The working title was NASCAR Heat Evolution, and Dusenberry Martin Racing was named a co-developer.
[7] The game was released in early July, a departure from the traditional September date; as an effect, the developers focused on smaller improvements.
[11][12] The games feature playable challenges that unlock driver tutorials,[4] and a single-player test mode was added for Heat 5.
[3] Heat Evolution was criticized for having little to no plotline in Career mode,[11] but did allow users to improve their car through a series of upgrades.
[4] Heat 2 introduced a new "Hot Seat" feature where players started in a part-time season before progressing to full-time.