Nascar Web Racing Tips & Hints: ------------- Submitted by: jens lohse found by: ea.com NEW PLAYERS: ------------ The following tips will help rookie drivers make their way around the track, and get veterans on the road to victory lane. Select a Speedway: ------------------ If you haven't had a lot of driving experience, choose a speedway like Atlanta or Las Vegas. Avoid the short tracks and road courses until you're confident in your driving ability. Know When to Ease Off the Gas: ------------------------------ Speed isn't the only factor in NASCAR racing. Braking plays a big part, especially around the turns. When you're entering a turn, for example, ease off the gas. Then, as you exit the turn, accelerate and gun it on the straightaways. Find a Line: ------------ Pick a line and stick with it. Extra movement from side to side slows your time and becomes hazardous when you're running door-to-door with other cars. Take It Easy in the Turns: -------------------------- Too much speed will take you right into the wall. To avoid that, ease off the gas a little and find a safe line around each turn. Remember that speed is the most important coming out of a turn. Draft Away: ----------- Drafting consists of driving in another car's wake to get an aerodynamic advantage. You can ease off the accelerator a little until you're ready for the pass. Then hit the gas and pull your car out of the draft, and you'll slingshot your way around the car in front of you. DRIVING & PASSING ----------------- Practice!: ---------- Take the time to learn how your car handles on each track, or you're going to finish in the back of the pack, if you finish at all. The more you practice, the less time you'll spend bumping the wall or spinning your wheels in the infield. Watch Your Line: ---------------- After the race starts, you may opt to change your line based on race conditions and positioning. As each driver dials into a groove, the best line around the track can also become the most congested line. Stay Steady & In Control: ------------------------- Don't allow your car to get too loose -- when you start to lose control, gently ease off the gas then get the car back into a groove. Don't crank the steering too hard or you'll really lose control. Don't Be Afraid To Back Off: ---------------------------- Other cars will fight to keep you from passing, often weaving to try to cut off your line. When this happens, back off and draft for a while. Get the timing of the other driver's blocking moves, then attempt a pass when you see an opening. Give 'n' Take: -------------- Bumping and scraping are staples of any NASCAR race. If you want to run with the leaders, you have to learn to give and take. Knowing how to handle your car when it's getting bumped and nudged is a vital skill. Starting Position: ------------------ Obviously, it's best to qualify for pole position and start at the front of the field, but even the best drivers don't qualify for the pole on every race. If you take the time to learn the track with practice laps, you'll find you usually qualify in the middle to front of the pack. Starting In The Middle: ----------------------- When you qualify in the middle of the field, your strategy should be to stay within striking distance of the leaders and pick up positions one at a time. Starting at the Back: --------------------- When you start at the back of the pack, think in terms of small steps. Move up car-by-car before worrying about leaping ahead to win the race. The harder you charge, the greater risk you run of plowing into another car, hitting the wall, or spinning out on the infield. Speedways Vs. Short Tracks: --------------------------- If you start at the back of the field on a speedway, you have a better chance of moving up to a decent spot in the standings than if you start in the back on a short track or road course. The long straights and more space between the cars on a speedway give you more room to pick off the cars ahead of you. TAKING TURNS ------------ Ease In & Speed Out: -------------------- It's better to be faster out of a turn than faster into it. Speed at the exit of a corner is carried directly onto the straight, where you can use it to pass. Start Slow: ----------- Your goal is to complete the entire race in the fastest time. If you're pulling away from everyone on the straightaways only to lose position (or worse yet lose control) on the turns, slow down until you can figure out a better way to go fast through the turns. Always Look Ahead: ------------------ When entering a turn, your eyes should already be focused on the center of the turn, or the apex. When you hit the apex, your focus is on the exit. Try Different Strategies: ------------------------- If you're having trouble negotiating the turns try a high approach, or "outbraking." High Approach: -------------- Come into the turn up high (near the wall), then cut the corner so that you hit the inside corner at the apex of the turn. As you exit the turn, your line should take you back up high. Outbraking: ----------- This can help you gain an advantage going into a turn. To outbrake, take the inside line going into a corner and brake later than the car in front of you. You'll catch up to him on the inside, forcing him to let you by. Drafting: --------- Drafting is driving in the wake of air created by the car in front of you so you don't have to expend fuel and power cutting through the air, and it plays a key role in the racing strategy of every NASCAR driver. To execute a draft pass, or slingshot: -------------------------------------- As you come up on the next car, position your car so that you are following an identical line. When you get close, ease off the gas to keep from bumping the car unless you want to pull out quickly and attempt a pass. Accelerate and pull up high so that 3/4 of your car is outside the draft. You can feel the air resistance slowing you down. When you're ready to pass, dive down beneath your opponent and floor it. The suction of the draft slingshots you ahead. You can also pass high to get extra speed going into the turn: as you're approaching a turn let off the gas and pass the cars as you hit the apex. But be careful not to hit the wall as you're attempting this strategy. Bumping & Grinding: ------------------- NASCAR is a contact sport, and when a pack of cars is traveling within feet of each other at high speeds, bumping is bound to happen. Damage Control: --------------- Whether you're scraping against the wall or another car, when you make contact, your car wears down (unless DAMAGE is turned OFF). Minor contact causes minimal damage, but continuous scraping will slow you down and take a toll on your handling ability. Know When to Block: ------------------- You can use your car to block the path of an approaching car. You don't need to do this a lot early in the race - just let them pass you, and then use their draft. But later in a race you can be more selective about letting the other drivers pass. Hold Steady: ------------ Other drivers will test your nerve by nudging the back of your car. When this happens, don't panic. Keep your line and focus on what's ahead of you rather than what's behind you.
