Click above to watch the movie and go for a wild ride through the Black Hills!

That’s just a sampling of what video gamers will experience this Friday, July 2, when the full version of Rushmore Scenic Byway is released online. Rushmore Scenic Byway is a new race track download for the PC-Only game Nascar Racing 2003. The track will feature landscapes, wildlife and attractions from all over the Black Hills region.

Chad Coppess, South Dakota photographer and creative-extraordinaire, has been working with a video game artist from Chicago for more than a year to create the lifelike digital race track.

“It’ll be a free download for everyone who has Nascar Racing 2003,” said Coppess. “It all started when I was a teenager dreaming that there should be a car race on the scenic roads in the Black Hills. Instead, now we have a version that anybody can race – without the expense or safety risks.”

Coppess’ photography of the Black Hills region has been transformed into the 3-D virtual world where the race track is set. As players navigate the course, they’ll travel along simulated versions of Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road. Around pigtail bridges and through rock tunnels. They’ll pass by the likenesses of Crazy Horse Memorial, Rapid City’s Dinosaur Park, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Deadwood’s Days of ‘76 Rodeo, Sylvan Lake near Custer and so much more.

Digital wildlife can be spotted along the route including: buffalo, pronghorns, mountain goats, elk and bighorn sheep. Billboards for actual Black Hills attractions like Wall Drug and Trout haven also line the route.

“It’s a lot of what makes the Black Hills a classic American road trip – all squeezed ito 3.8 miles of twisting, turning mountain roads,” explained Coppess. “We designed it as a compacted, scaled-down version of the Hills, with a 1950’s feel.”

Even though the Rushmore Scenic Byway track was created for a video game from 2003, Coppess said that there hasn’t been another game like it since then and there is still a large community of players that are actively racing it.

Chad told me that there are already several online gaming leagues that plan to use his Black Hills race track as part of their weekly racing series. If user downloads of Coppess’ track are similar to other tracks by the same Chicago artist, about 1,000 downloads can be expected during the first week alone!

That’s a lot of eyes that will be repeatedly seeing images from the Black Hills on their computer screens. Chad created the Rushmore Scenic Byway race track just for fun and because he loves what the Black Hills area has to offer. “If it ends up helping get the word out about South Dakota’s fun vacation opportunities to folks who might not otherwise get that message, that’s even better,” said Coppess.

The Rushmore Scenic Byway track for Nascar Racing 2003 will be available to download for free this Friday, July 2 at www.windycityracing.com and www.racingrafix.com.