
Win a NASCAR Cup Series championship in Career
Reach the Cup Series, qualify for the playoffs, and advance through all elimination rounds. Winning during a playoff round should automatically move you forward. In the final race, finish ahead of the remaining championship contenders to claim the Cup title.
First of Many
Complete 1 Career season
Complete your first full Career season. Starting with the Menard’s ARCA Series is mandatory, so this should unlock together with ARCA Racer.
Established Pro
Complete 5 Career seasons
Finish five full Career seasons. The most efficient route is to complete one season in each of the four series for their related trophies, then return to ARCA for Season 5 because it has the shortest schedule and races.
Seasoned Veteran
Complete 10 Career seasons
Complete ten full Career seasons. After earning the championship trophies in ARCA, Trucks, O’Reilly Auto Parts, and Cup, select only the Menard’s ARCA Series for the remaining seasons. Its shorter calendar makes it the fastest option.
Competing in multiple series during the same Career year still counts as only one completed season, so choose a single series when grinding this trophy.
Getting Warmed Up
Win a race in Career
Win any event in Career Mode. Reduce the AI difficulty or complete qualifying for a better starting position if needed. You should earn this naturally during your first ARCA season.
Racing in the Wild
Complete a Multiplayer race
Finish any online Multiplayer race. A private lobby with one other player is sufficient, allowing you to unlock this together with Born Competitor.
Born Competitor
Win a Multiplayer race
Win an online Multiplayer race. The easiest method is to create an invite-only private lobby with one friend, choose a short ARCA race, and have your partner let you finish first. Completing the race also unlocks Racing in the Wild.
