Race 73: Drift for Fifth

Drift Race: 4 laps
Location: Drift Track 4
Approx. Distance: n/a
Reward: Easy 450, Medium 600, Hard 750
Unlocks: 1995 Mazda RX-7

If you're not good at Drifting by now, you probably won't ever be, but with even just a basic knowledge of the techniques required, you should be able to beat this race on Medium and claim the right to purchase the new Mazda.

Race 74: Late Night Rush

Sprint Race
Location: Spillway
Approx. Distance: 5.2 miles
Reward: Easy 450, Medium 600, Hard 750
Unlocks: Spillway Sprint Track

You'll see a new track section, which involves a number of paths that diverge and converge, towards the end of this course. Your best bet appears to be to hit each right as it appears; this will get you a fairly straight path, minus one somewhat nasty left turn towards the end. Otherwise, you should be familiar with the individual parts of this track.

Race 75: Bring It

Circuit Race: 5 laps
Location: National Rail Reverse
Approx. Distance: 10.1 miles
Reward: Easy 450, Medium 600, Hard 750
Unlocks: 2003 Nissan 350z

The faster you're going as you come off the highway, the harder you'll have to brake before you cut through the dirt section. This is where most accidents will occur (save for unavoidable traffic-related collisions), so master it, or, at least, try not to knock your car all over the place when you pass through.

Race 76: It's Klutch Time

Drag Race
Location: Main Street Reverse
Approx. Distance: n/a
Reward: Easy 450, Medium 600, Hard 750
Unlocks: Nothing

This track takes you back down Main Street, but in reverse, so you'll hit the monster jump shortly after you reach third gear. From there, stick to the right and try to stay out of the oncoming traffic, but dodge back and forth to avoid the cars up ahead. After you win, you'll finally knock Klutch out of Drag racing forever.

Race 77: Samantha's Big Tease

Time Trial Race
Location: To Spillway
Approx. Distance: 5.2 miles
Reward: Easy 100, Medium 125, Hard 150
Unlocks: Spillway Sprint Track - Reverse; Unique Spoilers

You went through this track a few races ago, except for the fact that it's now in reverse. The new track section will be the sticking point, but again, try to keep to the left (which was the right last time). This will give you the shortest path with the fewest bad turns. Beyond that, everything should be familiar. Samantha will grant you a new spoiler after you win; the Katana is probably the only one that will blend with your paint job.

Race 78: Friends Are Easy To Make, And Easier To Lose

Sprint Race
Location: 1st Ave. Truck Stop
Approx. Distance: 3.8 miles
Reward: Easy 2000, Medium 4000, Hard 6000
Unlocks: 1st Ave. Truck Stop Sprint Track

If all of these rendered cinemas prove anything, it's that you really need to get your eyes checked. Everything's in focus, then it's not, etc. Odd that it doesn't affect your racing.

Taking shortcuts can be risky if you're not careful.

Anyway, your only opponent here is your good pal Samantha, and she's none too happy at having to race you. Make her less happy by kicking her butt. This track is another pastiche of familiar parts in an odd arrangement; one thing to note is that you start close enough to the jumping shortcut to make it actually viable, since you're at such low speeds.

Race 79: Enjoy the City Skyline

Drag Race
Location: Main Street
Approx. Distance:
Reward: Easy 1000, Medium 2000, Hard 3000
Unlocks: 1999 Nissan Skyline R34 GTR

This race can be tricky to win even without nitro and turbo, but if you drag properly, you should be able to pass for the lead shortly before the last big jump. After you grab the top spot, you'll unlock the game's most expensive car, so hop into the Skyline and take her out for a spin on a Quick Race track to see if she's appropriate for you.

Race 80: First Dibs

Drag Race Tournament
Location: Various
Approx. Distance: n/a
Reward: Easy 6000, Medium 8000, Hard 10000
Unlocks: Level 3 E.C.U., Level 3 Turbo, Level 3 Brakes, Main Street Construction Drag Track Reverse

You'll be required to install all of the performance mods for this tournament, so get your car modded up and hit the streets. Keep in mind that the differences between difficulty levels is mostly a matter of pride at this point; if you were able to afford the Skyline (if you wanted it), the rest of the performance and visual mods shouldn't put much of a dent in your bank. The only problem is that they come in bursts; the group after this race will put you back 12,000 bucks, so you may want to let that influence the difficulty you take this tournament on.

The first track is easy enough to win, but the second will vex you with a criss-crossing traffic pattern that will often wind up in your car getting totaled if you're not quick on the lane changes. Staying to the left will be natural, and indeed required, for the first rise, but try to get to the right afterwards, to avoid the scripted truck heading across your lane.

The third track also features crossing traffic patterns, but it's a bit easier to stick to the right and stay there for the whole race. The fourth race is another fairly easy one; block off your competitors as you hit the first rise, then keep the lead for the rest of the race.

Race 81: Round And Round And Round We Go

Circuit Race: 4 Laps
Location: Terminal
Approx. Distance: 8.4 miles
Reward: Easy 900, Medium 1200, Hard 1500
Unlocks: Level 3 Rims

Now that you've unlocked the Skyline and the second group of top-shelf performance upgrades, you'll notice the difficulty level of these races, even on Easy, start to increase dramatically. Don't be afraid to quit out of a race and switch cars or eliminate performance mods to get a lucky configuration.

Race 82: Moving On Up

Sprint Race
Location: 1st Ave. Truck Stop
Approx. Distance: 3.8 miles
Reward: Easy 1125, Medium 1500, Hard 1875
Unlocks: Nothing

You should be sufficiently familiar with the Truck Stop track to have little trouble with this race.