USAOPOLY does board games, NASCAR style

It takes an enormous amount of creativity to take a traditional board game and spice it up with a NASCAR theme, but that's exactly what USAOPOLY has been doing for the better part of a decade. The company's slogan-"America's Favorite Games With a Twist!"-couldn't be more appropriate.

STORE •   NASCAR toys & games

USAOPOLY's NASCAR-inspired Monopoly, Pictionary, and Checkers games were instant hits in years past the minute they hit the market.

"The energy, excitement, and competition of NASCAR translate well into our games," said Heather Campbell, director of corporate communications for USAOPOLY and one of the key people behind the brand's NASCAR presence. "NASCAR fans really enjoy fun new game experiences based on the sport. So, every year we try to provide a unique new game to the hardcore NASCAR fan."

The latest stock car racing additions to the USAOPOLY catalog are NASCAR Dominoes and Operation: Pit Stop. Both are already generating excitement among fans of all ages.

The domino effect

USAOPOLY has combined the electricity of motor racing with one of the most enduring games of all time in NASCAR Dominoes.

This classic Dominoes game with a NASCAR twist includes 28 custom black dominoes with NASCAR red, yellow, blue and pink pips. The backsides of the dominoes feature a silk-screened NASCAR logo. Rules include directions for five standard Dominoes games to play including Muggins, Block, Bingo, Track Game and the Pit Row Game. The game is beautifully packaged in a handsome collectible tin.

It's a great game for ages eight and up, and as many as four players can participate.

"NASCAR Dominoes is a great game for home or travel," said USAOPOLY product manager Kim Pettingell. "Fans can easily put it in their suitcase or motor home. They can actually play it at the race track."

Operation a success

Perhaps USAOPOLY's most innovative offering yet is OPERATION: Pit Stop, under license from Hasbro Properties Group.

The concept is a lot like the time-honored OPERATION board game made famous in the 1960s. But instead of removing livers and gall bladders, players are swapping out race car parts.

The game board is a race track with a car awaiting service in the pits. Two to four people can play, and the object of the game is to get to the finish line first while performing pit stops to remove parts as dictated by randomly drawn game cards. Each player is represented on the board by a miniature race car "mover."

The key is to remove those parts as quickly as possible without touching the sides. A mistake will set off the flashing headlights and an alarm that makes one of three custom air wrench sounds--costing players a time penalty and possibly the race.

"The player is actually acting as the crew chief, and the fastest crew chief wins," Pettingell explained.

Some pit stops are player versus player, some are just player against the clock. But every pit stop is a race against time. A fully-functional digital stop watch allows participants to clock their performance.

Eleven removable race car parts provide the challenge: a tire, wrench, hose, fire extinguisher, gas can, piston, fan belt, air wrench, squeegee, screw, and thumbs up. Ten game cards tell players which parts to remove using the included pliers.

Three versions of OPERATION: Pit Stop are offered--a standard NASCAR edition and a pair of driver-specific versions featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon.

"Developing OPERATION: Pit Stop was a lot of fun and a lot of hard work,´ Pettingell noted. "With the electrical features and the custom stop watch, it was a bit of a departure from things we've done in the past-a lot of new features that we had never done before. We got feedback from a lot of kids while we were developing OPERATION: Pit Stop to make sure it was fun to play and not too difficult. We find that the kids really love the sounds and the stop watch."

OPERATION: Pit Stop is recommended for ages six and up-and don't be surprised to see a lot of adults playing. It's that much fun.

"It's a great way for parents to introduce kids to their favorite drivers," said Pettingell.

The NASCAR.COM SuperStore carries a full line of USAOPOLY games. In addition, OPERATION: Pit Stop will also be available at AutoZone.