0. TITLE
NASCAR 99 walkthrough v1.0
Hamish Gallagher
Started 23/July/2004 Finished 07/August/2004
1. CONTENTS
2. Legal
3. Introduction
4. Controls
5. General driving tips
6. Car setup explained
7. Championship guide
8. Final
2. LEGAL
Copyright 2004 Hamish Gallagher
This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for
personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or
otherwise distributed publicly without advance written
permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part
of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of
copyright.
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are
owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders.
3. INTRODUCTION
NASCAR... this must be one of the most American of all sports. Big
cars, big engines that create big noises, big banking, big crowds
never out of sight of the cars or a hotdog and a big prize for the
winner. Anyway, this I hope will be a comprehensive guide mainly
for set up tips and basically how to control these 700hp, 200mph
beasts in order to end up in victory lane!
4. CONTROLS
Default controls are as follows:
Left and right to steer
X to burn rubber
[] to slam on the anchors
O to change view
Triangle is for reverse
START pauses the action
L1 toggles through the various display options
L2 shows how much damage the cars taken
R1 for going down a gear
R2 for changing up a gear
(These can be changed in the control menu)
5. GENERAL DRIVING TIPS
There's a lot more to being a great NASCAR driver than running
round in circles. One of the key aspects of oval racing is
drafting.
When exiting a turn, duck in behind a driver into his draft
(slipstream). Time it right and your close up behind him just
before the next turn where you can simply drop to the inside and
pass him. But if you reach him too early you'll have to back off,
losing precious momentum. A bonus of drafting is as it takes less
power to slice through the reduced air resistance, so the car
saves fuel. Very important if your racing to a conservative
stratigy and trying to make as few pit stops as possible.
Drafting, sure it's all well and good I hear you say, but what if
you're in the middle of nowhere, and you can't catch up? This is
were driving skill comes in. As you approach the corner, you
should be on the outside wall. Then when you reach the corner hop
off the 'gas' and cruise to the bottom of the track. Now when you
think your going to be able to make it, step on the gas and drift
slowly back to the outside wall. At tighter tracks like
Martinsville etc heavy braking is required instead of lifting off,
unless you like concrete. Yes the commentator keeps droning on
about it but consistency is crucial. If you want to do fast laps,
your gotta be consistent.
When braking into a corner, never slam on the brakes and turn
hard. NASCARs are big, they're heavy. You can't be aggressive with
them. You're got to be gentle. Ease of the power and smoothly turn
in. So NEVER be hard on the brakes and turning at the same time.
The car will just oversteer and spin leaving you facing in the
wrong direction with the field flashing past, not exactly healthy
for you championship points.
The main thing in terms of pit stops is when to make them. If the
yellow comes out due to a crash and your getting low on fuel, pit!
Cause the field will be cruising round behind the pace car instead
of at maximum attack so you'll be able to save a hell of a lot of
time. It's bad in terms of track position as your drop to near the
back of the pack, but they'll have to pit soon as well, meaning
the world will open up to you. As long as you keep it clean in the
traffic it'll be like a free pit stop.
Another interesting feature with pit stops is the splash and dash.
If it's near the end of the race and your running out enter the
pits and don't select anything except fuel. As the guys filling it
up, push X to stop him when you think you've got enough. This'll
save you time in pit lane and on the track as the car won't be so
heavy.
And remember, rubbings racing. Don't be afraid to go wheel to
wheel. It's one of the trademarks of NASCAR, just try to avoid the
walls and when drafting- as too much damage to the nose of your
car will disturb the aerodynamics, blunting acceration and top end
speed.
6. CAR SETUP EXPAINED
If you're not familiar with motorsport games, you'll probably be
staring at the car setup menu thinking, "Wheel lock? Tyre
pressure?! Weight jacking?! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" So here is it
all explained and what they do in clear English.
Wheel lock: This is for setting the degree the front tyres can
turn. The larger the angle, the more oversteer (pull). The lesser
the angle, the more understeer (push).
Rear spoiler: Provides grip to the car. The bigger the angle, the
more grip you get but less top speed.
Shocks: If the car just keeps wanting to head for the wall, soften
the fronts and/or stiffen the rears to let the car bite into the
turns. If the rear of the car keeps wanting to swap ends with the
front, stiffen the fronts and/or soften the rears to have a
smoother ride.
Tyre Pressure: Lessen the pressure to provide more grip. This
though causes more tyre wear. I haven't mentioned tyre pressure in
my championship guide as it depends on what percentage length race
your running. If it's 5 - 10% let as much air out as you can! If
its longer, tyre wear comes much more into play so if you let them
down, you risk having to take on 4 tyres at each stop. Putting the
stop time through the roof.
Wedge: Helps you fix up understeer/oversteer. Increase it too
tighten the car up, decrease it if you like a bit of sideways
action.
Left bias: This adds weight to the left side of the car so on
ovals the car will be more balanced.
Rear bias: This adds weight to the rear of the car so under heavy
acceleration the car will be more balanced.
Gears: This adjusts the gear ratios. Setting the gears low will
improve acceleration at the expense of outright speed, good for
short ovals and road courses. High gear ratios make for a good top
end speed but make acceleration painfully slow, good for super
speedways.
7. CHAMPIONSHIP GUIDE
Setup in this game is vital. Speed is nothing without control. The
last thing you want is a badly handling car when your doing
600miles at Charlotte, it can be the difference between winning
and the wall. So heres my advice for each track and set up
changes. But this is just a guide. If you have a different driving
style or can get a better time with some changes to it, go ahead!
(The game setting I used was Simulation)
North Carolina
A fairly standard D-shaped oval to get the season under way. A dab
on the brakes into 1 is required if you want a nice tight line,
but only lift off is needed into 3. Watch out for 2 as it's the
sharpest turn on the track. There are two pit lanes here, the one
you want is the one on the backstretch, don't enter the other one
by mistake as you'll just cruise through costing valuable time!
Wheel lock: 13
Rear spoiler: 49
Shocks: FL 40 FR 40
Weight jacking: Left bias +27
Transmission: Gear 3: 8 Gear 4: 8
With this set up I managed a best of 30.6 in free practice.
Las Vegas
A fantastic D-shaped oval with shallow, wide banking that's easier
to get round but harder to pass on the high side. The setup
already was pretty good, I only needed one minor adjustment.
Wheel lock: 14
With this set up I managed a best of 37.4 in free practice.
Atlanta
A super speedway with two doglegs. Setup then requires for maximum
speed.
Wheel lock: 13
Rear spoiler: 40
Shocks: FL 40 FR 40
With this set up I managed a best of 35.8 in free practice.
Bristol (day)
Short straights and tight turns with the steepest banking on the
NASCAR circus means that a well handling car is crucial, not
speed. Braking is needed into 1 and 3, run the high side as if you
try to go to low you'll get oversteer but don't go to high or you
rub the wall. Since the tracks so short you'll most likely never
have some clear air. The pit lane you want is on the back
straightaway.
Wheel lock: 15
Shocks: FL 20 FR 20
Rear spoiler: 52
Rear bias: -27
Transmission: Gear 1: 1 Gear 2: 1 Gear 3: 1 Gear 4: 1
With this set up I managed a best of 20.1 in free practice.
Texas
Similar to Atlanta, a super speedway with twin doglegs. For some
strange reason there's a dashed line running most of the way round
the track, but use this too your advantage. Placing the car below
the dashed line but above the solid line is the way to go.
Rear spoiler: 35
Shocks: FL 20 FR 20 RL 60 RR 60
Left bias: +27
With this set up I managed a best of 34.4 in free practice.
Talladega
The longest oval in the game. Speed is king, so I've made a few
sacrifices in terms of the balance of the car, eg rear spoiler so
understeer is quite bad thus a dab on the bakes is needed into 1
and 3 or you'll rub the wall losing momentum.
Get ready for some high-speed major drafting action. I was making
334kph excluding draft!
Wheel lock: 15
Rear spoiler: 30
Shocks: FL 40 FR 40
Rear bias: -27
Wedge: 45
With this set up I managed a best of 51.4 in free practice.
California
A wide, shallow D-shaped oval greets us at California. You
shouldn't need to brake at all here, just lift off into 1 and 3.
Wheel lock: 17
Rear spoiler: 45
Shocks: FL 20 FR 20
Wedge: 45
With this set up I managed a best of 45.5 in free practice.
Charlotte
The interesting thing about this race is that it's a day/nighter.
It beings during the day but as the race progresses the skies turn
black and the lights come on.
The key to getting a good lap time here is in turn 1. Don't lift
off. Just have a high entry and turn hard. When you get to about
turn 2, lift off, as the car will drift upwards. Time it right and
you'll do a great lap.
Shocks: FL 30 FR 30
Wedge: 45
With this set up I managed a best of 37.4 in free practice.
Pocono
The halfway point of the season. Hope your championships going
well.
This is were the tracks start to get interesting as it's the only
tri-oval in the game and damn is it long. Turn 1 requires heavy
braking as it's sharp and has minimum banking. Turn 2 and 3 you'll
need to lift off.
Wheel lock: 15
Rear spoiler 49
Shocks: FL 20 FR 20
Wedge: 48
With this set up I managed a best of 1:1.3 in free practice.
Sears Point
Another unique track as we move onto the first road course. Here
you'll have to be able to turn left AND right (shock horror). But
it can be quite challenging after racing all season at ovals, just
to finish is hard as it's easy to damage the car when trying to
pass on this narrow strip of bitumen. After saying all that though
this is my favourite race in the game with its rises, dips, s
curves, tight hairpins bends, cars pounding the curbs... it just
feels right.
Wheel lock: 19
Rear spoiler: 60
Shocks: FL 30 FR 30
Wedge: 52
Gears: Gear 1: 1 Gear 2: 1 Gear 3: 2 Gear 4 : 2
With this set up I managed a best of 1:12.2 in free practice.
Indianapolis
Home of the famous Indy 500, but unlike Scott Dixon and co we're
here for the Brickyard 400. Since there's basically no banking
brake into 1 and get down to the bottom. Feel free to use the
ripple strip but just don't touch the grass. Also don't try
passing in the turns or the short-shoots, just use the long
straights as your get a major helping hand from the draft.
Rear spoiler: 45
Shocks: FL 20 FR 20
Wedge: 46
Rear bias: -27
With this set up I managed a best of 58.2 in free practice.
Watkins Glen
The second of the road courses. A major feature of this track is
the chicane at the end of the back straight. While there's nothing
physical except some cones from letting you cut through, don't as
the car will be speed-limited so it's much faster going the proper
route.
Wheel lock: 19
Rear spoiler: 55
Shocks: FL 20 FR 20
Transmission: Gear 3: 8 Gear 4: 8
Wedge: 51
With this set up I managed a best of 1:21.6 in free practice.
Michigan
A 2-mile D-shaped oval with shallow banking is the Michigan
Speedway. Since it's a D-shaped, 1 and 4 are easy and can be taken
flat, but 2 and 3 need some braking. Don't worry if you muff
qualifying as with a long backstretch and wide turns passing is
straightforward.
Rear spoiler: 47
Shocks: FL 30 FR 30
Wedge: 47
With this set up I managed a best of 47.3 in free practice.
Bristol (night)
See Bristol (day) above.
Darlington
The only lop-sided oval of the season is here at Darlington. While
at first it seams quite wide, it ain't! As anywhere below the
dashed line in the turns dramatically slows the car down. Thus the
best racing line is to be right on top of dashed line. The beauty
of it though as it's a great way to pass guys. Draft them on the
straight, then slingshot your way past below into the turn. Once
past, move back up the banking.
Wheel lock: 13
Shocks: FL 30 FR 30 RL 60 RR 60
Wedge: 47
Transmission: Gear 3: 7 Gear 4 : 8
With this set up I managed a best of 34.2 in free practice.
Richmond
Another night race at another short-track. I've set the car up
pretty loose so don't worry about a bit of oversteer entering
turns 1 and 3.
Wheel lock: 14
Rear spoiler:60
Shocks: FL 30 FR 30 RL 60 RR 60
Wedge: 49
Transmission: Gear 1 : 1 Gear 2 : 1 Gear 3: 1 Gear 4: 1
With this set up I managed a best of 23.1 in free practice.
Martinsville
A strange layout with long straights but very tight turns with
little banking. Fairly easy to negotiate Just remember to brake
on the straight before the turns. Traffic here is a major concern
due to it being the shortest track in the game. Thus your be all
over the backmarkers like a cheap suit.
Wheel lock: 16
Rear spoiler: 53
Shocks: FL 30 FR 30 RL 60 RR 60
Transmission: Gear 1: 1 Gear 2: 1 Gear 3: 1 Gear 4: 1
With this set up I managed a best of 23.2 in free practice.
Phoenix
The final race of the season is another unique track. At what
looks like a tri-oval at first is actually a dogleg down the
backstretch due to what looks maybe the exit of a larger version
of the track.
Anyway. A quick dab on the brakes into 1 but just coast into 3.
Wheel lock: 14
Shocks: FL 30 FR 30 RL 60 RR 60
Left bias: -27
With this set up I managed a best of 29.6 in free practice.
I hope by using this guide that you are now the new NASCAR
champion!
8. FINAL
If you want to complement me on this walkthrough, have some
constructive criticism or have something to add to it, I
will happily accept an email:
[email protected]
