NASCAR Crash Avoidance?

I'm a newcomer to NASCAR Racing, and two things have frustrated the heck out of me so far: 1. When you pull even with one of the opponents' cars (such as when passing) and then go into a corner, the opponent will always just pretend you aren't there and will sideswipe you. I could see if they were cutting me off cleanly, but it's like the simulation isn't programmed to recognize that there's another car in the way. Is there some catch to this? 2. At a superspeedway like Talladega, I get passed by a freight train of drafting cars that come out of the corners and get right up to the outside wall. When I try to get over there, I almost always scrape the wall, or I'm too tenative and leave the whole right lane open and get passed. I think this happens because it's real tough to tell how close to the wall you really are. Are there any hints or tips on this? Thanks to anyone that can shed any light on the items above. Paul

Hi Paul, I have found that you can use the window braces on your front window to judge how close you are to the wall. If I remember right, if you keep the base of the wall just to the right of the leftmost brace (you may have to check, I'm not sure which brace I use) you can tell how close to the wall you are. I understand your frustration, I had this problem to when I started. Good luck and Race on. John

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>I'm a newcomer to NASCAR Racing, and two things have frustrated the heck >out of me so far: >1. When you pull even with one of the opponents' cars (such as when >passing) and then go into a corner, the opponent will always just >pretend you aren't there and will sideswipe you. I could see if they >were cutting me off cleanly, but it's like the simulation isn't >programmed to recognize that there's another car in the way. Is there >some catch to this?

As a general rule, you have to be past their door handle. If you've just got a nose stuck in, you'll get clobbered. Having said that, there does seem to be a blind spot where they occasionally come down anyway. I've seen this in both NASCAR and ICR2. The AI drivers follow the same line all the time, so you know exactly where they start to come down. My rule of thumb is if I can't at least pull slightly ahead of them before they start to come down, I get out of the gas and wait for the next opportunity. BTW, this often happens in the real deal, and the good drivers will back out. Unless there's less than 10 laps, then they never back out. <g> Well, I almost never get passed at Dega. <bg> If you're having trouble staying off the wall, it sounds like your joystick is flakey (assuming you're using a joystick). Make sure you have non-linear steering turned on, set the wheel lock to 5 degrees in the Suspension setup screen. If you're trying to protect your line, let the car drift gradually up the track as you're coming out of the corner. Keep in mind that the fastest line is on the bottom of the track. If you do get passed, hook up on the tail end of the draft and follow the cars for a while. See if you can stay directly behind them. With a smooth line, eventually you'll get an opening and you can dive down on the bottom entering T1 or T3 and pass a car or two. Don't try to pass too many in T3 or you'll find yourself with no place to go in the tri-oval, which will shorten your race considerably. The trick at Dega is to be in 2nd place on the last lap and pass in T3, then they can't catch you. <g> Dave

writes: Try letting the AI go into the corner first and you getting on the gas earlier should blast you by on the straight. Practice , Practice , Practice. YOu should be able to get close enough to the wall that they cannot fit and you should still be far enough away as to not worry about it. You want ot worry about a wall save it for Richmond or N. Wilkes