NASCAR drivers and their SIMULATIONS

This article I’ve linked to talks about some of the racers using racing simulations to help get better acquainted with a track they are either going to for the first time or need to work out some concerned kinks at any other track.

The program they use is called out in the article and I am surprised, being that EA Sports has the virtual world of legal rights locked up and no driver can say on the air they use some other platform to practice with, but there it is. I’ve also run in some of the leagues they note. The game, which most call a simulation, can be very intense, and you do need specific in-depth skills and knowledge to be any good at the sim or you find yourself lapped pretty fast.

The reason the other folk use the older program is because it’s pretty superior to any other NASCAR sim out there to date and the realism in physics and engineering are incredible. The market for such a sim is small, and other companies don’t want to put the investment time/money into the product for the limited return they see. Understandable from a company point of view. Sacrilegious from a players point of view though.

In addition, the product mentioned became part of an uproar in late 2005 when the original creators came back after years of letting everyone modify and tinker the code to make it better, and clamped down the legal hounds on everyone, forcing an interesting distinction of supporters and non-supporters, though I think that has settled down … I think. The claim was the original source code for the networking was all the creators were trying to protect, though in my opinion, it seemed a lot more expansive on the issue.

And if you are interested in the 2003 game, make sure you buy it from reputable sources on E-bay. The last thing you need is to fork over a chunk of change and find the license # is being used already out there online! Even if you don’t go online to compete against humans, (And get the usual grumpiness you really see on tv!), the AI can give you a pretty fair challenge.

And don’t freak about the cost of the simulator. That is a way specialized set up. You can get by just fine with good graphics card and a fair steering wheel / pedal combo add-on.

One question the article throws out there is whether the skills you develop for the game can be translated to the track. NO. If one has a propensity for racing already, they’ll be good at the game. If one doesn’t have the muster for what it takes to race, and you’re good at the game, it probably won’t translate. I’ve seen it attempted, and I’ve had my own experience, so that’s my limited experience on that point.

And if someone out there thinks they are good at racing because they have a sports car, or drive fast (IE: On a freeway, going straight, with no one rubbing your fenders to move you out of the way), give me a break. A CUP car is a beast you haven’t even begun to understand.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/sports/othersports/04nascar.html?ref=sports