Fantasy drivers:
Enter Extra Drivers as a name at the create a car screen.

Dale Earnhardt:
Enter Dale Earnhardt as a name at the create a car screen.

Tiburon Speedway track:
Use a memory card with a saved file from an EA Sports 2003 game.

Thunder Plates:
Select the Thunder Challenge or Lightning Challenge at the game mode screen. Complete the various challenges to get new Thunder Plates
Unlock 31st Lightning Challenge
To unlock the 31st Lightning Challenge (Hendrick vs. Petty), win an 8th Championship in Career Mode.

Unlock Night Tracks
In order to Unlock a night track, the track must beable to have this option, then simply race on that track and win, but you must race under Veteran or Legend difficulty