NASCAR Racing by PAPYRUS

On The Track:  A Quick Glance

If you're like most of us, you don't want to read the instructions, you want to "slide right through the window" and drive the race car.  For this reason, we've prepared you a car at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66-mile tri-oval.  We'll take you on a quick test run to familiarize you with your stock car's instruments and controls.  You'll also learn a little about what a NASCAR stock car feels like- how it handles at 200 mph, and how it doesn't when you've finished a few laps down.

First, you'll need to know how to make simple selections from within the game.  Keyboard users can scroll up or down the various menus with the up/down arrow keys.  When you've highlighted the item you want, simply press the "ENTER" key.

Joystick users can move the stick forward or backward to scroll up or down through menu selections.  When you've highlighted the item you want, simply press your joystick button "A."

Wheel/yoke users must use the keyboard to select items from within the menus.  If your menus are scrolling rapidly up or down under their own poser, press the "J" key at the Main Menu to disable menu joystick control.  NASCAR Racing does not support mouse control, except when using the accompanying Paint Kit.

When you start NASCAR Racing, the first thing you'll see will be the Main Menu.  Using the keyboard or your joystick, select Preseason Testing.  This will give you an opportunity to test your stock car on a closed course, without any other drivers to worry about.

Now choose Talladega from the Track Selection menu (if you don't see Talladega on you screen, don't panic; you may have to scroll down the list until you reach it).  Talladega Superspeedway's fast, high -banked turns and wide straight-aways will give you plenty of room for this session.  As one driver puts it, "Mastering Talladega is about 85% car, 15% driver.*

Here we are at the Preseason Testing screen.  You're able to drive as many laps as you wish during test sessions.  However, you will need to make pit stops for additional fuel or fresh tires as necessary.  Choose Testing from the menu to head for the race track.

As you look over the cockpit of your race car, you'll notice that the driver's seat is not located in the center, but rather to the left side.  This is important to remember, especially when you're knifing your way through heavy traffic.

On Track:  In The Cockpit

Your dashboard meets NASCAR race specifications.  Before pulling away from the pit wall, you should take just a moment to familiarize yourself with your stock car's instruments.

Speed:  This digital display was created by Team Papyrus to constantly show the driver how fast the car is currently traveling.

Fuel Gauge:  The needle indicates how much fuel you car has remaining.  When it points all the way to the right, the tank is filled completely (22 U.S. Gallons).  When the needle begins to touch the red area, you car has three gallons remaining.  The fuel gauge has a Red Warning Light mounted directly above it.  This light will begin to blink when you have three gallons remaining.  Better head for the pits for another tankfull!

Oil Pressure:  Normal operating pressure is 80 psi.  Over-revving the engine will cause the warning light above the oil pressure gauge to blink.  Continuous over-revving is a serious condition, often causing the engine to blow.  If the oil pressure light blinks constantly, pull into the garage and pick different gear rations- otherwise your engine builder won't be very happy.

Water Temperature:  Normal temperature is approximately 200 degrees.  Like some of the other gauges, the water temperature display is equipped with a red warning light (these are often referred to as "idiot lights").  The warning light will flash if the temperature gets too hot.  Water temperature can increase under two conditions:  the driver is spending too much time drafting behind other cars, robbing the radiator of its needed airflow; or, the driver is running the car too hard, perhaps over-revving the engine for extended periods of time.  The temperature of the outside air can also cause fluctuations in the water temperature.  Remedy the situation during a race by slowing down or pulling into the pits for repairs.  During practice or warm-up sessions, you may want to head for the garage to make a gear ratio adjustment.

Gear:  This digital display was created by Team Papyrus to constantly show the driver what gear the transmission is currently in.

Tachometer:  The largest dial on the dash, and perhaps the most important.  This shows the driver the current engine rpm's.  Watch the tachometer (also called a "tach") to shift gears at the appropriate moment.  This will help prevent engine over-revving.  The tachometer numbers are read in thousandths (1,000 to 10,000 rpm's).  Generally you should try to shift up when the needle reaches between 7,000 and 8,000 rpm's.  The needle points straight up (twelve o'clock) when the rpm's are at 8,000.  This is where most drivers want the needle to be.  Revving the engine constantly beyond 9,000 rpm's could lead to engine failure.  If your oil pressure warning light blinks constantly while in fourth gear at high speed, you probably need to change gear ratios.

Oil Temperature:  this gauge shows the driver the current temperature of the engine oil.  Normal readings should be in the 200 degree range.  Excessive oil temperatures will activate the red warning light above the dial.  this indicates that overall, the engine is running too hot.  Remedy the situation by increasing the rear spoiler angle in the pits.  In practice or warm-up sessions, you may also want to adjust gear ratios.

Additionally, your car is equipped with a 3-way rear-view mirror.  the left section shows traffic to the left of you car.  The middle section shows traffic directly behind your car.  The right sections reflects traffic on you right.

Now that you've skimmed the dashboard, you're ready for some "seat" time.  Slowly begin to accelerate out onto the track.  Even though you'll be the only driver out there, it would be good to get into the habit of checking that rear-view mirror about now.

Unless you've already found the "Driving Aids" selection on the Realism Menu and turned off "Automatic Shifting," the computer will handle the stick shift for you.  If you've already selected "Manual Shifting," watch that tach!  Shift up at 7,000 rpm's.  We're up to third gear so far, and the tach shows 6,000 rpm's.

Talladega's 33 degree banking, up close and personal.  Try not to overcorrect the steering as the pavement pitches the car.  Keep an eye on the top left corner of the windshield; you'll see what lies ahead.  Incidentally, that dotted line near the outer wall is located 10 feet from the barrier.

Nearing the end of the back straight, we're in fourth gear and going pretty fast.  See that orange ball to the right?  There's a NASCAR official located in each of those.  The balls are positioned at the start and end points of each corner.  We'll try to enter turn three from just right of center.  Note how all of the engine-related needles are standing almost straight up.  That's a good sign that the car is setup properly.

Just coming off of tun four, you'll see the pit entrance to the left.  f you want another lap, stay to the right and head for the tri-oval.  If you want to pit, start getting on the brakes now.

Don't be late for a date with the tri-oval!  In order to go fast through there, you'll have to start high, then cut low across the apron as show here.  Again, try not to overcorrect.

As you streak across the start/finish line, you'll notice that the Pit Board appears in the upper left corner of the cockpit.  the top line (marked "L") shows you the average speed of the last lap completed.  The bottom line (marked "B") shows you the best lap average you've achieved during this season.

At anytime while driving, you can press the "ESCAPE" key to return to the menu.  On the Preseason Testing Menu, you'll see a clip of replay footage playing to the right.  you can now select Replay to view more extensive coverage of your driving exploits.  Choose Garage to "head for the shed" to do some tweaking.  When you choose Resume, you'll be back in the car, right where you left off, or in the pits if you've visited the Garage.  (Take note:  if the car was moving when you headed for the menu, it will be moving when you Resume).

The Pit Board

The pit board appears momentarily in the upper left corner of the cockpit as you cross the start/finish line.  This board gives you important results of the most recent lap driven.

Pausing The Action

You can pause the simulation at any time by simply pressing the Pause key.  This is the letter "p" on the keyboard.  Aside from taking a break, the Pause key is useful during radio communications.  After pressing "p" to pause the game, use the function keys to display radio information.  Use the radio to instruct your crew on the adjustments you want at the next pit stop.  Press "p" a second time to resume action.

Using Your Radio

Your stock car is equipped with a two-way radio.  This allows you, the driver, to stay in contact with your pit crew while you're out on the race track.  You can use the radio to give your crew instructions for the next p it stop, or get current performance information about your race car.  You cannot acquire radio information while using the arcade view.

To use the radio while driving, we recommend you first pause the game, using the "p" key.  Next, choose any function key from F1 through F8 to display radio information.  This information will appear superimposed atop the right side of the dashboard.  

F1 - Lap Info:  At anytime while in the cockpit, press "F1" to get lap information via the radio.  This screen displays your car number, most recent (last) lap average speed and the number of the lap you are currently driving.  You will also see the number of the driver immediately ahead of you, along with the interval (the length of time you trail that opponent by).  If you are leading the race, the opponent car number displayed will be that of the car currently in second place.

The information on the lap info screen is for display purposes only.  This screen can often help give you an idea of how your car is doing throughout various segments of a race.  Use the Lap Info key during practice sessions to learn what range of performance to expect from your race car:  an average lap, compared with its very best effort.

F2 - Standings:  While in the cockpit, press "F2" to view up-to-the-minute race standings.  This screen shows you the position, interval, car number and name of each driver, in the current running order.  Use the Less Than or Greater Than key to "page" through the standings list, five drivers at a time.  Scroll forward with the Greater Than Key (">").  Scroll backward through the standings using the Less Than ("<").  Generally, it is best to view the current standings during yellow flag periods if you're driving.  However, you can pause the game at any time to view the latest running order.

F3 - Fuel:  From behind the wheel, press "F3" to display fuel information.  This screen shows you (to the tenth of a gallon) how much gasoline remains I your car's tank.  Current fuel Mileage and the Projected Laps left in the tank are displayed as well.  Use the Less Than or Greater Than key to tell your crew how much fuel you want them to put in the tank during your next pit stop.  If you don't bother to make a selection here, you'll always get a full tank, 22 gallons.  It is common to ask for less fuel during your final pit stop.  This speeds the pit stop up and keeps the car a few pounds lighter.

F4 - Tire Temperature:  Once inside the cockpit, you can get current temperature readings from every tire on your stock car.  Inner, Middle and Outer tire-edge temperatures are displayed in a "top-down" fashion.  Try to pretend you're looking straight down onto the roof of your stock car.  In the upper left corner would be the Left Front Wheel.  In the lower right corner would be the Right Rear Wheel, and so on.  The outer temperatures are located on the outer edges of the screen.  When you select "F4" to view tire temperatures, remember to visualize the "top-down" view of your stock car for easy reading.  This screen is useful to determine whether or not your crew need to make tire adjustments to the car, based on the actual operating temperatures of its tires.

F5 - Tire Change:  While you're out on the track, it is helpful to radio your pit requests back to your pit crew.  That way, they'll be ready when you come in.  Remember, if you don't tell them any different, the crew will always change all four tires and fill the gas tank when you stop in your pit stall.  But with the Tire Changes radio call, you can make specific selections regarding that next pit stop.

First, select a tire by pressing the "Space" bar.  Use the Less Than or  Greater Than key to raise or lower the amount of pressure you'll want put in that tire at the next pit stop.  A "Check mark" appears below each tire that will be changed at the next pit stop.  Press "Enter" to remove the "Check mark" from that tire.  This tells the crew not to change it.  Press "Enter" again if you want the check mark to reappear, signaling the crew that the tire needs to be replaced.  Move on to another tire by pressing the "Space" bar.

F6 - Wedge:  You may want to tell your crew via the radio that you'll need a Wedge (cross weight) adjustment when you next pit.  Use the "F6" key to forewarn you Head Wrench (Crew Chief) of this decision.  If the car begins to feel "loose," adding some weight to the Left Rear (with the Greater Than key) wheel may correct the problem.  Adjusting the weight at the left rear wheel also changes the weight at the right front.  Likewise, adjustments made to the left rear have an affect on the right front wheel weight.

Use the Less Than or Greater Than key to select the new value for the cross weight.  At your next pit stop, the crew will automatically turn the screwjacks to achieve the desired wedge.  You can see the percentage of cross weight change as you press the adjustment keys.

F7 - Spoiler:  Use the "F7" key to radio your crew of the need for a rear spoiler adjustment.  Like the cross weight adjustment, changing the rear spoiler angle can correct a "loose" handling car.  Unlike wedge, however, adjustments to the rear spoiler also affect drag on the car.  Raising the spoiler may be a good idea if the car is too fast for some of the turns.

Use the Less Than or Greater Than key to change the rear spoiler angle.  This change will then be made by your crew during the next pit stop.  Note that the front air dam is not adjustable during the race; there are too many screws that hold it into place.  If you have a safe lead, you may want to raise the rear spoiler slightly to improve the car's handling.  This will slow the car somewhat, but the added responsiveness may be safer.  If you find yourself trailing badly, a quick spoiler adjustment (lower) may help you reel the pack in.

F8 - Pit Status:  By pressing "F8" you can use the radio to ask your crew exactly what they're going to do during the next pit stop.  This is especially useful after making numerous requests, since it's easy to forget what choices you've radioed in to the pit team.  Remember:  If you don't submit any pit requests with the two-way radio, your pit crew will always give you a full tank and four new "stickers" (new tires) when you come in.

The Main Menu

Your basic choices within NASCAR Racing are all presented on the Main Menu.  This screen appears after the program introductions, and is readily available at other times via the "ESC" key.  Each press of the "ESC" key will back you out of the simulation, one screen at a time, until you reach the Main Menu.  You may wish to save certain items (i.e. race in progress, car setups, etc.) before exiting back to the Main Menu.

You can comfortably hit the "ESCape" key at anytime while driving, without fear of messing up your race.  You can resume whatever driving session you are in right where you left off, by choosing "Resume."  A warning message will appear before you can leave a track, just to make sure that's what you really want to do.  The "ESCape" key is handy way to pause the action and take a breather.

The Main Menu selections are summarized below:

Single Race:  Allows you to compete in a race on the track of your choice.  After choosing a track, you can "trade a little paint" with other cars in practice, qualifying and race sessions.

Championship Season:  Gives you an opportunity to vie for the Season Title of Papyrus' NASCAR Racing.  Each race will be contested in order, based on the actual 1994 NASCAR schedule.  This schedule will take into account only the tracks you have installed on your computer.

Preseason Testing:  A must for every team "looking for an edge," you are provided with unlimited private test time on the track of your choice.  Hone your driving skills and car setups here, without the worry of banging bumpers with other drivers.

Multiplayer Race:  This option allows you to race against your buddies using the modem or direct connect versions of NASCAR Racing.

Driver Info:  Ready to "hang your name over the door" of a NASCAR stock car?  This selection gives you the opportunity to enter your name, pick your car make and view you opponents.

Options:  Customize a number of game variables to suit your needs.  Adjust graphics detail, realism options, joystick/wheel calibration and more.

Exit:  Quits the game and lets you return to those boring spreadsheets, word processors, etc.

Note To Mouse Users:  NASCAR Racing does not include mouse support.  You cannot select items from menus, drive the car or perform other tasks with the mouse.  However, the Paint Kit included with NASCAR Racing must have a mouse or pointing device.  Refer to the appropriate section in the manual to learn more about the Paint Kit.

Making Selections

Use your joystick or keyboard to select items from the various menus within the game.  To scroll up and down any menu, push the joystick forward or pull back; or, use the up/down arrow keys on the keyboard.  To activate a selection, press button "A" on your joystick, or press "ENTER" on your keyboard.  Wheel/yoke users must use the keyboard for menu selections.

Hint for joystick users:  Pressing button "A" will scroll forward through certain menus, such as when you're changing cameras in replay mode, or viewing opponent cars.  Use joystick button "B" to scroll backward through these items.

The Single Race Menu

Choosing "Single Race" from the Main Menu offers you an entire race weekend's worth of action.  From here you can choose to turn a few wrenches on your car in the garage, log some practice time against other drivers, or take in some replay footage.  You can return to the Single Race Menu at any time while driving, simply by pressing "ESC."  This will hold the action in place, without quitting a race.  Your options contained on this menu are explained below:

Replay:  Gives you an opportunity to view highlights from the track.  You can also save, load or edit replays via this selection (See Replay section for more details).

Garage:  Brings up the Garage Menu, where you can tinker with your race car at will.  Make major decisions, save or load existing car setups for the track you're on, or just do a little tweaking to get the kinks out.

Practice:  Preseason Testing gives you a closed track to work with, but at some point you'll need to get used to the traffic out there.  Practice sessions from the Single Race Menu give you just that, as well as a final opportunity to "shake you car down" before qualifying.

Qualify:  When you're ready to actually enter a race, choose Qualify.  You'll need your leanest, meanest setup on the car in order to get a fast time.  You'll learn very early in your NASCAR Racing career just how important it is to start up front with the big boys.

Warm-up:  After qualifying, load your racing setup on the car and take it for a brief spin to make sure you're comfortable with the car, track and weather conditions.

Race:  You've done all the wrench-work, qualifying and talking.  Now it's time to flex your muscle where it counts:  on the track.  Race distance and other variables are determined by settings made while at the Realism Menu.

Nest Session:  This selection lets you advance to the next session of the race weekend.  For example, when you're ready to leave practice and head to qualifying, choose Next Session.  When you are through qualifying, choose Next Session again to drive in the pre-race warm-up.  Choose Next Session once more to advance to the race.  You can skip any session prior to a race by simply using the Next Session button to step ahead.  If you bypass the qualifying session, however, you'll automatically be given a provisional starting position at the very back of the race's grid.

Standings:  Check the board to see where your efforts stack up.  This screen gives you "up to the minute" information on you and your opposition.  You can also print a hard copy of the standings, or save them to disk.

Saving A Race:  Anytime you leave a track before the conclusion of a race, NASCAR Racing will ask you if you'd like to save the race in progress.  After saving the race, you can resume racing again anytime.  The next time you select that track, the program will ask if you'd like to restore the saved race.  If you choose YES, the last saved race will be restored in progress.

Done:  When you are finished racing and wish to leave the current track, choose Done.  You will be given an opportunity to save your race or other session in progress for later resumption.

Championship Season

Perhaps the most coveted jewel in Papyrus' NASCAR Racing is the Season Championship.  This title is a testament to the overall consistency of a NASCAR team, race in and race out.

Upon selection Championship Season, you'll compete on all of the NASCAR tracks installed on your system, based on their order of appearance in the NASCAR schedule.  At the conclusion of each race, top drivers earn point according to finishing order.  NASCAR points are awarded as follows:

 1st - 175		21st - 100
 2nd - 170		22nd - 97
 3rd - 165		23rd - 94
 4th - 160		24th - 91
 5th - 155		25th - 88
 6th - 150		26th - 85
 7th - 146		27th - 82
 8th - 142		28th - 79
 9th - 138		29th - 76
10th - 134		30th - 73
11th - 130		31st - 70
12th - 127		32nd - 67
13th - 124		33rd - 64
14th - 121		34th - 61
15th - 118		35th - 58
16th - 115		36th - 55
17th - 112		37th - 52
18th - 109		38th - 49
19th - 106		39th - 46
20th - 103		40th - 43

In addition, five bonus points are awarded to each driver who leads the race for at least one lap.  Another five-point bonus is issued to the one driver who leads the most laps during the race.

It's easy to see why drivers try with great tenacity to finish each race, no matter how many laps down they are or how badly damaged their car is.  though all hope of winning the race itself may be lost, it is still advantageous to finish a little higher in the standings, earning more points.

Hint:  You'll visit most of the tracks twice in the same Championship Season.  NASCAR drivers jot down some notes about each race weekend during the season, to have on hand for future reference.

After choosing Championship Season, you'll run races in order of their appearance on the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup schedule.  This race schedule is made up of only those tracks installed on your computer.  

All Realism factors apply to each Championship Season, so you should set these before the first race.  For example, if you want each race to be shorter, select Realism from the Options Menu and set Race Length.  If, say, you choose 30% here, all races in the Championship Season will be that length.

Player Info, which includes Tire Brands, may be updated at anytime during the Championship Season.  This means that you can begin a season on Goodyear tires, and abruptly switch to Hoosiers at will.  (But you did sign the tire contract, didn't you?)

When you exit a race before its conclusion, the program will give you an opportunity to save the race in progress.  During a Championship Season, the program will also give you a chance to save the season in progress whenever you exit the current track.

Preseason Testing

Build and perfect winning car setup during Preseason Testing.  This session allows you to drive any number of laps at the track of your choice, without the hassle of traffic.

Choose Preseason Testing from the Main Menu.  Your team can then set up shop at any of the NASCAR Racing tracks.  Replay and Garage functions work the same here as they do when racing.  Study your driving habits b viewing Replay footage, then retreat to the Garage for adjustments.  When you're ready to hit the track, choose Testing.

NASCAR teams do their homework.  Test miles like these are run before, during and after each season to learn what the combination of car and driver is capable of.

Multiplayer Racing

NASCAR Racing allows two players to compete against one another by choosing Multiplayer Race from the Main Menu.  Each player will need a computer, with an official copy of NASCAR Racing installed on each machine.  They must be connect using a null-modem cable, or between two modems running at least 9600 baud.

First, choose Setup from the Multiplayer Race Menu.  This will allow you to specify or change various communication settings to suit your equipment.  Set Com Port, IRQ and Baud Rate information that corresponds with your system.  The Com Port is the serial port that your computer uses to communicate with either the modem or other player's computer.  The IRQ is the interrupt the computer uses to communicate with.  It should not be used by anything other than your modem.  The Baud Rate is the speed which your modem will operate at.  Your modem must be capable of at least 9600 Baud.  When modem opponents specify two different Baud Rates, NASCAR Racing will use the slower Baud Rate automatically.

Choose the Modem button to toggle between the two connection methods.  Direct Connect will appear instead of the word Modem if you are using a null-modem cable.

The Specify Modem button opens a list of popular modems.  When you choose a modem from the list, its basic setup information is loaded for you automatically.  If you don't see your modem on the provided list, you can manually input its setup information by choosing Custom Setup.  You can also choose a modem from the Specify Modem list, then alter the pre-defined settings with Custom Setup.  When you choose Custom Setup, you have the opportunity to enter your own Initialization String, dial Prefix and Dial Suffix.  If you Specify Modem from the provided list, this information is taken care for you by the program.

The most common connection problems encountered in NASCAR Racing are caused by an incorrect Initialization String.  The following features must be disabled in order to race over modems:  Data Compression, Error Detection and Error Correction.  You must be sure these items are turned off, otherwise you may not be able to connect or you may experience erratic car movement.  Use the Initialization String to disable these features.  Consult your modem operator's manual to find the required modem commands.  If you cannot find a listing of these commands and your modem is not on the Specify Modem list, please call the modem manufacturer for further assistance.

Getting Connected

From the Multiplayer Race Menu, one player should choose Dial while the other player should select Answer.  The dialer's machine will dial, allowing two minutes for the answer's machine to connect with it.  When the two modems connect, a phone icon will appear in the upper right corner of the screen.  If the phone icon is blinking, the connection is not perfect.  If the icon disappears for more than five seconds, the connection will be broken.  The transmission delay indicates the one-way transmission time from computer to computer. A good connection will have a delay of 0.07 or 0.13 seconds.  The longer this delay, the poorer game-play will be (car movements will be more erratic).  The delay is caused by the phone system or by an incomplete (and incorrect) initialization string.  The problem might be solved by re-dialing.

Hint:  You can race against the other player without any computer drivers by setting your Number of Opponents under the Options menu and then under Opponents to 1.

Talk Mode

When connected to another computer, you may attempt to converse with the other player by pressing the "T" key.  You should be at the Race Weekend Menu (which has Replay/Garage/Next Session/Etc. on it), driving, or watching the replay.  If the other player is ready to talk, both player's names will appear in the middle of the screen, with areas above and below provided for typing.  When you are finished talking, either player can press "ESC" to end the chat.  f your opponent chooses t talk, you will see one line of that player's dialogue on-screen, to alert you of a chat.

Using The Phonebook

If you are the Dialer, choose Phonebook from the Multiplayer Race Menu to enter the number you'll be calling.  Choose Load to call a previously saved number.  Use the Save command to store the current name and phone number to your hard drive.  Delete allows you to purge the hard drive, eliminating phone numbers that are no longer wanted.  

Use the Description command to name or describe your current opponent.  This description will appear each time this player's phone number is loaded form the hard drive.

You don't have to use the description command, but it is highly recommended.  You do have to input a new phone number, or load a previously saved phone number from the hard drive before dialing.  The name and phone number selected will appear in the dialogue box in the lower right.

Troubleshooting Multiplayer Races

1.  If you select Dial and the computer responds with "Make sure your modem is on," check to make sure the Com Port setting is the correct one and the your modem is turned on (internal modems will always be on).

2.  If you select Dial and the computer responds with "Unable to initialize modem," your Initialization String is incorrect for your modem.  Consult your modem manual or modem manufacturer for the appropriate initialization string.  Make sure you have "^M" at the end of the initialization string.  Also, be sure you have included three tildes ("~~~") between each command ending with "^M".

3.  If when the modems connect, the transmission delay is large, this probably means that the initialization strings on one or both of the modems are incorrect.

4.  If you are still unable to connect, a sanity check of the modem communications is possible using a regular communications package such as Telix, Procomm or the Window's Terminal program.  Connecting via one of these packages does not guarantee that communications will work in NASCAR Racing, but if you are unable to connect in this fashion, you will be unable to connect in NASCAR Racing.

5.  If both players have a DOS communications package, it should be possible to connect using that package first, then run NASCAR Racing and connect using the Direct Connect option.  You must still disable advanced modem features such as data compression and error correction.  This is recommended only for advanced users who are having trouble connecting within NASCAR Racing itself.

Driver Info

From the Main Menu, choose Driver Info.  Here you can enter your Name, Nickname, Team Name and Hometown.  These settings all have to do with the way your name and team will be listed on Standings, Records and Race Result screens.

Select Chassis to decide which make your car will be.  The choices are Ford, Chevy or Pontiac.  The Ford body tends to have more down-force at the front, making it a good short track car.  The Chevy body has more down-force at the rear, giving you a slight advantage on the superspeedways.  The Pontiac is equally balanced between front and rear.  You should know that however different the bodies are, the actual gains are minimal, based more on the driver's preference.

Select Opponents to view or change car data regarding the computer opponents.  If you have created other car files using the Pint Kit, choose Car Sets to select the set of opponent cars you wish to race against.

Choose Tires to pick a maker:  Goodyear or Hoosier.

The Options Menu

by now you've probably got a few laps under you belt from the seat of your stock car.  You may wish to customize the simulation to suit your desires, and this can easily be done by choosing "Options" on the Main Menu.  The Options Menu gives you extensive control over many of the game's features and selections, as detailed below:

Controls:  One of the most important pieces of business to take care of in NASCAR Racing.  Choosing Controls will unveil a menu that lets you calibrate joystick/wheel devices and decide how NASCAR Racing uses them.  To do this, begin by selecting Options from the Main Menu.  Choose Controls, then select Set Controls and assign each item individually.  For instance, if you wish to accelerate by pushing your joystick forward, choose Accelerate and push your joystick forward.  It's that simple!  Got a steering device with pedals?  Choose Accelerate and step on the pedal of your choice.

Note that wheel/yoke users will need to choose Linear Steering, while joystick owners should select Non-Linear steering.

Wheel Users

If menu items scroll rapidly under their own power, press "J" at the Main Menu to disable the joystick axis during menu selections.  Wheel users must make all menu selections with the keyboard.

Realism

Decide how far inside the sport of NASCAR Racing you really want to venture.  Customize race lengths, decide whether or not your car will be indestructible, allow/disallow yellow flags or pace laps to occur, and accept random weather conditions or design your own.

Race Length:  Pick whether you want to go the full distance or just take in a short heat event.  Select Race Length and choose Longer to increase, or Shorter to reduce the length of your race.  10% of a 500 mile race would be 50 miles.  During a Championship Season only, all races will be contested with the same race length setting.  In other words, you cannot drive a 10% race at Darlington, and then run in a 50% race at Phoenix during a Championship Season.

Car Damage:  This selection does not affect the computer cars, it only concerns you stock car.  Choose "ON" if you want the most realistic setting.  This means your car will be subject to damage no matter what you hit.  Choose "OFF" to make your car indestructible.

Note:  Your stock car is always subject to damage caused by abuse, such as over-revving the engine or neglecting tires until they blow.  The Car Damage selection only deals with the acts of hitting or being hit.

Yellow Flags:  Toggle the caution flags on or off.  Turning them on allows realistic yellow laps at a reduced speed, while switching them off will have you driving flat out despite the wreckage.

Pace Lap:  Turn the Pace Lap "ON" if you want to take one pre-race warm-up lap just before the green flag waves.  Select "OFF" to begin with a "standing start," with the field lined up in order along the front straight.  Pace lapse are beneficial because they give you time to adjust to your surroundings while warming up your race car.  If you don't use the pace lap, be prepared as soon as you enter the race track, your opponents will start moving!

Weather:  Choose Random Weather if you want realistic, variant conditions.  Choose Constant Weather if you want to pick the race weather yourself.  Set the Temperature, Wind Direction and Speed.  Cooler weather usually yields faster laps because the cars generate more down-force.  Hotter air is less dense, robbing cars of the down-force.  Hotter conditions also can cause tires to wear quicker.  Once at the track, weather will not change from session to session.  Night races will automatically appear in Championship Seasons only, on appropriate tracks.

Opponents

Choose Number to change the maximum number of cars you wish to race against (using fewer cars increases animation speed on slower machines).

Choose Strength to adjust the skill level of you opposition (100%=realistic).  This setting affects the speed other cars are capable of.  If you're having trouble keeping up with the pack, lower this value to slow the other cars down a bit.  If you're a real hotshot, you may want to make things more challenging by increasing the Strength (speed) other cars are capable of.  Note:  This setting changes the speed of all other cars on the track combined.  You cannot individually raise or lower the speeds of other driver's cars.

Drawing and Heard both concern memory issues.  By pressing the Drawing button, you an decide how many cars in front of you can be drawn by the computer at one time, or in other words, how many cars you can see ahead of you at a given moment.  Animation speeds can sometimes be slower when the computer has to draw several cars at once.  If you select Fewer Ahead, you can reduce the number of cars that appear at a given time in front of you.  This may help improve the animation speed, making it more fluid.

In general, it is a good idea to reduce the maximum number of cars drawn behind you at a given moment (seen in your rear view mirror) before reducing the maximum number of cars drawn in front.  If your animation is "choppy," try reducing the number of cars behind to two or three before making changes to the number of cars ahead.

When you select Heard, the program gives you an opportunity to choose the maximum number of opponent motors that can be heard at a single time.  As with the Drawing choices, more car sounds mean more memory consumed, which can slow game-play.  If your animation appears to be "choppy," try reducing the number of cars that can be played through your sound card at once.  the program will allow you to hear cars that are closest to you.  For example, if you select "4" with the Heard button, you'll hear the four cars that are closest to your car.

Driving Aids

By selecting Driving Aids from the Options Menu, you can handle shifting, braking and steering duties yourself, or let the computer handle any number of these tasks for you while you polish other skills.

Automatic Shifting works like an automatic transmission.  (Incidentally, Tim Flock is the only driver to have won a NASCAR Racing with an automatic transmission.)

Automatic Braking will cause the computer to make a reasonable attempt to slow the car as it approaches the corners.

Graphics Detail

By choosing Graphics from the Options Menu, you can adjust graphics detail to best capitalize on your computer's abilities.  Each graphic item may be individually set.  I the program animation seems jumpy, you may need to turn some of the items off so they will not be displayed.  This will improve the frame rate of the simulation, and give you a better sense of speed and split-second timing.  Turn off the graphic items that are of least importance to you, until a desirable frame rate is obtained.  You may want to turn off Grass and Asphalt textures first, since they consume the most memory.

With the exception of frame rates, your choices for each graphic item are on, off and auto.  Choose On if you always want to see a certain type of texture, such as the car logos.  Choose Auto if you want the computer to adjust these items as you drive, based on how much detail your computer can handle. In Auto modes, textures may disappear and re-appear from time to time (depending upon minimum and maximum frame rate settings), as the computer works to product an enjoyable frame rate (animation speed).

By setting the Minimum Frame Rate, you're telling the computer when to begin dropping graphic detail in order to maintain smoother animation.  Certain textures may disappear occasionally, in order to achieve cleaner animation.  These textures will reappear based on the Maximum Frame Rate Number.

The Maximum Frame Rate setting tells the computer at what animate speed to begin adding textures that were previously dropped.

Frame Rate settings only apply to graphic items that are stet to Auto.  Textures that are forced On or Off are not controlled by the simulation.  If no texture is running in Auto mode, the Frame Rate settings are disabled.

Graphic Hot Keys

Got a specific texture that you really want to see?  Most of the graphic items can be adjusted from within the cockpit of your car by using the keyboard number keys.  These keys are considered in use by the game and therefore cannot be assigned to any driving control at the Set Controls Menu.

The number of keys and their usage is described below. Each item's default setting is Auto.

1 - Grass Texture:  Press the number one key once to remove track-side grass textures.  Grass will appear solid green instead.  Press again to restore textured grass.

2 - Asphalt Texture:  Press the number two key once to remove asphalt texture, using solid gray pavement instead.  (Skid marks are unaffected by this section.)  Press again to restore race tack texture.

3 - Object Textures:  A three way toggle.  Press the number three key once to turn off billboard, building and some grandstand textures.  Press again to remove the objects all together.  Press a third time to restore all objects and their textures.

4 - Grandstand Textures:  Press the number four key once to remove crowd textures from grandstands.  The seats will appear empty.  Press again to restore crowd to grandstands.

5 - Wall Texture:  Press the number five key once to remove texture and signage from the race track barriers walls.  Solid colors will appear along the walls instead.  Press again to restore wall textures and signs.

6 - Horizon Texture:  Press the number six key once to remove trees and other horizon detail from picture.  Press once more to restore the horizon.

7 - Car Texture:  Press the number seven key once to remove logos and decals from all race cars.  Press again to restore textured sponsor graphics to the race cars.

8 - Smoke/Dirt:  Press the number eight key once to turn smoke and dirt puffs off.  Press again to restore smoke and dirt effects to cars that are skidding or traveling on grass.

9 - Skids/Paint:  Removes some of the safety striping from track surface, as well as the skid marks that define the groove.

Sound

NASCAR Racing lets you customize the symphony of stock car sounds that you'll hear within the simulation.  You can turn various sound levels up or down to suit your tastes.  You must have a supported sound card to hear audio.

Choose Sound from the Options Menu to make adjustments.  Highlight the item you wish to change, then use your joystick button or keyboard "ENTER" key to raise or lower the volume.  Make sounds louder by raising the volume (100% is full volume).  Make sounds lower by decreasing the volume of that item (0% turns a sound completely off).

Note:  Sound volumes can be blended with each other using the above menu.  However, you may also be able to change the master volume, depending upon your hardware (some sound cards have their own volume control).  Consult your manufacturer for additional instructions.

Arcade Driving

Any time you are in the cockpit of your stock car, you can choose to drive in Arcade Mode by pressing the "F10" key.  This view provides you with an outside-rear perspective of your car, instead of from behind the wheel.  Press "F10" once for the Arcade Telephoto view; press "F10" a second time to se the Arcade Wide View.  A third press of the "F10" key will return you to the cockpit

F10 - Most game controls function the same whether you are driving from inside the car, or out.  At the bottom of each arcade view, you'll see some info relating to your car.  The lower-left corner gives you the current tachometer reading, the bottom-center has your sped, and the lower-right displays the gear you are currently in.

The Instant Replay

Replays consist of video "frames," up to thirty per second on the fastest computers.  NASCAR Racing contains a powerful replay system that brings you all the action in a VCR-like interface.  Each race car is equipped with onboard cameras, and is also constantly monitored by other television cameras outside the car.  Instant replays can be viewed from any car upon demand.  This means that when forty cars are on the track, you've got over three-hundred replay angles to choose from!  Simply click to the car and camera you wish to review.

"ESC" - You must be at a track to view instant replays.  To access the replay functions while driving, press "ESC," then select "Replay" from the top of the menu shown.  The action on the track will be suspended the moment "ESC" is pressed.  Replays can only be viewed at the track they were recorded on.  For instance, to view a saved replay of a race at Bristol, you must exit any other track you may be at and choose Bristol.

The Replay Screen

After selecting Replay from the Race or Preseason Testing Menu, you'll see the most recent bit of footage, using camera angle that was last chosen (TV1 is the default view).  In the upper right corner, the selected camera angle is shown.  In the lower right corner, you'll see a series of numbers.  This is the footage counter.  Each frame recorded is numbered for easy editing.  In the lower left corner, the selected driver's car number and name are briefly displayed.  The bottom center of the screen contains the VCR Command Bar, explained below.

The VCR Command Bar

The hear of the replay system is the VCR Command Bar that appears at the bottom of the screen on any instant replay.  This bar contains eight buttons that control the viewing, editing and saving of replay footage.  

Simply move the joystick or left/right cursor keys from side-to-side to highlight the button you wish to use, then click on it or press "ENTER."  Some of the buttons also can be punched using keyboard shortcut keys in lieu of a joystick or other device.  Each button is described in detail below:

Memory Management

The length of available replay footage for viewing or editing is dependent upon the amount of RAM your computer has.  Some tracks consume more RAM than others.  Also, adding more opponents to the field consumes more RAM.  Preseason Testing replays will generally be longer, because the computer is calculating the movements of a single car.  The computer is always recording the most recent events that happen on the track.  Footage recorded much earlier in the race will eventually be erased from memory unless you choose to save it to disk.

The Edit Button  (Picture of a pair of scissors)

When saving replay footage, it is often better to conserve disk space by keeping only the segment you want.  For example, you've got a replay that consists of ten laps.  You want to save a spectacular crash that occurred on lap nine.  You can use the Edit Button to remove laps one through eight, as well as lap ten.  The final result:  a nice, tight replay of the lap nine incident, consuming a mere one-tenth of the disk space that the unedited version would hog.

To edit a replay, cue the footage to the "in time" (the frame you wish the finished version to begin at) and press the edit button.  A scissors icon appears on screen to remind you that you are in the edit mode.  Now, cue the footage to the "out time" (the last frame you wan to keep) and press the edit button again.  You will be prompted to save the edited version to disk.

Select Camera - "C"

When this button is highlighted, each press of the "A" button on your joystick (or lower-case "c" on your keyboard) selects the next possible camera angle.  Press button "B" (or upper-case "C" on the keyboard) to move back through the angles.

TV views simulate a racing telecast like viewers at home would see.  Cameras follow your car around the track as the TV director cuts to the best angle.  Some TV views also include stationary cameras, great for showing you just how fast it really is on the track.  Each stock car in the simulation carries several cameras onboard, including one on each bumper, one on the roof, and even inside the car.

Select Car - "V"

Not only does NASCAR Racing offer you a multitude of camera angles, but you can view them from any car on the track.  Each press of joystick button "A" (or lower-case "v" on the keyboard) when the Select Car button is highlighted advances forward to the next car on the track.  Press joystick button "B" (or upper-case "V" on the keyboard) to step backward through the cars.

Was there a fender-bender out there you didn't see?  Use this button to zero in on the offenders.  Want to know what that pass looked like from an opponent's perspective?  Select their car, then choose the in-car camera angle to get a good look.

Rewind To Beginning

This button instantly rewinds the current replay footage to the very beginning with a single press.  Highlight this button and press joystick button "A" (or "ENTER" on the keyboard) to view the replay from the earliest frame in memory.

Search/Rewind  "<"

To use the Search/Rewind key, highlight it and press joystick button "A" (or "ENTER" on the keyboard).  Keyboard users should use the Less Than key as a shortcut.  No matter what button is selected, pressing the Less Than key will automatically activate the Search/Rewind function.  The replay will continue to shuttle backwards as long as you depress the joystick button or Less Than key.  Short, single clicks will step the footage back one frame at a time.

Play/Pause  "Space Bar"

If your replay tape is stopped, highlight this button and press joystick button "A" (or  "ENTER" on the keyboard) for real-time playback.  If your footage is already playing forward, pressing this button pauses the tape.  You can also press the Space bar to start or stop the tape at any point.

Search/Forward  ">"

This button lets you "cut to the chase."  Highlight it and press button "A" on the joystick (or the "ENTER" key on the keyboard).  As you hold your button down, the replay footage will rapidly spin forward until you release it.  Quick bursts of this button will step the tape forward one frame at a time.  Keyboard users will fine the Greater Than key provides a handy shortcut.  No matter what button is highlighted, pressing the Greater Than key immediately activates the Search/Forward function.  Continue to press the Greater Than key to rapidly search forward.

Disk Utilities Icon

Click on the Disk Utilities button to Load, Save or Delete replay footage.  When you choose Load, a list of replays saved at that track will appear.  Highlight the name of the replay you wish to load into memory.  Once loaded, you can use the VCR Command Bar to view the footage.  This will not affect any current races or action in progress.

When you choose Save, you will be asked to give your footage a name (eight characters or less).  If the replay with that same name already exists, the program will ask you if you wish to overwrite the older file.

Choose Delete to remove previously saved replays from your hard drive.  Like the Load command, you will be shown a list of existing replay tapes stored on your hard drive.  Highlight the name of the replay you want to erase.

The Tracks!

Atlanta Motor Speedway - "You'd Better Have Some Headache Powder Handy"

Track Stats:

Length:			1.522 Miles
Banking:		24 Degrees
Qualifying Record:	180.183 mph (30.4 secs.)
Date Set:		Nov. 15, 1992
Race Avg. Record:	156.849 mph

Since 1960, Atlanta Motor Speedway has provided NASCAR fans with one of the best racing venues in the south.  You can see the entire track from almost any position in the grandstands or in field.  The track is noted for its long, arcing turns and short straights.

Atlanta Motor Speedway is actually located about 30 miles south of Atlanta in nearby Hampton, Georgia.  The track hosts two NASCAR Winston Cup events each year, one in the spring, the other in the fall.  Weather conditions differ sharply between the two races, adding to the difficult task of creating a strong car setup.

At a glance, Atlanta Motor Speedway's design appears to resemble a true oval.  But when you consider the fact that the turns are twice as long as the straight-aways, a very different picture comes to mind.

Veteran NASCAR driver Dave Marcis explains, "Even though Atlanta is a mile-and-a-half and looks like it's got a pretty good straight-away, when we do testing there, computers show a minimum of about a half-a-g- of force on the driver.  This indicates that the way you drive that race track, you never really get going straight ahead.  You're always in some sort of an arc, it just almost makes a complete circle the way you gotta drive it."

Atlanta Setup

NASCAR Driver Joe Nemechek
On Preparing A Car for Atlanta:

"Atlanta is a pretty intimidating race track.  You don't want the car loose, you want the thing as neutral as possible; maybe just a little bit of push, if anything.  Atlanta is similar to Michigan- the driver who picks the gas up early usually has the best run off of the corner, and the fastest straight-away speed.  You don't always have to drive the car way down in the corners hard to have fast laps."

Atlanta Setup Priority List - By Gary Nelson - NASCAR Winston Cup Series Director

Horsepower
Handling
Downforce 
Drag

Finding The Line At Atlanta

Dave Marcis has driven in more NASCAR races than any other driver, except for Richard Petty.  His personal list of race victories includes a win at Atlanta in 1976.  Here's how Dave assesses the track:

"Atlanta is a very fast race track for the size of it.  You enter turn one quite high.  As you turn in, you go down low to the apex at the middle of the corner.

You let the car drift out up off of turn two.  You run pretty tight up against the wall down the back straight-away. 

The entrance into turn three is not quite as high an entrance as some of the other race tracks.  You go in there at more of an angle, and you don't really make your turn until you get toward the middle of three and four.

You try and get the car, again, down low.  Let the car drift out coming up off of turn four; run down the front straight-away pretty much up against the wall again."

Bristol International Raceway - "World's Fastest Half-Mile Speedway"

Track Stats:

Length:			.533 Miles
Banking:		36 Degrees
Qualifying Record:	122.474 mph (15.7 secs.)
Date Set:		April 5, 1992
Race Avg. Record:	101.074 mph

Located just of I-81 in Northeast Tennessee, Bristol International Raceway has been offering door-to-door NASCAR Racing since 1961.  The 36 degree slopes are the steepest on the circuit.

Bristol has seen its share of streaks:  Cale Yarborough once won 8 out of 12 races here, while Darrell Waltrip won 7 in a row.  Bristol also owns NASCAR records for most lead changes and most caution flags in a race.

Bristol Setup

After circling Bristol International Raceway in practice, you might plan on starting with as tight a car as you can build.  Later, as you pick up more experience on this daunting oval, you might take a different approach to your car setup.

Start by pulling the left bias to about 1825 lbs., and the rear bias to 1700 lbs.  Get the rear spoiler up all the way, and the air dam at 50% max height.  Now, take a few test laps to get an idea of how the tires are doing.  After checking tire temps, adjust pressures, camber and wedge (cross weight) to get the handling you need.  Use only as much wheel lock as you need to take the car high or low in the corners.  Excessive wheel lock at Bristol will have you testing your car's roof flaps often.

Use shorter, tighter gear ratios to produce powerful acceleration rather than top speed.  Finally, make final adjustments to your rear spoiler and wedge positions to suit your driving style.

Bristol Setup Priority List - By Gary Nelson - NASCAR Winston Cup Series Director

Handling
Horsepower
Braking
Downforce

Coping With The Oval Of Madness

NASCAR Driver Joe Nemechek takes you on a tour of Bristol's banks:

"Coming up to the start/finish line, you're right up against the wall, keeping the car as tight as you can against it.  When you start getting into turn one, you can't jump off the gas, you gotta roll out of the gas.  Touch the brakes, enough to just get the car slowed down a little bit.  You have to make sure that the left-side tires are right down at the bottom of the white line.  Just before the center of the corner, you need to back on the gas about half-throttle.  Just past the center of the corner you should be three-quarters throttle, and then three-quarters of the way through turn two you're back wide open on the gas, coming off.

The car wants to push up a little bit in the middle of the corner; it kinda makes a diamond.  It goes up a little bit and then you try coming back across coming off of two, right down the bottom with the left-side tires, right against the white line.  Coming off the corner there's a bump.  A lot of times they'll spin the back tires just a little bit coming off of turn two at Bristol.

Again, right up against the wall as close as you can be.  Goin' into turn three is probably the trickiest corner because the cars have a tendency to get loose into the corner.  Back off the gas just before you start turning into the corner, again keeping a light brake when you go into the corner.  Down to the bottom, get the left-side tires right close to the white line.  The car goes up the race track a little bit; just before halfway through the corner you pick the gas up.  Just after the center you're about half-throttle, and you're pickin' the throttle up as you're coming off.  Again, coming off of turn four you wanna get those tires right down to the white line, because once you come past that point the race track flattens off, and it throws the car to the outside wall."

Darlington Raceway - "Too Tough To Tame"

Track Stats:

Length:			1.366 Miles
Banking:		23 Degrees in turns 1&2; 25 Degrees in turns 3&4
Qualifying Record:	163.067 mph (30.1 secs.)
Date Set:		March 27, 1992
Race Avg. Record:	139.958 mph

Carved from an old cotton field on the outskirts of town, Darlington Raceway is NASCAR's oldest superspeedway.  Opening in 1950, Darlington Raceway features a narrow racing groove and disproportionately banked corners.  This track has always held a certain mystique among drivers, each one knowing that when they've conquered this oval, they'll have the undivided attention and admiration of their peers.

Racing successfully on this egg-shaped oval requires a well-engineered car, a little experience and lots of luck.  Your skills at driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic will be severely tested, as well as your level of patience as a driver.  Darlington Raceway has tripped, kicked, punched and slapped some of the biggest names in NASCAR Racing- and now it's ready to add your name to the list!

Darlington Setup

NASCAR Driver Joe Nemechek on Setting up for Darlington:

"There you need a car that's neutral, but you can stand the car to be a little bit on the loose side to go fast, because cars seem to get real tight during the race.  The key there is getting through turns three and four, and knowing when to turn coming off of turn four.  If you know when to turn you can hold the gas wide open and make the corner.

It's hard to explain, but you really gotta watch the racetrack.  Because of the banking, you can't see out of the front windshield; you're kinda lookin' right out the top corner of the windshield.  There's no reference points of when to turn, you watch the black marks on the race track from where the rubber's being put down.  And you have to know what your car's doing at that particular time so you know that `when you turn' is going to compensate for whatever the car's doing."

Darlington Setup Priority List - By Gary Nelson - NASCAR Winston Cup Series Director

Handling
Horsepower
Downforce
Braking
Drag

Trying To Tame Darlington

Though Dave Marcis has never won a race at Darlington, he has had several top fives:

"Enter turn one fairly high.  You definitely have to get down low before the apex.  Stay low through turns one and two.  You run about a car-width away from the wall up the back straightaway.

On the entrance into turn three you'll go right on down against the apron.  Let the car drift high, right up against the wall.  You run through the middle of that corner tight up against the wall, and then you make a turn, kinda cuttin' straight across on an angle, and get down against the apron again for the exit of turn four.

Darlington is very unique, a very, very tight race track.  It's difficult to drive, especially off of turn four, and the entrance into turn three.  It's basically the toughest race track that we run on for probably a lot of people.  However, it's also a race track that if you get a good rhythm goin' on and you have the car working good, it's lots of fun to drive.

Really, I like all the tracks we run on, especially the ones with the biggest purses."

Martinsville Speedway - "Two Drag Strips With Short Turns"

Track Stats:

Length:			.526 Miles
Banking:		12 Degrees 
Qualifying Record:	93.887 mph (20.2 secs.)
Date Set:		April 23, 1993
Race Avg. Record:	79.336 mph

Martinsville Setup

Martinsville Speedway is a left-footed track.  Drivers spend almost as much time on the brake pedal as they do the gas here.  Its relatively flat surface, tight turns and short straights mean you'll have to back off the accelerator much earlier than your instincts will tell you.

Setups that feel a little "loose" will generally yield faster speeds here, because the driver can get back on the gas a beat faster.  The gearing at Martinsville shouldn't be concerned with top speed, but rather acceleration.  Aim for shorter, tighter gears that get you to the top of the tachometer quickly.

Drivers report bumpiness that will shake the car in the concrete sections, while the straight-aways are smooth.  This should tell you something about shock importance on this surface.  Try not to use settings that are too stiff; opt for softer, slower rebounding shocks instead.

Martinsville Setup Priority List - By Gary Nelson - NASCAR Winston Cup Series Director

Handling
Braking
Horsepower

How To Visit Martinsville

Here's a lap around Martinsville's tight confines with NASCAR Driver Joe Nemechek:

"Come across the start/finish line, right up against the wall.  Step on the brakes extremely hard, hard as you can push on `em!  Get the car slowed way down, and try gettin' the car down to the curb.  Let the car roll through the first part of the corner, and about halfway through the turn you just start to pick the gas up.  You should be off the brakes before you get to the center of the corner.

Coming off of turn two, the cars just shoot to the outside wall, and they have a bad tendency to get real "loose" on the concrete in the corners.  They want to spin the back tires and get the back end of the car slidin' sideways.  A lot of guys spin out there.

Back up against the wall, rpms go from 5,000 up to 9,000 by the time you let off the gas.  Back on the brakes hard getting into turn three, you're trying to brake with the car going in a straight line and then lettin' off the brake as you start turning into the corner.

By the center of the corner you should be off the brakes, and pickin' the gas up again in a continuous motion, and going all the way to the floor.  When you're comin' off the corner the car has a tendency to roll over on the right side when you get up to the wall, and then it kinda levels back out."


Michigan International Speedway - "We're Here For A Little Northern Exposure"

Track Stats:

Length:			2.00 Miles
Banking:		18 Degrees
Qualifying Record:	180.750 mph (39.8 secs.)
Date Set:		August 13, 1993
Race Avg. Record:	160.912 mph

Michigan International Speedway is a superspeedway owned by the Penske Corporation.  The track is located 70 miles southwest of Detroit in Brooklyn, Michigan.

If you're looking for NASCAR action that features three and four abreast cornering, you'll certainly find it at Michigan, or MIS as it is known to racers.  The wide, D-shaped oval is banked at 18 degrees in the turns, 12 degrees down the front straight, and can get both speeds and blood pressures up into the red zone in a hurry.

Building A Car In Michigan

NASCAR Driver Joe Nemechek - On Setup Up For Michigan:

"You don't want your racecar being loose.   You want the thing to be as neutral as possible.  Actually, you're better off having just a little bit of tightness in the car; it helps you get around the corners faster.  If the car's loose, you can't step on the gas pedal when you need to.

You'll want to step on the gas as soon as possible; it seems like the earlier you pick the gas up, the faster you're gonna go.  Here, it's not always driving in real deep that's going to make you go fast."

Set fourth gear up so that the oil pressure light barely starts to flicker at the end of either straight.  Remember, as you make adjustments to your rear spoiler, you may need to readjust fourth gear as well.  Make sure the setup you develop will allow you to drive high or low on the track- the wide surface presents several options out there.

Michigan Setup Priority List - By Gary Nelson - NASCAR Winston Cup Series Director

Handling
Horsepower
Downforce
Drag

Lapping Michigan

Veteran Driver Dave Marcis has been in NASCAR as long as Michigan International Speedway has been around:

"On the ideal line at Michigan, enter turn one pretty high.  You'll work your way down to the apex of the corner, and get pretty low in the middle.  Then, drift the car off of turn two out to the wall.

You should run the back straightaway a little bit off of the wall, maybe a car-width or so.  Down at the end of the straightaway, carry the car a little bit high again back out to the wall, and make a high entrance into turn three.

Bring the car down again to the apex in the middle of the corner fairly low.  Let the car drift out again to the wall coming off of turn four.  Stay about a car-width off the wall down the front straightaway, down to the flagstand.

Michigan is a very smooth, wide race track, with a wide pit road that has huge pit stalls.  It's a desirable race track; the banking of it, at 18 degrees, I feel puts on a very good show and yet lets the cars be able to run three abreast."

New Hampshire International Speedway - "You Need A Lotta Downforce On That 							    Race Track..." - Driver Dave Marcis

Track Stats:

Length:			1.058 Miles
Banking:		12 Degrees
Qualifying Record:	126.871 mph (30.0 secs.)
Date Set:		July 9, 1993
Race Avg. Record:	105.947 mph

One of the newer tracks in major league auto racing, New Hampshire International Speedway provides New Englanders with a fresh glimpse into the world of NASCAR Racing.  Although the track is wide compared to other short ovals, fans in the grandstand along the main straight are treated to an excellent view of the backstretch, thanks to some tight corners.

Located just an hour outside of Boston, Massachusetts, NHIS showcases NASCAR Racing directly in the center of some of the largest media markets in the country.

Preparing For Loudon, New Hampshire

NASCAR Driver Joe Nemechek - On Tweaking For New Hampshire:

"You need real good brakes on the race car.  You want a car here that's neutral to just a little bit on the loose side.  You can drive real hard through the corners, so you have to have a car that turns real good in the middle of the corners.  That's one of the key things about New Hampshire.

The driver who picks the gas up early as he drives off the corner, and straightens out without spinning the tires is usually the one that's gonna go fast.

You'll notice that New Hampshire's corners are banked to 12 degrees, but the straights are pretty flat.  This can cause some excess chassis roll as the car gets in and out of each turn.  Pay close attention to your shock settings- you may want to stiffen up the rear end a little bit.

New Hampshire Setup Priority List - By Gary Nelson - NASCAR Winston Cup Series Director

Handling
Horsepower
Downforce
Braking
Drag

Whipping Around New Hampshire

Dave Marcis doesn't have much experience at New Hampshire, but then, neither does anyone else.  Still, Dave's a quick study, and with a couple of races under his belt there, here's what he's learned:

"As you enter turn one, you kinda angle down in there, it's not really that round.  About in the middle of the corner, you want to be right on down at the apron.  Stay low comin' up off of two and then you pretty much have to let the car drift right out against the outside wall.  In fact, it's a difficult race track to keep the car off the wall at the exit of turn two.

At Turn three, make your entrance near the middle of the race track, then bring the car down to the apron.  Run through the center of that corner quite low.

When you start coming up off of turn four, try to free your car up by lettin' it drift right on out to the wall again.  Then you'll run down the front straightaway about a car-width off the wall.

If you see that Olive Garden car comin' up in your rear view mirror, let `im through.  You'll learn more by following me than you will tryin' to dodge me."

Phoenix International Raceway - "Better Make Sure You Got A Good Water Pump 					        Under That Hood!"

Track Stats:

Length:			1.0 Miles
Banking:		11 Degrees in turns 1&2; 9 Degrees in turns 3&4
Qualifying Record:	129.482 mph (27.8 secs.)
Date Set:		October 29, 1993
Race Avg. Record:	105.683 mph

Set in a rich backdrop of mountainous terrain painted in desert hues, Phoenix International Raceway is a very demanding short oval.  Each turn features a different banking and radius, and racing is often door-handle-to-door-handle.

Head wrenches often find themselves scratching their heads on race day, coping with the thin, dry air and temperamental climate.  No matter what setup you leave the garage area with, one thing's for sure:  you won't get all the way around this one flat out!

Adjusting To The Desert

Phoenix International Raceway poses some unique concerns to a race team.  The race car must have strong acceleration, and be a little looser than normal to cope with the tight radius of turn one.

Start by getting all bias to the left of the car.  Decrease the rear bias to slide more weight forward.  Initially, this will create a push, but you'll deal with that in a minute.  Stiffen the rear shocks a little bit more than the front.  Lower the front air dam all the way, and run the rear spoiler at about 50%.

Pick gear ratios that are fairly tight, you don't want to have to downshift unless you have no other choice.  Set fourth gear up so that the oil pressure light starts to flicker at the end of the front straight, as you enter turn one.

Take the car out onto the track, warm up the tires and check for looseness getting out of turn one.  If the car is too tight, you can lower the rear spoiler further, raise the front air dam, or adjust wedge (decrease).

Phoenix Setup Priority List - By Gary Nelson - NASCAR Winston Cup Series Director

Handling
Horsepower
Downforce
Braking
Drag

Flying Around Phoenix

NASCAR Driver Dave Marcis still wears a pair of wing tip shoes in the cockpit, preferring them to the more conventional racing soft shoes.  He says that his feet used to get too hot in the racer's shoe' he discovered that the thick leather sole of the wing tips handled this heat problem nicely.  He's stuck with them ever since.  Here's another "tip" on warm climate driving from the veteran:

"Enter turn one toward the middle of the race track, maybe a little bit below center.  You don't really stay low on this race track between one and two, you let the car drift out, and you come very close to hitting the wall as you exit turn two up the back straightaway.

You just let the car drift right on out to that wall, and then at that little dogleg that's there, you're way down low against the apron when you enter it.  When you come off of there, you let the car drift right on out to the wall again to set up for the third turn.

At the third turn you will run low through it, and about three-quarters of the way through that corner you'll again free your car up and let it drift out against the wall to run down the front straightaway."

Talladega Superspeedway - "The Fastest Way To Visit Alabama"

Track Stats:

Length:			2.66  Miles
Banking:		33 Degrees in turns, 18 Degrees In Tri-oval
Qualifying Record:	212.809 mph (45.0 secs.)
Date Set:		April 30, 1987
Race Avg. Record:	186.288 mph

Since 1969, Talladega Superspeedway has been known as the biggest, fastest track in NASCAR Racing.  Talladega's qualifying record (212.809) set by Bill Elliot represents a world record for stock car competition.  Resting just off of Interstate 20, the superspeedway is within a three-hundred mile radius of twenty million people.

Talladega Setup 

NASCAR Driver Joe Nemechek - On Talladega Tuning:

"You want a race car that's pretty neutral.  Because of the drafting and aerodynamics, you need to have a neutral setup.  People will be all around you here, and you can't afford to have the car get loose.  You need a real strong engine...you gotta hold the thing wide open, all the way around.  In race conditions, you start backing off and somebody else that can hold the gas pedal down all day long is gonna win the race."

Talladega is known for being hard on a race car's tires, so begin your setup under the car and work your way up.  Run some practice laps, check the tire temps and adjust cambers, stagger, or whatever it takes to even them out.  Now drop the rear spoiler all the way, and begin bringing it back up one notch at a time, until you can drive complete laps without lifting up on the accelerator.

Set fourth gear up so that the engine light barely flickers just as you enter turn three.  Recheck tire temperatures for equality, and adjust wedge until the car feels neutral.

Talladega Setup Priority List - By Gary Nelson - NASCAR Winston Cup Series Director

Drag
Horsepower
Handling
Downforce

Lapping A Legend With A Legend

Expect your lap times at Talladega to fall short of the track record, thanks to the good `ol restrictor plates.  For over twenty-five years now, Dave Marcis has been a regular driver on the NASCAR circuit.  He has competed in nearly fifty races at Talladega Superspeedway, notching a win there in 1976.  Here's a lap around the speedway, through Dave's eyes:

"You enter turn one in the middle of the racetrack and get the car down low; you want to try to stay low through turns one and two.  As long as the car is not "binding up" the lower line will give you faster laps.  You're trying to make the racetrack shorter by doing that.

Once you come off of turn two you run down the back straightaway in about the middle of the racetrack again.  At the entrance into turn three, you turn the car down low; you run through three and four low.

You let the car drift out to the wall up off of four.  When you enter the tri-oval, you're pretty close to the wall.  You run away from the wall again and run down low on the racetrack, through the tri-oval, and then let the car drift out underneath the flag stand."

Watkins Glen International - "Stock cars turn tight, too!"

Track Stats:

Length:			2.454  Miles
Type:			9-Turn Road Course
Qualifying Record:	119.118 mph (1 min 14 secs.)
Date Set:		August 6, 1993
Race Avg. Record:	98.977 mph

Historic Watkins Glen International is located in upstate New York, fiteen miles north of Elmira.  It is situated on a hill overlooking beautiful Lake Seneca, in a region painted with lush forest and vineyard acreage.

Watkins Glen held its first race in 1948 and hosted coutnless events, including the U.S. Grand Prix of Formula One.  However, in 1981 the circuit filed for bankruptcy and shut down.  In 1983, the late Jim Riesbeck, a Corning, Inc. executive, convinced the manufacturing giant to purchase the track in a partnership with the International Speedway Corporation.  NASCAR action returned to the site in 1986.

Watkins Glen Setup

NASCAR Driver Joe Nemechek - Talks Setup For The Glen:

"Watkins Glen is very demanding of a driver.  The race car needs to be neutral; it can be a little on the loose side, that'd be better thana push.  You gotta be able to drive into the corners pretty hard, get the car turned, and then get after the gas.  You gotta be able to do all that without spinning the back tires when you're comin' off the corners."

Start your setup procedure with a balanced chassis (no left or rear biasing).   Move the rear spoiler to its steepest angle, and the front air dam to its lowest ride height.  Using one of the two long straights as a guide, set fourth gear up so that the car is just reaching its top speed as you brake for the next turn.

Watkins Glen Setup Priority List - By Gary Nelson - NASCAR Winston Cup Series Director

Handling
Transmission
Brakes
Horsepower
Downforce
Drag

Finding Your Way Around The Glen

Skillful road course driving includes knowing where all of the brake markers and turns are.  Once again, we'll rely on the expertise of NASCAR vet Dave Marcis:

"Watkins Glen is a pretty tough course.  You enter turn one pretty high off the front straightway, and bring the car right down to the apron in the apex of the corner.  Immediately drift left out to the outside of the race track where the bumper strips are; you are in second-gear there.

Just short of the entrance into turn two you will shift into third gear.  You'll run turns two and tree, what we call `esses,' in third gear.  As you come off of turn three and head for the back straight-away you'll shift into fourth gear.  As you run through the inner loop on the back straight-away, downshift into second, make the entrance, again entering to the outside and drifting straight across to the inside.  Turn the car hard left, second gear up outta there."

After the chicane, you let the car drift out again towards the outside wall, and you turn down into the long corner.  With a fairly high entrance, you bring the car again down to the apron of the race track, very low on the apex.  As you're exiting that corner you let the car drift left out to the grass.  You run up the back little short chute there, towards the tunnel.  Kind of cross over to the right, and you'd be to your far right when you cross the tunnel.  Downshift into second gear again to make the left-hander, run second gear across that little short chute, and then at the right had turn onto the front straight-away just before the bridge you would shift back into third gear."

On The Track:  Preparing To Win - "We've done so much, with so little, for so 						long that now, we feel we can do anything 						with nothing!" - Driver Dave Marcis

A lot of Monday Morning quarterbacks would love to climb behind the wheel of a NASCAR stock car, competing at the top level with no experience whatsoever.  But if you've tried to drive your stock car around the corners of Bristol International Raceway or Watkins Glen International, you know there's a lot more to taking home the trophy than meets they eye.

Actually, a lot of brainwork churns inside every NASCAR cockpit during a race.  Patient driving, knowing when to brake, when to draft, and when to stand your ground like a poker player in `Vegas are some of the skills that can only become second nature by logging mile-after-mile in practice.  And, as you'll soon see- your favorite driver only makes it look easy on Sunday.  In reality, they've studied their cars and these tracks in their sleep!

Understeer ("Push")

Circling the track at Loudon, New Hampshire, your stock car just doesn't seem to be able to stay low in the groove of each corner.  Instead, it tends to drift high near the wall, and it feels as if the car just can't turn sharply enough.  This condition is know as understeer or "push."

Actually, an understeering condition is caused by the front wheels losing grip with the pavement before the rear wheels do.  When the driver tries to turn the front wheels, the car simply continues straight ahead, the front tires not biting into the asphalt.  Several factors can create understeer:  you may be attempting to drive too fast around that corner, or you may need to get more downforce to the front of the car.  Shot and weight adjustments may also be necessary (see Garage section) to correct the problem if it's too severe.

Oversteer ("Loose")

Again, rounding the turns at New Hampshire International Speedway, your car rear end suddenly swings around.  You fight hard to straighten out the fishtailing car, and you think to yourself, "Am I going to have to put up with this all day?"  This condition is known as oversteer.  An oversteering car is said to be "loose."

An oversteer occurs when the rear wheels lose grip before the font wheels.  Power supplied to the rear wheels by the drivetrain is wasted as the tires slip, looking for something to bite into.  Factors that can create an oversteer include:  having too little downforce at the rear of the car, excessively worn tires, and driving a car with the steering lock set too high.  Other factors include shock and weight settings (consult the Garage section for remedies).

The Racing Line

Every track has some sort of racing line, or "groove."  This is the path on the track that all of the drivers generally prefer.  The racing line is usually easily spotted by the blackened rubber markings on the asphalt.  On actual tracks, as more cars continue to stay in this "groove" more rubber is put down by the tires, making the racing line more distinct.

Until you're comfortable with a particular track, it is a good idea to follow the racing line as much as possible.  Later, when you've found a good setup and know what your car is capable of, you might want to drive a racing line of your own.

We asked NASCAR Driver Joe Nemechek how he finds the line at a new track:

"First, I'll watch a lot of tapes of the past races on that track, before I go out there.  I'll see what the race cars are doing.  When I get there, I'll go out in a rental car and run around the race track a little bit to find my line.  Once practice starts I'll watch drivers, then go out and follow some of the faster ones and see if I can figure out what they're doing."

As you can see, NASCAR drivers don't play around when it comes to finding a good groove on the track.  A better racing line means better lap times, and less wear and tear on your stock car.  One final note:  the racing line isn't necessarily the same at the end of a race as it was at the beginning.  The line your car runs best on could (and probably will) change throughout a race, depending upon weather conditions, body damage, fuel consumption and tire wear.  You'll have to adjust to these changes as you drive.

Cornering The Speedways

With a good setup, you can usually get around the bigger tracks without lifting off the gas.  Because of the steep banking and shallower angles of these turns, you'll also have the luxury of several available racing lines to take advantage of.  Most approaches seem to favor taking the car into the turn at the center of the track, cutting down low to the apron at the apex, and then exiting up high near the wall.  Turns banked steeper than 28 degrees generally require a minimum speed of 70 mph in order for the car to maintain adhesion.

Short track speedways are a different ballgame, entirely.  Braking is almost always a necessity, even on an empty track.  On the short tracks, the driver that wins is usually the one who can be the last one on the brakes going into a turn, and the first one to step on the gas coming out.  Since most passing will occur in the turns, it would be helpful to follow some of your opponents around the track during practice sessions, learning their styles and tactics.

Try to find a visual marker on each turn of each track, a sign, building or object that you can use to help gauge when to brake.  Road course driving demands a different style.  Set the car up on the outside of each turn, and try to dive across the apex.  Road circuits demand shifting, so it is essential to know what gear you've got to be in at each point on the race track.

Bumping, Drafting, And Getting Their Attention

Drafting is a phenomenon that occurs at speeds of 70 mph or greater.  It is the art of closely following other cars around the track, allowing them to break the wind for you.  The end result is that your car can travel faster, and it consumes less fuel in doing so.

Constant drafting can raise your engine's temperatures by depriving the front grill of your car its needed airflow.  Drafting for extended periods of time may also affect your tire temperatures, causing reduced tire life.

Drafting is a very use tactic to employ when passing other cars.  By using the draft, you can allow the car ahead to "pull" you quickly up behind it.  As you get bumper-to-bumper with your opponent, dart around on either side for the pass.

By using the Dump-Draft technique, you can speed you and your opponent up a little.  As you approach the other driver's rear bumper in the draft, give that car a tap with your front end.  This will speed your opponents' car up; you can stay right behind, continuing to draft at the higher speed.  In other words, the draft speeds you up, the tap speeds your opponent up.  Be advised that this can be hard on a radiator during a 500-miler.

No matter which drafting style becomes your trademark, be patient.  Set the draft up by carefully following your opponent's line.  When you get "hooked up" (start drafting), look for a good place to pass, like a long straight-away.  If you see none, give `im the old tap action instead.

Pitting

Your pit stall is randomly selected by the computer, prior to each race.  you may be at the first stall one race, and then farthest stall the next.  On some short track ovals, pit lanes are located on both front and back straights, with half of the field pitting on either side.  Make sure you learn during practice exactly where your pit crew is situated.

Here's the proper green flag pit sequence, as NASCAR Driver Joe Nemechek relates it:  "When you're gettin' ready to come into the pits, you feel good because you're gonna get new tires, and new tires mean so much in today's racing.  Puttin' a set of "stickers" on during a pit stop means you'll really be able to go hard when you come out onto the track.

When you're comin' off the racetrack, you're right on the edge because you're going as fast as you can to get to pit road, and then boom!  All of a sudden, you have to slow down to pit road speed.

When you get into the pits, they change tires and give you a drink of water; but you have to be very ready.  When you feel that jack comin' down after they've changed the left-side tires, you're poppin' the clutch and takin' off down pit road."

Papyrus' NASCAR Racing enforces 55-mph pit road speeds in the simulation.  Regardless, it is wise to slow down, as cars are darting in and out of pit stalls with regularity.  You often can't tell if that driver ahead of you on pit road is coming (braking) or going (accelerating).

Damage Control

Under the Realism Menu, you can select Car Damage and choose ON.  This creates some realistic accident effects.  When your car suffers body damage as a result of a crash, the aerodynamics of your car are changed.  These changes are more pronounced on superspeedways than on shorter tracks, though the loss of handling will affect you anywhere.  Usually, your car will run a little slower because of the added drag created by the bent bodywork.  In addition, your car may not get enough downforce in areas that it is needed.  For example, if your rear decklid gets torn up, you won't have a rear spoiler that operate properly, if at all.  The result could be that your car suddenly gets extremely loose.

These aerodynamic changes can also cause the car's engine to overheat, due to a lack of ventilation or too much drag.  Overall, body damage can make your car perform unpredictable.  Your crew will attempt to repair the car during the next pit stop following a crash.  This could lengthen the pit stop, but it is often wise to go ahead and make an unscheduled stop to give the crew a chance to pull out the dents.

Coping With Changes

While circling the track during caution periods, your tires tend to cool off.  This causes your car to possess less tire grip for the restart.  In addition, your car isn't able to generate as much downforce at the slower caution lap speeds.  When the wreckage gets cleared up and the green flag flies again, it is a good idea to take it a little easier on the first lap or so, until your tires again reach peak operating temperatures.  Some drivers like to weave from side-to-side during cautions, to keep the tires warm.  We recommend you try this only after becoming proficient behind the wheel.

As your stock car's fuel load is reduced, the car will tend to "push."  However, as your tires wear down, the car will become "looser."  With a well-setup car, these two changes will offset one another, and the car will feel pretty much the same through a four-tire stop.  You are likely to feel a handling difference if the team installs tires only, or refuels the tank only.

The Garage Menu

Having a fast car, that's one thing.  Finding a setup that fits your driving style and allows you to go fast, that's another.  It's doubtful that your NASCAR race car will meet both of these criteria "right off the truck."  However, NASCAR Racing gives you the opportunity to roll your stock car into your team's private garage and create a winning setup to tackle the current track.

The Garage Menu is available during every driving session except Race.  Select "Garage" from the Race or Preseason Testing Menus to begin making car adjustments.  The choices on the Garage Menu are as follows:

Tires:  Allows you to replace worn tires, read tire temps, adjust stagger and tire pressures.

Fuel:  Select "to the gallon" how much fuel you wish to carry, from 1 to 22 U.S. gallons

Spoilers:  Raise or lower the front air dam, and adjust the spoiler angle on the rear deck lid to provide varying degrees of downforce and drag.

Suspension:  Often overlooked, these adjustments are some of the most critical.  Adjust front tire camber, shock stiffness, cross weight, steering lock and more.

Gears:  Fine-tune gear ratios to provide maximum horsepower where you need it most.

Options:  Save your favorite setups, as often as you like, to disk.  Got a favorite setup for this track, already tweaked and saved?  Load `er in from disk and start there.

Done:  When you're ready to hit the track, select Done to leave the Garage.

Did You Know...

The hood, roof and decklid are the only factory pieces on a stock car.  Everything else is built or bought by the race team.  The body of a stock car must meet the shape and standards of the actual model, and NASCAR inspectors use templates to check for accuracy in this area.  the cars have a two-piece rear spoiler, with a small gap between the two strips in order to accommodate the template.

Stock Car Tires

Like most passenger vehicles today, your stock car uses radial tires.  A radial tire has steel belts inside it, wound in a circular pattern around the sidewalls and tire surface.  Older bias-ply designs have noticeably sharp corners instead, because they are wound in a criss-cross fashion.  Radial tires have been proven to be much safer and more stable than their bias-ply counterparts.

NASCAR-spec radial tires ore stiff, strong, and feature a tubeless inner liner for safety.  When you blow a tire, the remains are likely to stay on the rim long enough to get you to the pits.

Before you make adjustments to your factory-provided racing tires, you should become familiar with a little bit of racing terminology that relates to them:

Contact Patch:	A term used to describe how much tread or tire surface is actually touching the 				pavement.  In general, the bigger the contact patch you can produce, the better the grip.

Footprint:	Same as "contact patch."

Stagger:	Using bigger tires on one side of the car than on the other.

Choosing Tire Brands

From the Main Menu, select Driver Info.  Choose Player to customize your name, team and car variables.  Tires allows you to decide which rubber factory you'll team up with.  You may pick either brand, but remember: switch brands at will is a no-no.  In Single Race events, the tire you qualify on is the tire you'll race on.  In a Championship Season, the tire you start the season with is the same brand you'll finish it with.

Tire Compounds

Harder rubber compounds provide less grip but are more durable.  Softer, stickier tires offer better adhesion but don't last as long.  In NASCAR Racing, compound selection is the responsibility of the tire maker, not the race teams.  Rest assured that prior to each race weekend, you'll be provided with the most appropriate compounds for the track and conditions at hand.  If your tires wear out too quickly, you'll need to correct your car setup to reduce tire stress.  If tire problems plague your team all season long, you may want to try the other brand at year's end.

Tire Temperatures

As your stock car's tires undergo stress on the track, they get warmer.  Each racing tire is designed to operate best when maintaining two-hundred twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit.  If you demand more from your tires than they're capable of, they tend to overheat and deteriorate quicker.

So, is heat a bad thing to a tire?  Absolutely not!  Your tires need to reach proper operating temperatures in order to achieve optimum grip.  That's why your car will handle better after a few warm-up laps than it will from a cold start.  Keep an eye on overall tire temperatures as you devise car setups at each track.  If a tire's average temperature is below two-hundred degrees it's probably not working hard enough.  If a tire is running at over two-hundred fifty degrees, you can expect to experience shortened tire life at that wheel.

Your crew will obtain temperatures from three different points on each tire's surface.  They will provide you with readings taken from the inner, middle and outer sections of you tires.  These temperatures will indicate how evenly the tires are being worn.  As a rule of thumb you'll want these figures to match closely all across each tire.  This means your tires are providing maximum grip to the chassis when drive.

If a tire is significantly hotter in the middle, it's probably over-inflated.  If one edge is yielding particularly high readings, suspension adjustments must be made to correct the problem.  These adjustments might include or be limited to camber, ballast, wedge or springs, in that order.  Remember:  Shoot for two-hundred twenty-five degrees all across each tire.  Do that, and you may save yourself a tire stop or two during the race.

Tire Pressures

When Milt Marlon won the first stock car race on Daytona Beach in 1936, he probably gave little thought to the pressure in his tires.  However, technology has marched forward and tire inflation has become a science.

Your racing tires are filled with nitrogen instead of compressed air.  As your tires log miles on the track, they heat up, expand, and rise in pressure.  Air is 78.06% nitrogen, but its humidity changes with the weather.  The changing humidity would make it difficult for your tire man to fill the tires accurately.  Yes, he could put thirty pounds in a tire but who knows what the pressure would read after eight or ten laps?  Nitrogen, on the other hand, is relatively inert (inactive) and remains dry.  The result:  your crewman puts thirty pounds in a tire and knows almost exactly what pressure the tire will contain after those eight or ten laps.

Proper Inflation Techniques

Correct tire pressures are essential to achieve prolonged tire life and maximum gripping power.  A tire that is over-inflated will be hotter in the center, while an under-inflated tire will be hotter on its outer edges.

A tire's "profile" can be changed drastically by inflating to various levels.  An under-inflated tire will sag in the middle, while an over-inflated tire will protrude in the center.  These changes in profile affect the rolling drag of that tire.  An under-inflated tire will tend to be more flexible, proved better grip and increase in temperature- but at a price of reduced speed because of the additional rolling drag.

What is the right pressure to run with your tires?  Start by running a few laps at race speed and noting the temperatures at each wheel.  If a tire is cooler in the center than it is at the edges, by adding a slight amount of pressure, another test run may produce even temperatures all across the tire.  This will generally result in the longest tire life.

If you have trouble getting a tire hot enough to provide some sticking power (about 200-degrees), you can deliberately run the pressure a little on the low side.  This may increase the wear and tear on that tire, but you may pickup an extra bit of needed traction.

Cold & Hot Pressures

When you select a tire from the Tires menu, you will receive two pressure values from that tire.  Cold pressure shows you what the tire is originally filled to, before it's run.  Hot pressure gives you a current pressure reading of the tire.  This information gives you an idea of how much pressure is building in each wheel.

Wheel Stagger

Although many American sedan models feature front-wheel drive technology, a NASCAR stock car employs a conventional rear-wheel drive scheme.  This means the engine directly powers the rear wheels (also called the "drive wheels") via a driveshaft and differential assembly.  the engine turns the drive shaft, which rotates the rear wheels.  The NASCAR differential is called a "Detroit Locker," a limited slip differential which keeps either drive wheel from spinning faster than the other under power.  It locks under power, unlocks under trailing throttle (drafting) or braking.  Wheel Stagger is effective while the differential is locked.

Wheel stagger is a term used to describe the relationship of tire diameters between the right and left side tires.  Race teams will often use larger tires on the right side of the car because it is the outer side of the car on NASCAR ovals.  By using positive wheel stagger (using larger circumferences on the right side) your car may be easier to drive in the turns.  The positive stagger may also cause the car to pull to the left on straight-aways.

Before radial tires came to NASCAR, teams would often adjust wheel stagger by inflating the tires to different levels.  the additional air would expand the tires to different levels.  The left side may have carried thirty pounds in each tire, while the right side carried forty-five.  But additional pressure inside a radial tire causes lateral expansion, not vertical.  So, the manufacturers create racing tires in a variety of diameter sizes for your team.

You will almost always want some positive stagger on oval courses, while using little or no stagger on road circuits.  Additionally, you'll want larger amounts of stagger on the shorter tracks, because on tighter corners, the outside wheel travels further, relative to the outside wheel.  The abbreviated straights also give your race car less time to build top speed coming out of the turns, so you'll want to maintain as much speed in the corners as possible.

Tire Summary

Tire Types:	Goodyear more durable, Hoosier stickier.

Temperatures:	Even temps all across each tire generally provide best grip.

Lower Pressure (Middle Temp Too Low):		Causes the tire surface to "sag," creating more 			rolling drag and making the tire run hotter.  This can be desirable if you're looking for 			more grip.

Optimum Pressure (Even Temps):		After warm-up, if inner, middle and outer temps 			match, maximum tire life can be expected.

Higher Pressure (Middle Temp Too High):	Causes the tire surface to "crown," slightly 				increasing the shock rates and making the tire run cooler.  This may be desirable if you 			want a firm, fast tire with less grip.

Stagger Pros:	Can improve car's grip in corners.

Stagger Cons:	Can pull the car to the left on straights.

Note: 	The summary above only considers the tire menus and their effects.  Many other factors affect a tire's readings and consistency.  They are:  Weight Jacking, Shock Stiffness, Track Temperature, Camber, Downforce, Speed and yes, even Driving Style.  Consult the sections about other Garage Menu items for information on how to adjust them.

Fuel

Your race car burns unleaded gasoline, but you can't buy this stuff at the corner Dixie Mart.  Over-the-counter hi-test is 93-octane, but your stock car's fuel has an octane rating of well over 104!

In a nutshell, octane ratings indicate the fuel's ability to resist premature detonation and burn evenly inside an engine.  The higher the octane number, the more anti-knock additives found in the gasoline.

Fuel Storage

Fuel is stored onboard your race car directly behind the rear axle.  The tank itself has a 22-gallon capacity and includes a "bladder" (rubberized sack that houses the gasoline) to prevent fuel spillage during a crash.  About 1% of this bladder is filled with a highly absorbent foam material; the foam soaks the gasoline up much like a sponge.  This stabilizes the fuel and prevents it from sloshing back and forth inside the tank.

It is important to note that each gallon of gasoline adds 6.8 pounds of weight to the rear of the car, causing some slight changes in its handling as you drive.

Fuel Summary

Full Tank:	Extra weight slows car slightly.

Empty Tank:	Car develops slight "push" (understeer).


Spoiler Adjustments

Your stock car is equipped with a front air dam skirt at the base of its nose, and a two-piece aluminum spoiler mounted on the rear deck lid.  These two components can be adjusted independently to apply varying degrees of downforce to the car.  Downforce is necessary to help your car "stick to the pavement" at high speeds.

As you add downforce to your car, it is important to note that you also create more drag.  Think of it this way:  as you circle a track in your stock car, you are driving against an air mass.  As you increase the body surface that this air strikes, more drag occurs, and the car gets slower.  Consequently, increasing downforce makes your car easier to drive in the turns but slows it somewhat on the straights.

Front air Dam Sizing

You can add more downforce to the front of your stock car by lowering the front air dam.  This will help reduce understeer, making your car easier to drive in the turns.  Top speed, however, will suffer somewhat due to the increase in overall drag.  When the air dam is raised, more air is directed beneath the car, providing more top speed while sacrificing some grip up front.

The front air dam is affixed with screws to the skirting around the nose of the car.  Instead round holes, the screws go through vertical slots punched along the length of the dam.  Technicians loosen these screws and slide the air dam up or down to the desired height, then retighten the fasteners.  You can perform this adjustment yourself by selecting Spoilers from the Garage Menu.  Choose Front Air Dam, and raise or lower the setting to achieve results.

Rear Spoiler Angle

Increasing the spoiler angle of attack creates more downforce on the rear of the car.  This added downforce keeps the car's back end from losing grip in the corners, enabling the driver to apply more throttle.  However, drag created by the higher spoiler angle will extract a price on the car's top speed as well as its fuel economy.

Adjustments to the spoiler are purely manual; a crew member repeatedly bangs the aluminum wing with a mallet, bending it to achieve the desired angle.  NASCAR Racing makes this job a little easier.  Simply select Spoilers for the Garage or Pit Menu.  Choose Rear Spoiler, and adjust the angle of attack up or down to provide the desired effect.

Spoiler Summary

More Air Dam:		Used to correct "pushing" condition.  Lowers front air dam closer to the 				ground, creating more downforce up front.  Increases Drag.

Less Air Dam:		Used to correct "loose" condition and/or pick up additional top speed.  Raises 				front air dam up away from ground, reducing front downforce and drag.

More Rear Spoiler:	Used to alleviate "loose" condition by improving grip at rear wheels.  Generates 			more downforce on rear deck lid by raising spoiler's angle.  Increases drag, 				reduces top speed.

Less Rear Spoiler:	Used to improve top speed and alleviate "pushing" condition.  Reduces 				downforce and drag on rear deck lid by lowering spoiler's angle.

NOTE:	More downforce increases drag and slows the car.  Tires run hotter, car may be easier to drive.  Less downforce reduces drag and increases top speed.  Set the car up such that it can be driven on any line of the race track, with minimal downforce.

Suspension Science

You might think NASCAR teams spend the majority of race prep time on the engine; however, the car's chassis actually hogs most of the attention.  After all, the top speed obtainable by your stock car is directly related to how much grip your tires can find.  What good are seven-hundred ponies under the hood if their hooves can't bite cleanly into the earth as they gallop?

When you make adjustments to the chassis if your stock car, you're trying to improve the car's overall handling characteristics.  Chassis setups may vary greatly from track to track.  Weather reports may also lead you to build a collection of chassis tunings for each track.  The chassis you like at Bristol in April my stink up the place there in August.

Front Wheel Camber

When you're driving into a high-speed corner, several factors affect your car's suspension.  The car's weight shifts toward the outside of the turn while downforce helps press the car to the track.  And if that corner happens to be steeply banked (like Bristol's are) your car may actually weigh three times greater than normal at that moment.  All of these elements affect the camber of your wheels.  Camber is a term used to describe how perpendicular your tires are to the roadway.  Since cambers change under the punishing load of high speed conditions, proper settings are based on what the car does on the track, not how it sits in the garage.

In order to make sound camber adjustments, you'll need to pay close attention to tire temperatures.  Begin by climbing into the car for a few laps at full speed (three to five laps on short tracks & road courses, five to eight laps on super speedways).  This will warm the tires up, giving you accurate temperature readings.

After your warm-up laps, head back to your garage by pressing ESC while in the cockpit.  Select Suspension/Camber from the Garage Menu.  Take a look at the right front wheel first.  The temperatures displayed onscreen will reflect your warm-up effort.  The tire thermometer will actually show you three temperatures, taken from the inner, middle and outer sections of the tire surface.  Under ideal conditions, these temperatures should read identical.  If one side of the tire is considerably hotter than the other, camber adjustment is necessary.  If the out edge of the tire is hotter, bring the top of the tire in a little by decreasing the current camber value.

If the inner edge of the tire is hotter, it is adjusted too far toward the negative camber side.  Apply more positive camber to correct the situation.  Remember, your goal is to strive for even temperature son each side of the tire.  After examining the right front wheel, check and adjust the left front camber in the same manner.

Note:  Tire temperatures do not change while in the garage making camber adjustments.  Following adjustment, you'll need to return to the track for a few laps in order to acquire new temperature readings.   It may take a few trips back to the garage to get the camber settings "dialed in."

Weights & Wedges

The weight of your car shifts constantly in various directions as you drive your stock car.  For instance, when you accelerate, more of the car's weight shifts toward the rear.  When you brake, the weight tends to shift forward, pressing the hood of your stock car down.  when you turn left, weight shifts to the right. when you turn right, the load goes to the left.  The greater you action, the greater the cars reaction.

Confused?  Don't worry, it gets easier.  Let's start with a completely balanced car.  The total weight is 3500 lbs., so that means the weight at each wheel would equal 875 lbs.  The front half of the car would weigh 1750 lbs., and so would the rear.  The left side would weigh in at 1750, and so would the right.  Incidentally, NASCAR uses a special scale that measures weight under each wheel of your car simultaneously, accurate to within one ounce!

Now, we'll make a few adjustments to redistribute the car's weight, where it's needed most.  Choose Weight Jack from the Suspension Menu.  You'll be presented with three options:  Left Bias, Rear Bias and Cross Weight.  We'll cover each one to help get you started.

Left Bias Adjustment

Let's assume that you want to adjust the left-side weight of the car for a track like Darlington.  Because the car will be spending a great deal of time turning left around Darlington's treacherous banks, your car's weight will be thrown to the right a good bit.  By starting with more weight on the left side of the car (NASCAR limits you to 1900 lbs on any one half of the car, of course) you can offset this weight shift and carry more speed through the turn.  By raising the value of the Left Bias on the Weight Jack Menu you are increasing the static weight on the left side of the car.

In general, your stock car is well under the 3500 lb. minimum weight.  NASCAR reams bring the weight up to specs by adding slabs of lead to the cars frame.  By positioning these slabs to the left-side of the car, the weight becomes dominant on the left.  The is also known as a "Ballast" adjustment.  Car weight is one of the most common corners that race teams try to shave.  According to Gary Nelson, NASCAR's chief inspector, "Everybody wants the car as light as they can get it.  Some people have tried to bring their cars on the scales at 3450 lbs.  They'd stick a box of tools behind the driver's seat to get the weight up to 3500 lbs., but we look for that stuff right away.  The penalties for breaking the rules are pretty high, so most teams don't outright cheat, they just work on the gray areas."  NASCAR Racing prevents you from breaking any weight rules.  Heck, if we didn't, Nelson's boys'd be all over you!

Rear Bias Adjustment

At big tracks like Talladega, your car is in a constant state of high speed, so more weight will be shifted to the rear of the car.  This would make your car "loose," or oversteer (rear wheels lose grip first in turns).  However, if you have more weight in the front of the car to begin with, the load that shifts toward the rear will be minimized, thus balancing the car under high speed conditions.  NASCAR driver Dave Marcis explains, "The front percentage of the race car at, say, Talladega would perhaps be around fifty-two-and-a-half to fifty-three percent.  If you were at a race track like Martinsville, the front percentage of the car would only be about fifty-pint-five to fifty-one percent."  The speeds are slower, meaning the sift of weight from front to rear that occurs is much less than it would be at Talladega.

Rear Bias, or Ballast, is adjusted by the race team inside the garage.  Mechanics move frame-mounted lead slabs forward or backward accordingly, to create the desired weight displacement.

Adjusting Cross Weight

You can adjust the front-to-rear and left-to-right weight ratios on your stock car, and that's all well and good.  But what if you want to change the car's weight at a specific wheel, for instance the left rear?  That's were "Cross Weight"  comes into play.

Because of the majority of corners you drive will turn left, it would be ideal to get more of he car's weight onto the left rear wheel.  This would help the rear wheels grip better in a high-speed left turn (the weight shifting to the right would balance the rear axle).  At the same time, weight would increase on the right front wheel, an already heavily-stressed tire.

Cross Weight adjustment, also called "wedge," is made by "tipping" one corner of the car up or down.  For instance, if you lower the left-rear corner of the car, that wheel will weigh more, because more of the car's weight is pointed toward it.  By shortening or lengthening certain springs on your car, you can tip that cross weight in the direction you want.  Your team can do this operation in the garage or pit area- it requires nothing more than turning a big screw.

It works like this:  Each spring on your car has a cover on top, and each spring cover has a threaded rod going through it.  These rods, called "screw jacks," extend upward for easy access.  The rear screw jacks can be reached through the rear window glass.  The front screw jacks are located under the hood, just inside each wheel.  Once complete rotation of a screw jack is called a "round" in NASCAR terminology.  If you hear a team say they "took a couple of rounds out of the left-rear wheel," that means they loosened the left rear screw jack two full rotations.

Each "round" equals approximately five pounds of weight.  Start with the cross weight at zero (no wedge added).  If your car is "loose" (rear-end loses grip too early), increase the cross weight.  This will "tighten" your car and make it tend to "push" (understeer).  After each adjustment, run a few laps then check the right front tire temperature to make sure it isn't going to be overstressed.  Keep in mind that as you add wedge, the left rear and right front corners of the car will increase in weight.  The right rear and left front corners will get lighter.  Check these tires to make sure they aren't running too cold.

The Weighting Game

NASCAR rules state that each side of the car must weigh at least 1600 lbs.  That means 1900 lbs. is the largest amount of bias you can generate.  Left and rear ballast settings should be considered coarse adjustments, while cross weight (wedge) should be considered a fine adjustment.  Get the biases where you want them during test sessions.  Use the cross weight adjustment to fine tune the car to fir current track conditions.

Weight Jacking Summary

Left Bias Benefits:	Increasing this value puts more weight on the left side of the car, helping balance the chassis as you turn left.  Correct setting improves tire grip in turns.

Left Bias Side Effects:	When your car is driven around steep banks, gravity makes it weigh more, particularly the left side.  An overload could rob you of some speed in the corners  Left side tires may overheat and wear quicker, while right-side tires run too cold.

Rear Bias Benefits:	Decreasing this value puts more weight up front, where you want it.  Balances the car under acceleration.

Rear Bias Side Effects:	Too much rear weight makes the car "loose," too little makes it "push."

Cross Weight: 		Increase this setting to "tighten" the car up if it's too "loose."  Decrease this setting to correct understeer.

Shock Stiffness

Gas-filled shock absorbers are installed at each wheel of your stock car.  Aside from minimizing the little bumps and jounces experienced on the race track, shocks play a key role in stabilizing the car's chassis during turns.

When you turn left, centrifugal force causes your car's chassis to shift weight to the right.  Conversely, right turns cause the chassis weight to be shifted left.  When you accelrate, the car's weight shifts toward the rear; braking causes the weight to shif forward.  Evry time the car's weight shifts in one of these directions, you're losing grip somewhere.

By adjusting the stiffness of each shock absorber, you can improve the cornering performance of the race car.  Stiffer shocks cause the chassis to "reset" quicker after a transference of weight.  However, this added responsiveness can lead a driver to overreact.  Softer shock settings mean that chassis roll will last longer as the weight transfer dampens out gradually.  While stiffer suspension may improve the car's response, a softer chassis tends to be more forgiving.  

Individually speaking, if you adjust a chock to a stiffer value as compared to the others, more weight will transfer at that wheel and diminish its tire grip.  Adjusting a shock to a softer setting minimizes load transfer at that wheel, providing better traction.  As a rule of thumb, you'll want the rear shocks to be softer than the front ones in order to keep the car from getting "loose."

The Adjustment Process

The first time a car is set up from scratch, the typical race team will make the front end very stiff, while using very soft settings on the rear.  This results in understeer, or in other words, a "push."  From there the team can tweak the suspension stiffness to offer the most consistent feel for a specific track.  Top speeds, tire temperatures and track banking must all be taken into account to properly manage weight transfers.  If your car pushes too much, stiffen the rear end some.  If the car feels too loose, soften the rear and/or stiffen the front.

Choose Shocks from the Suspension section of the Garage Menu.  Select which shock you are going to adjust.  The number located in the lower right part of the screen represents the current shock stiffness.  The higher you move the percentage, the stiffer the shock becomes.  Adjust each shock absorber individually, then choose, "Done."

Shock Theory

Many NASCAR teams feel that by using softer spring/shock combinations at the rear end, they can cause the tail of the car to ride lower.  This would drop the spoiler down in the wind, reducing drag and increasing the car's speed.  This theory is questioned by some, because the speed gained from the spoiler reduction may be lost in the additional understeer you'd pick up.  Hey, you're the head wrench- if it makes you quicker then go with it.

Shock Summary

Softer Shock:	Reduces weight transfer at that wheel.  Car becomes less responsive as chassis takes longer to reset after a turn.  More "forgiving" to drive, softer rear shocks may lower spoiler angle when driving.

Stiffer Shock:	Increases weight transfer at that wheel.  Handling becomes more responsive, car can feel a little "slippery" as chassis snaps back into place after a turn.

Wheel Lock

By using different gear combinations in the steering box, your crew can alter the turning radius of your stock car.  Choose Wheel Lock from the Suspension section of the Garage menu.  Highlight More if you want a sharper turning pattern; Less allows you to shorten the steering radius.

If there were only one racing line (best path around a track) and you knew you'd never have to stray from it, you could probably run the same steering gear throughout a season.  But short tracks and road courses create heavy traffic and drivers often have to drive a variety of racing lines to stay up front.  These tracks demand sharper turning capabilities, thus more steering angle.  Drivers don't spend as much time turning at the megatracsk like Talladega, so less steering angle is desired to help keep control.

What It Doesn't Do

Don't try to compensate for a bad setup by making last-minute adjustments to the steering gear!  If your car is pushing, try stiffening the rear shocks or lowering the front air dam.  The Wheel Lock adjustment should only be made in the interest of driver experience and track type; it will do little to correct other problems stemming from improper setups.

Wheel Lock Summary

More Wheel Lock:	Increases turning radius of the car.  Too much wheel lock can cause driver to over-react and burn tires up quicker.

Less Wheel Lock:	Decreases turning radius of you stock car.  Driver with less wheel lock than necessary is a dangerous condition, and should be corrected.  Failure to do so will have you painting the track's walls with your stock car.

Gear Ratios

Every serious driver wants more top speed in their cars at super speedways like Talladega, while the two-footed short tracks such as Martinsville demand a package that emphasizes acceleration.  In order to meet these needs, NASCAR teams change the gear combinations used in the rear differential or transmission.

Taller gears are used to generate more top speed.  When you're on a big track you'll want to keep your foot on the floor and stay in fourth-gear all day.  Your stock car's driveshaft will need to turn about three times to produce one revolution of the rear wheels.  Under these conditions, taller ratios will meet your need for speed.

Shorter gears tighten the power curve generated by your engine.  Shorter ratios will cause the driveshaft to turn four or five times to product a single revolution of the drive wheels.  This kind of gear setup is useful on the short tracks, where top speed is not the issue.  Passing other cars on a short track often takes several patient laps, executed through a series of short stabs back and forth on the brake and gas pedals.  Your car'd better have quick bursts of power if you want to succeed at this kind of "bullring racing."

Select Gears from the Garage Menu.  Highlight the gear you would like to adjust.  Choose Shorter if you want a smaller gear that produces more rpms, and quicker acceleration.  Choose Taller if you want to get more top speed, while conceding some acceleration.  If you oil pressure warning light flickers constantly while you're in fourth gear, select Taller to provide fewer engine rpms.

Gear Ratios Summary

Shorter Gear:	More rpms/acceleration.  Tighter gearing gets you up to speed quicker

Taller Gear:	Slower acceleration, possibly more top speed.  If your ending continuously runs too hot, try lengthening the gear ratios.

Options (From the Garage Menu)

Each track that came with your copy of NASCAR Racing has three pre-defined car setups, built specifically for that track, ready for use.  These setups are called Easy, Fast and Ace.  You may load any of these car settings from within the garage; you may then drive them as is, or tweak them a little to fit you driving style.

The Easy setup provides beginners with a slower car that is simple to drive.  This car would qualify near the back of the starting grid.  The Fast setup is an intermediate package that will be competitive on some tracks.  The Ace setup is the fastest pre-tuned car.  Drivers using the Ace file should be ready to tangle with the hotshoes up front.  This setting file could put you on the pole under optimum conditions.

You may also save any number of your favorite car settings to disk; you can then reload them anytime for driving or further tuning.  You may give these files any name you wish, but be advised- if you choose the name Easy, Fast or Ace you will overwrite these files.  We recommend names that say something about that particular setup.  For example, QUAL208 to indicate a qualifying setup that runs 208 mph.

You can use the Delete command to get rid of old or unwanted setups.  Highlight Delete, then choose the setup you wish to erase.

All setting files are stored in the subdirectory of the track they belong to.  For instance, a setting you create at Talladega, called TALL210 will not appear on the Garage/options/Load Menu at Atlanta.  If you are familiar with DOS, you may want to copy or rename setting files for use on other tracks.  You could also swap them with friends.  Setting files are denoted by the .STG extension.  For further information, consult your DOS owner's manual.

Important!  Read Before Painting

You must have a mouse with its driver installed in order to use the Paint Kit.

The NASCAR Racing Paint Kit allows you to create many different sets of cars, saving them under any name you wish.  these Car Sets can then be loaded from within NASCAR Racing.  Car Sets can store different collections of opponent cars, or contain several different paint schemes for your own car.

The original Car Set shipped with NASCAR Racing is called "CARS94.DAT."  This file can be found in the NASCAR\CARS\CARS94 directory.  It is highly recommended that a new Car Set be created rather than painting the cars contained in the CARS94.DAT file.

To make a new car set, type PAINTKIT filename.  For example, let's make a new Car Set called "CARS95."  Be sure you are in DOS, and in the NASCAR directory before proceeding.  Type PAINTKIT CARS95.  The program will now search for a subdirectory called "CARS95."  If it does not find one, it will ask you if you'd like to create one.  Respond "Yes" to continue.  Next, the program asks if you'd like to create the file called "CARS95.DAT."  Once again, choose "Yes."

Note:  The NASCAR\CARS\CARS94\CARS94.DAT path and filename must exist in order for the game to run; therefore they should not be altered.  If this path is corrupted, you must go back and re-install the game.  It is a good idea to create a "dummy" directory (called "sets," for instance), and store a copy of the original CARS94.DAT file there for safe keeping.

Now that you've created a new car set to work with, you're ready to start painting.  From the Main Menu of the Point Kit, use your mouse to point to the Paint Car button in the lower left corner.  Click the left mouse button once to choose Paint Car.

Choosing A Car to Paint

The first car you see will be your own car.  You can choose it, or you can paint any other car in the game.  Use the left mouse button to click on Prev Car or Next Car to cycle through the list of available cars to paint.  When you see the car onscreen that you want to paint, click on Select.

The Decal Shop

Whether you've got a high-buck sponsor, or "Bill's Towing" backing your team, your car can be adorned with a variety of logos and styles.  Use the Decal and Icon Libraries provided, or draw your own logos from scratch with the tool box.  The Decal Shop contains special tools to facilitate placing and/or drawing graphics on your stock car's prepainted bodywork.

Using The Tool Box

Using the left mouse button, point to and click on the tool you wish to use.  The mouse cursor will change to reflect the shape of the tool currently active.