NASCAR’s Next Gen Cup Car to finally make its long awaited debut in the NASCAR Heat 5 video game

While NASCAR fans wait for an officially licensed video game version of their favorite genre of racing, one of the few current stock car racing games has a surprise in store.

NASCAR Heat 5, a video game simulating the 2022 Cup Series season, has finally announced the release of the much-awaited Next Gen car pack for its players.

Allowing players to get behind the wheel of the seventh generation 'Next Gen' cars virtually, the game developed by 704Games, announced additional downloadable content or DLC for the base game yesterday.

The game published by Motorsport Games for popular gaming consoles such as the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC via Steam will finally include newer generation cars for players to enjoy.

The official announcement came via the game's official Twitter handle, with a tweet reading:

"The NASCAR Heat 5 - Next Gen Car Update is coming to PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam! Players that have already purchased and pre-loaded the DLC will unlock the content with its release. We look forward to seeing you on the track!"

The official Twitter handle for the game followed up with another tweet later on citing the exact time and day for the highly anticipated release. It read:

"The Next Gen Car Update launches 5 pm ET today!"

With announcements related to an officially licensed video game nowhere in sight, Heat 5 is the fans' best bet to get behind the wheel of their favorite drivers' cars.

Fans react to NASCAR Heat 5 video game's new DLC

As new downloadable content for the NASCAR Heat 5 video game was released for players to experience, fans of the sport took to Twitter to share their views.

Here are some of the best reactions:

The Cup Series prepares to go live at the Nashville Superspeedway after a week-long break this weekend. The Ally 400 will go live on Sunday (June 25) at 7:00 pm ET.