NASCAR Arcade Complete Walkthrough and Instruction Sheets For the Sega Arcade Game Revision 0.0.1a Compiled by Mark Kim Date of Completion: December 30, 2000 Date of Public Release: December 31, 2000 Unpublished Work TM and (c) 2000-2001 Mark Kim. All Rights Reserved. Use of this document is governed by all applicable copyright laws, international treaties, United States Title 107, The Berne Copyright Bill of 1976, and any copyright ordinances and/or any amendments to this disclaimer thereto. By using this document, the reader agrees to the copyright disclaimer in its most recent version. 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This document has been created, published, revised, and re-edited and is therefore the sole property of Mark Kim. Only Mark Kim has the right to use the document for Webmastering Purposes. This document must be treated like any other copyright material, such as a book. You are permitted to view this document in its entirely original format ONLY. Only Mark Kim can do whatever he pleases with this document. This document is provided "AS IS" and without warranty. Mark Kim assumes no liability for the damages resulted from the performance resulting from this document. If you wish not to adhere to even a single bit of this document, then you should not be using this document. By using this document, you are bound to this disclaimer in its most recent version and any amendments to this section thereto. Talladega Super Speedway, Watkins Glen International, and Richmond International Raceway are registered trademarks and copyrights of the International Speedway Corporation. All Rights Reserved. International Speedway Corporation is the owner of all copyrights pertaining to the three tracks aforementioned. Nascar is a registered trademark and copyright of the National Association of Stock Car Racing. All Rights Reserved. Winston Cup, Busch Grand Nationals, and the Craftsman Series are intellectual trademarks and copyrights of the National Association of Stock Car Racing. The National Association of Stock Car Racing owns the trademarks and copyrights of all three racing series aforementioned. Ford Taurus is a registered trademark and a copyright of the Ford Motor Company. All Rights Reserved. The Pontiac Grand Prix and the Chevrolet Monte Carlo are registered trademarks and copyrights of the General Motors Corporation. All Rights Reserved. All the sponsors, drivers, owners, and any cars that are depicted in this game are respective trademarks and copyrights of its respective owners. All Rights Reserved. You are encouraged to wear your seat belt and drive safely on the road. Any copyright, trademark, or patent that is not mentioned on this FAQ are fully acknoledged/respected by Mark Kim as no copyright infringement was intended whatsoever from the creation of this document. Nascar Arcade is a video game that has been licensed, developed, and published by Sega and Electronic Arts Sports in respect to all Nascar properties. This document was created in respect to all copyrights, patents, and trademarks. TO MAKE IT SIMPLE, YOU ARE PERMITTED TO VIEW THIS FAQ ONLY, AND STRICTLY ONLY FOR FREE-VIEWING ONLY, AND NOTHING ELSE. DOING ANYTHING OTHER THAN VIEWING THIS FAQ FOR FREE ELECTRONIC VIEW IS A NO-NO. ======================================================================== GENERAL GAME DATA Make: Nascar Arcade Developer: Sega AM3 and EA Sports Publisher: Sega Release Date: Late 2000 Platform: Arcade System: Sega Hikaru Board Available Cabinets: 50" Deluxe, 27" Standard Twin Number of Players: Up to 8 Players through Multilink Cost per game: $2.00 US Genre: Auto Racing AAMA Classification: Suitable for All Ages. Although this game is rated Suitable for All Ages, this game is not to be played by anyone under 13 years of age due to minimal height requirements. ======================================================================== HISTORY OF THIS DOCUMENT ----------------- December 26, 2000 ----------------- I wrote this FAQ exclusively for those who have had trouble with the Watkins Glen, since that is a technical track. There were a lot of bugs that I might have left off in the first circulation version of this FAQ because the Talladega Super Speedway track was taken by memory (because the day before the first public release, I centered my energies towards the Watkins Glen International). Couldn't even get any lap times for Talladega because like I said before, Talladega was taken from my vague memory. ----------------- December 31, 2000 ----------------- Had to play a lot of Talladega today and I realized that the key to completing Talladega with a lap time of under 3'12"000 is not to be moving the Steering Wheel too much. Today at Dave and Buster's, I saw this one beautiful lady move the steering wheel left and right, which really was a ground for losing control of the car. I discovered the art of staying calm of the wheel when I reached almost 213 mph (343 kmh) for the first time in the game. By discovering something new at Talladega, I have came up with a new idea for the Talladega section of this FAQ. I still can't remember my lap time from Talladega, but at least I got my Course and Speed Paperwork done!!! ======================================================================== TABLE OF CONTENTS * Newsflash * How to play the game - Instructions - Steering - The Gas - Braking - Automatic Versus Manual - Drafting - Time Extensions - Rolling Starts - Walls - Grass - Cars - Confirm Records - Viewpoints - Codes R'Us * The Tracks - Talladega Super Speedway - Richmond International Raceway - Watkins Glen International * Just a Reminder * Resources * Acknowledgements * One Final Warning NOTE: There will be no History of Revisions as of this time since this is just the first release of this FAQ. ======================================================================== NEWSFLASH Newer versions of this FAQ will always be found at my homepage, http://www.verasnaship.net. This FAQ, as with all other FAQs created by Mark Kim, can only be displayed at either of the following sites: * GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com) * Verasnaship Interactive (http://www.verasnaship.net) Permission will be granted only to a few "honest" authors through requests submitted via http://www.verasnaship.net/emailme.html. I reserve the right to deny permission to mirror my FAQ at anytime and if I destroy/discontinue production of this FAQ, then you are to destroy your mirrors as well. Should for any reason you encounter a FAQ mirrored without my permission/consent or if you see any plagiarized FAQ in circulation, please notify me PDQ. You need to go to http://www.templetons.com/brad/linkright.html for details regarding about linking rights. If you want to link to my FAQ, then the only permissible link is: * http://www.verasnaship.net/text/nascararcade.txt If you see someone link this FAQ illegally, please notify me as soon as possible. Thank you. I will repeat this once again near the end of this FAQ so you will need to keep this in mind. I'm planning to revamp my "Autoracing" directory of my site so that it no longer shows "Daytona USA" as the solo game for that directory. I'm planning to also include Super GT/Scud Race and this game to the directory with JPEGS and other stuff that will help you get through the day. This is my very first FAQ from a long time, so please report any errors, omissions, or anything to me ASAP. Your help is needed in order for me to regain my FAQ-Writing Conciousness!!! To get in contact me, either do the following: * ICQ me at 37614712 * AIM me at "The Hanged Man" * http://www.verasnaship.net/emailme.html Spamming will not be tolerated and will be strictly enforced. See http://spam.abuse.net or http://www.cauce.org to see why it's bad. I reserve the right to change the structure of this FAQ without notice at anytime. ======================================================================== THE INSTRUCTIONS The Game's Aim: To participate through three famous tracks from the Nascar Winston Cup League by taking the role of Nascar Winston Cup's famous drivers like Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace, and Dale Jarrett, and to find a way to play as special guests such as "Little E" (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) and Richard Petty. Race against the clock, and reach the Top 3 and the Finish Line before time runs out. The Controls: Steering Wheel, 4-Speed Manual Gearbox, Gas Pedal with Potentiometers, Brakes with Potentiometers, Speed-Sensitive Steering The Rules: Every time you climb up to a certain higher position, you will get a marginal Time Extension. In Single Race Mode, you must reach certain positions in order to get Time Extensions. In Multi Player and Time Attack Modes, you must finish a lap in order to get Time Extensions. The game ends if either Time Runs out, if you finish the race, or if the game is multiplayer, one of the players become the first person to finish the race. To play: Insert the target amount of coins (More likely it will take 6 credits) or swipe your card until you see the "Waiting for Other Players" Screen rings up. To play Solo Mode, hold the View Change Button while inserting your coints or swiping your card. At the Track Selection Screen, choose from the three famous Nascar-licensed tracks from the Nascar Winston Cup Series. Talladega is for Beginners, Richmond is for Mid-Level players, and Watkins Glen is for experts. Now choose your car and driver. Each car and driver has their own strengths and weaknesses, and noticeable differences which sets each car apart from the others. There are plenty of cars to choose from, so play as all of the cars not to learn how to play, but to get used to their strengths and weaknesses. Now choose either Automatic or Manual Transmission. To play Time Lap, hold View Change as you are selecting your Transmission. If you forgot the Solo Code (Hold View Change while inserting credits), then you can just hit the Start Button to cancel any join-ins. ------------------- The Screen Displays ------------------- Your Current Position and the Target Position: Your Current Position is shown at the Left-Center of the screen while the Target Position is shown at the Right-Center of the screen. The Current Position tells you what place you're running as of a point of the game. The Target Position indicates what position you must be at in order to get a Time Extension. In Time Attack and Multi-Player modes, you need to complete a lap in order to get a Time Extension. As you gain higher positions, the new target position will change, and you need to climb all the way to the top in order to get the most time allowed to play the game. The Time Limit: Tells you how much time you have remaining. You will get Time Extensions if you reach a certain position in a Single-Player Race, and for every lap you complete during Time Attack and Multi Player Modes. The game ends if the Timer runs to ZERO. Your Lap Times and Overall Times: are displayed at the top-left of the screen. It shows you how fast you have went throughout your laps, as well as your overall lap time. This is displayed on the Top-Right portion of the Screen. Records Indicator: Press the Start Button to make the Records Display appear/disappear during gameplay. The Records Indicator near the Time Limit shows you the Record Course Time, the Record Lap Time, the highest Top Speed, and the best Average Speed. You will be noted during gameplay whether you've made a record lap time or a record course time. The display on the bottom-right side of the screen will only show when you have completed a section of the track, and it will show you the best section time and your section time, and there will be a comparison between the best section time and your section time, so see who can get the best record in the game!!! Speed, Transmission, and Draft Indicators: are at the bottom-left hand of the screen. There is a Tach on the very bottom-left, and you should use the Tach if you are going to be using Manual Transmission. It's really important that you don't shift too early or you will bog yourself down. If you shift too late, then you will lose lots of top speed. The Transmission Indicator and the Draft Indicator are placed on the same location near the Tach. The Speedometer is shown on the bottom of the Transmission and Draft Indicators. The Transmission/Draft Indicators shows you how much drafting you've committed, what transmission you are using, and what gear you are currently in if you are using Manual. The higher your Draft meter is, the less wind resistance you will experience, and the sooner you can go faster. In order to win the race, you need to keep your Draft Meter going by lining up your car at the same line the other car is at so that your Draft Meter can build up in no time. The Speedometer shows you how fast you are going at the point of a game. That should cover everything, so let me know if I'm missing something. ======================================================================== STEERING There is basically no need to explain this part intensively because the Steering Basics should be pretty much self-explanatory since the Steering Wheel makes it obvious that it's a racing game. The Steering Wheel controls the travel of your car. However, in the tradition of all Sega Games, the Steering Wheel is super-responsive and sensitive so if you steer too hard, you might not be able to turn to the farthest left or right because each car in Nascar Arcade is equipped with Speed-Sensitive Steering, which means you must nudge the steering wheel LIGHTLY in order to make most of the easy turns without severe loss of speed. Easy steering is the key to maintain your speed in the game. WARNING FOR TALLADEGA: Do _NOT_ move the steering wheel too much because the emphasis on this track is lots of speed. Also, you should not be getting in contact with too many cars. Stay calm with the steering wheel and keep a smooth driving style to maximize speed. You are welcome to draft other cars in this track if you want, but the only thing I'm asking you to do in Talladega is not to "vibrate the Steering Wheel" too much. More on this later. NOTE: If the Steering Wheel's Reactive Motors doesn't feel too responsive or if the steering wheel doesn't allow you to turn your car to the farthest left or right to your knowledge, then it's time to contact an arcade attendant right away. Expensive games MUST BE MAINTAINED VERY WELL as you are paying BIG BUCKS for it. ======================================================================== THE GAS The Gas Pedal contains potentiometers (another Sega Tradition) that will monitor the amount of throttle you're giving to your car. The further down you press the Gas Pedal, the more "gas" you will give to your car and the more throttle you will be giving. You will need to use a tactic called "Potentiometer Control" and try to avoid using rapid-taps to the pedal because the Potentiometers are now sensitive to the touch of your feet, as now the Potentiometers are done the same way as Daytona USA. It's really important to know how to use *slight* lifts of the Gas Pedal (instead of rapid-taps) if you want to learn how to get faster times and better positions. You simply use marginal lifts of the Gas Pedal in order to reduce the amount of speed *by a slight margin* so that you can control the travel of your car. It will take time to get used to the Gas Lift technique, so learn how to use Marginal Lifts at the Richmond Track. More on this at the Richmond Track. NOTE: If the Potentiometers doesn't feel too responsive or if they are not working at all, then it's time to contact an arcade attendant right away. Again, this is an expensive game so it should be maintained well because you're paying HEAVY MONEY to play it. Also, beware if you can't go very fast on Talladega because Talladega's focus is on speed. If you can't go at least 200 mph (322 km/h) in Talladega, you might want to talk it over with your operator about this. ======================================================================== BRAKING There is also a simulated Brake Pedal with Potentiometers to determine how harsh you're stepping or how light you're stepping it but you really don't need the brakes in two out of the three tracks because most of the time, you will be relying on reduced gas feed to make your way around. The only time you will ever need to use the brakes is at the very first turn at the Watkins Glen Track. Braking is also done in a realistic way and the simulated friction of Braking also gives you a real feel of your car. The harder you brake, the more control you might lose which might cause your car to "Fishtail" if you are braking while you are turning so if you are fishtailing, you will lose speed and you will want to recover from the fishtail as quickly as you can because if you don't, then you might lose control of the car in just a matter of seconds. As a general rule, you should NEVER brake while you are feeding in some gas because you might lose control if for any reason you brake while you feed gas. If you need to brake, then instead use marginal gas lifts and/or (in Watkins Glen if you don't feel confident enough) rapid-taps of the Gas Pedal. Braking should be in the greyest area during gameplay. There is only one instance you will ever need to use the brakes, and that will be covered at Watkins Glen. ======================================================================== AUTOMATIC VERSUS MANUAL It's really important to learn how to use the Manual Transmission in any Sega Racing Game because Sega has tailored all of their games for use with the Manual Transmission (and I was PISSED to know that I had to use Manual all the way in Indy 500 in order to get First Place). While Automatic Transmission is easy to use for beginners, Automatic doesn't provide decent control over certain corners and also easing down can be quite a chore with Automatic. Unlike many racing games, the only time you will ever need to use the Automatic Transmission is during your first couple times at the Watkins Glen Track. Since Watkins Glen is a technical track, it makes things obvious that you use Automatic during your first couple of times until you are comfy enough with the Manual. Otherwise, Automatic Transmission should also be at the greyest level in your menu as well. The real negative behind Automatic is that it's slower than Manual overall. With the Manual Transmission, you really don't need to shift down to lower gears at the first two tracks at all because those two tracks have a higher emphasis on speed than anything else. You should always keep your gearbox at Fourth Gear at all costs and don't slow down too much because you will be wasting a lot of time that way. For Talladega, you will need to go full throttle ahead, and don't do anything with the Gearbox. For Richmond, you only need to use Marginal Gas Lifts. For Watkins Glen, you will only need to use 3rd and 4th Gear for almost all of the time. Here's the deal at Watkins Glen: When your speed drops below 120 mph, shift to 3rd Gear. When your speed "hits" 120 mph or when you are in a straightaway (whichever comes first, but use a lot of caution when shifting to Fourth on a curve), shift to Fourth. If you have any strategies at the Glen using Manual, please feel free to drop me a line. NOTE: If none of the gears are working properly, then it's time to take the matters with your Arcade Attendant. This controller gets the most abuse so it's really important to notify your Arcade Attendant RIGHT AWAY if it's not working properly. This has always been a big beef with many arcadegoers so keep that in mind. ======================================================================== DRAFTING Drafting is when you tailgate your drone car and drive at the same line your drone is in in order to reduce wind resistance to your car. The less wind resistance you encounter, the faster you will go. This is the most important technique to master because passing cars in this game is heavily dependant on Drafting as opposed to other Sega Racing Games. Moreover, you will have to develop a habit of tailgating other drivers in order to gain positions and to increase your speed early on the race. I'll tell you how drafting works: All you have to do is to line your car up with the other car at the same line the other car is in. Now make sure that you are *accurately* lined up to the back of the other car so that your speed will increase. Even through turns, make sure that your car is accurately lined up because if you get out of the other car's line, then you might lose your hard-earned drafting. There is a Drafting Indicator near the Speed Indicators to tell you whether you're accurately drafting other cars or not. The more accurate you are drafting other cars, the higher your drafting meter will go. The key here is to keep the draft meter running every time. This is an important skill to learn because I found that in Talladega the key to finishing the track is to keep the Draft Meter running all the time by lining up the car at the same line the other car is in just about the entire race. Learning how to draft is really important because passing the cars now depend on drafting. Just make sure that your left or right wheel is *aiming* right at the back of the car that you're trying to gain speed with. Move the steering wheel too much and your speed might fluctuate by a little. ======================================================================== TIME EXTENSIONS Time Extensions are done a bit differently on Nascar Arcade because Time Extensions now require you to be a certain position before you even earn a Time Extension. In Multi-player games and Time Lap Mode, you will get a Time Extension every time you complete a lap. In Single Race Mode, you will get a Time Extension every time you reach a certain position. In order to get the most time extensions, you will have to pass as many cars as you can early in the race, which will provide a base for your time extensions. The timer is pretty stingy so it's really important to draft like silly in this one. ======================================================================== ROLLING STARTS All races will start out as Rolling Starts, which is a tradition in Nascar Racing. Because Stock Cars take some time to "warm up" before they hit their peak, Nascar has adopted a rule that a Rolling Start is required in order to make sure that all cars are fully prepared to start the track, and to prevent any "lock-ups" that may be associated with standing starts. At the beginning of each race, step on the gas ALL THE WAY IN and if you are using Manual Transmission, SHIFT _AND_ LEAVE THE GEARBOX AT FOURTH ALL THE TIME. The only time you will need to *literally* use the Gearbox is at Watkins Glen, which is the only Technical Track in the game. When the race begins, a good rule of thumb is to "gun the car" to the nearest car (or the second-to-nearest car if you want to get your draft meter to the max, but for most of the time, you will need to gun the car to the nearest car) and start developing the habit of drafting since passing cars is done differently in Nascar Arcade. Always use the Rolling Start to prepare to draft because if you don't develop the habit of drafting the car (lining the car in the back of the other car to reduce wind resistance), then chances are that you won't survive the race. ======================================================================== THE WALLS There are two enemies that you really need to avoid in order to get the best times possible. One of those dreaded enemies are the Walls. If you rub the side of the car against the wall, it will violently cut your speed down and it will also damage your tires, reducing traction of the car eventually. It's really important to stay away from the walls as much as you can because since the timer is pretty stingy, you must learn how to avoid the walls so that you can maximize speed and save your tires. ======================================================================== THE GRASS The rules are simple for this section: STAY OFF THE GRASS AT ALL COSTS. Touch the grass at any point of the race and your speed will be bogged down and you will also lose control of your car. Since these cars are *true* licensed cars and not fantasy stock cars, it's really important that you really avoid the grass at all times because a lawnmowing experience will really cut your speed down and make you lose control of your car in a flash. Unlike Daytona USA and Super GT, it's really important not to touch the walls or grass because either of these two destructive elements will greatly hamper your chances of finishing a track. This is really important to keep in mind because you want to make your money worth it so if you want to finish the race, you will need to stay away from the walls or grass at all times. BUT JUST BE AWARE THAT YOU ARE EXPECTED TO MAKE A LOT OF MISTAKES WHEN LEARNING THE GAME. ======================================================================== THE CARS While the Enemy Cars are still dreadful as with Virtua Racing, Daytona USA, Daytona USA 2, Indy 500, and Super GT, the only way you will be able to pass the Enemy Cars is if you can line up the car behind the other car at the same line the enemy car is in and to keep your car at the same line the other car is in so that you can max-out your drafting meter. Although you really need to be careful not to get into a pileup of car accidents (like in a real-life Nascar Winston Cup Race), combating the cars in this one is a lot more interesting than the previous Sega Racing Games. In this game, you must keep on drafting until you're confident that your speed is at a point that you can pass without any problems. There are no more "fake" accidents as opposed to some Sega Racing Games (which a lot of people love to do) so the racing is a lot more serious than before. Knowing how to draft and being aware of major pileups is now as important as bread and butter. ======================================================================== CONFIRM RECORDS You will be able to see what you need to do in order to measure up to the others when this display is "rung up". It concisely explains the best lap, the best overall course time, the highest top speed, and the highest average speed. It also gives you an idea on how you stand from section to section, and what you need to do in order to go faster. To make the Records/Progress Display appear, all you need to do is to hit the Start Button during gameplay. ======================================================================== VIEWPOINTS The only beef I had about this game is that you only have two viewpoints to choose from. In the Cabin will allow you to experience Nascar Driving inside the cabin of the car of your choice. This will make it easier to line up the car to draft, but inside the cabin has more negatives than positives because you won't be able to see what parts of the car has been damaged and you even can't get a good view of the action this way. Another negative I have about inside the car is that you can't see any walls while you are driving, and this view isn't recommended in Watkins Glen, where driving competency plays an important role. Outside the car allows you see if you've kissed the wall or grass, or if you touched the cars or not. The only negative about outside the car is that your driving experience is dulled. To change views, all you need to do is to hit View Change. ======================================================================== SECRET CODES AND MORE The following codes are as follows: ---------------- Time Attack Mode ---------------- When you choose your transmission, hold the View Change Button before you choose your Transmission. This is obviously the easiest code to perform because it tells you right on the Transmission Select Screen. -------------------------- Play as Dale Earnhardt Jr. -------------------------- This code was taken at http://www.segaarcade.com. I would like to thank this URL for the code. Remember that all codes are verified before being posted in this document. At the Driver Select Screen, select "The Intimidator" (Dale Earnhardt). Now shift the gearbox to Third Gear and hit the brakes and the Number 8 will replace the Number 3. This is more of an expert's code than a beginner's code because Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car requires that you be really easy on the Steering Wheel at all costs. I can't get much top speed with Little E as opposed to The Intimidator because with The Intimidator, I pulled off a dangerous 216.02 mph (347.58 km/h) using Dale Earnhardt (Number 3) Manual. After playing as Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Richard Petty--I came up with a conclusion at Talladega--Easy on the steering wheel, and don't nudge it too hard. --------------------------------- Play as "The King", Richard Petty --------------------------------- John Andretti might be behind the wheel of the car that used to be driven by The King, but Richard Petty's legacy still lives on, even though he now owns the Pontiac Grand Prix 43 (it was once driven by The King) and Kyle Petty's Hot Wheels Pontiac. To play as the owner of Petty Enterprises (Richard Petty), select Kyle Petty (Number 44 Hot Wheels Pontiac Grand Prix). Shift to First Gear and you might need to tap the Brake in order to make Richard Petty's Retro STP 43 Car appear. This was also taken from http://www.segaarcade.com, but right after shifting to First Gear at Kyle Petty, you might have to hit the brakes in order to make Richard Petty's car appear on the screen. Again, this is an expert's code so only use Richard Petty if you have mastered all the cars in the Talladega Track for the least. There is also Adam Petty, but I will not be able to post it on this guide unless I verify them. All codes that I have looked on a resource are subject to verification before I post and credit them. http://www.segaarcade.com for the Extra Driver Codes on Nascar Arcade. ======================================================================== TALLADEGA SUPER SPEEDWAY ======================================================================== http://nascar.com/tracks/talladega/index.html to learn more about the Talladega Super Speedway. The Official URL for the Talladega IS: http://www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Racing Statistics and Details ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Code Name: Nascar's Most Competitive Track Number of Turns: 2 *Super-banked* turns in a traditional Oval State: Alabama Track Focus: Super-High Speed Difficulty: Beginner Banking: 33 Degrees Typical Top Speeds: 210 mph (338 kmh) Distance: 2.66 Miles Number of Laps: 4 Number of Entries: 30 Time Extensions when you reach: 28th, 22nd, 16th, 13th, 11th, 8th, 6th, 5th, and 3rd Ideal Lap Time: Between 46"000-47"500 Ideal Overall Time: Under 3'14"000 Mark's best effort: 3'11"011 with Dale Earnhardt Manual Highest Top Speed: 216.02 mph (347.58 kmh) with Dale Earnhardt Manual Mark's highest position: 1st Place with The Intimidator's Manual Transmission Number 3 Monte Carlo (You know who I mean, the 7-8 time Winston Cup Champion) Resources of Statistics: http://www.talladegasuperspeedway.com and http://www.nascar.com/tracks/talladega/index.html respectively ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- Overview -------- Talladega is arguably the most competitive track in Nascar because you are asked to go full throttle in just about every case. There is no slowing-down allowed so you will have to go full-speed. The only thing hard about this track is that you need to keep your speed at a competitive level so that you will be able to finish the race at all costs. To add to your beef, the cars are so stingy and unwilling to let you draft them unless you find a way to draft a lower-position car and to have that car help you out so that you can get some better positions in. You will need to be calm and steady with the Steering Wheel if you want to get your speed to at least 210 mph (338 kmh). You really don't have to draft in order to reach this plateau, but you have to be calm and easy on the steering wheel at all costs and keep a smooth driving line if you want the highest top speed on this track. Unless you learn how to drive Mark Martin-style (Mark Martin is famous for his smooth driving style), then you will need to learn how to draft to pass the cars and to get vital time extensions. Also, I discover that the less contact you get with the cars, the smoother your driving will be. It doesn't matter how many cars you draft and pass, or how many time extensions you get: It's how smoothly you can drive. It's all full-speed and it's stay smooth or kiss the track dangers. The key here is to find a "willing" car that will lead you to the very top cars so that you can draft as much as you can and get your speed as high as 205 mph/330 kmh. Keep your drafting meter as high as you can because if you don't take the time to draft enough, you might not be able to finish the race. This is the most difficult beginner's track to ever engrace on a video game, next to Ferrari F355's Motegi Track. Regardless of your skill level, you should be using a Manual Transmission car because the focus of this track is pretty-much high-speed. Like I said before, stay smooth on the steering wheel because I saw this beautiful girl at Dave and Buster's fail to finish because she swings left and right and eventually kissing the wall because of her "twitching" driving style. I told her to watch me so that she would understand the key to win Talladega is to drive smoothly and to stay calm with the Steering Wheel at all costs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------- Start of the Race ----------------- In True Nascar Fashion, you will start all races through a high-speed rolling start, so you will have to step on the pedal all the way in and keep the gearbox to Fourth Gear. With the Rolling Start, all you need to do is to prepare yourself by putting the pedal to the metal and to stay in fourth gear all the times. When the race starts, gun your car to the nearest car so that you can get the drafting meter going high. ------ Turn 1 ------ WARNING: SLOWING DOWN ON ANY OF THESE TURNS WILL RESULT IN A LOSS OF TIME. KEEP YOUR GAS PRESSED ALL THE WAY DOWN AND LEAVE THE GEARBOX AT FOURTH ALL THE TIME. Turn smoothly from the outside and gun your way inside of the turn. Make sure that you are aiming your nose at the same line your "target" car is at so that your draft meter is "kicking" up very often. Smoothly work your way from the outside of turn and stay as low as you can with the turn. When exiting out of the turn, smoothly exit out of the turn and make sure that you are lining up behind other cars because a straight is coming up. At the beginning of the race, DON'T NUDGE YOUR CAR TO THE NEAREST CAR BECAUSE THAT WILL BE GROUNDS FOR A LOSS OF VITAL SPEED. A good start in Talladega is very important so when the race starts, MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE RUNNING ON A STRAIGHT LINE so that your speed will rise up eventually. ------------ The Straight ------------ Keep your car lined up within the other cars and make sure that you don't get sandwiched by the inside car (if he's inside of you) because at your right is an unwelcoming wall). Don't get physical with the car because you will be losing control of the car if you do so (I got a bit too physical with some cars on the Intermediate Track, and I almost span out to my doom, so try not to get too physical in this game). If you want to finish this track, you will have to keep your car lined up for almost the entire race in an accurate fashion if you want to overtake more cars. Don't get too physical with the cars because the less physical you get, the faster you will go. If you are in Tenth or higher, then you might want to find an exceptionally fast "escort" so that you can find a "drafting base" to take you to the higher cars. For the straight, it's really important that you DO NOT TWITCH THE STEERING WHEEL because twitching the steering wheel might prevent you from reaching certain speeds that you need to reach. ------ Turn 2 ------ Do the same thing as with Turn 1. This one should be self-explanatory. Keep your turning as smooth as you can, and always make sure that your car is lined up in the back of the drones. Smoothly enter and exit out of any of these two turns. ---------- The D-Bend ---------- All you need to do here is to line up your car in the back of the drones and keep your drafting to a maximum because you will need it in order to survive this track. At the bend, keep your turning smooth so that you don't wind up losing too much speed. After crossing the Lap Line, repeat until you finish the race, and make sure that you find an "escort" so that you can get the drafting going (preferrably when you reach 9th place or so). --------------------------------------------- Keeping Smooth and Easy on the Steering Wheel --------------------------------------------- When turning on a certain turn, MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE LIGHTLY NUDGING THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LOWEST POSSIBLE AREA OF THE TURN. Avoid nudging the steering wheel too harshly because you will lose speed that way. On the D-Bend, make sure that you are still smooth and easy on the steering wheel but make sure that your line is smooth enough to maintain your speed. -------- Synopsis -------- 4 laps on most machines to finish the race. Since each driver has different traits, I suggest that you experiment each driver until you find an ideal contender with exceptional drafting and speed. I would definitely go with Dale Earnhardt Manual (or Mark Martin Manual, since these two veterans have high hopes for speed) because I've managed to beat LVS at Dave and Buster's as of this update. ======================================================================== RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY ======================================================================== http://www.nascar.com/tracks/richmond/ to learn more about Richmond. The Official URL is http://www.richmondracewaycomplex.com/. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Racing Statistics and Details ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Code Name: The Action Track Number of Turns: Two *Major* Turns on a D-shaped Oval State: Virginia Track Focus: Semi-Technical Difficulty: Intermediate Banking: 14 Degrees Typical Top Speeds: 125 mph (201 kmh) Distance: .750 Miles Ideal Lap Time: Under 22'000 Ideal Overall Time: Under 3'01"000 Number of Laps: 8 Number of Entries: 30 Time Extensions when you reach: 27th, 22nd, 17th, 13th, 10th, 8th, 6th, 5th, and 3rd. Mark's best effort: 2'57"163 with Mark Martin MT Mark's highest position: 1st Place. First time was with Dale Jarrett Resources of Statistics: http://www.nascar.com/tracks/richmond/ and http://www.richmondracewaycomplex.com respectively. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- Overview -------- Richmond is a very short, low-speed track that behaves like Talladega because the banking, while not as speed-friendly as Talladega's, provides enough room to allow speeds of up to 125 mph (201 kmh), but since the banking is a lot less steep, you will have to be aware that you will need to slow down in order to avoid a trip to the barriers at the right side of the track. Set at a D-Shape Oval, Richmond shouldn't be that hard to learn, and the *seemingly short* straights should allow you some time to milk up the cars for some much-needed Time Extensions. The only thing you have to learn how to do is to time your ease-ups at the two turns. If you have played Talladega long enough, you will find that the learning curve for this one is rather short IMO. Even though the track is rated Intermediate for required slight slowdown on the two banked turns, you should definitely use MT regardless of your Skill Level. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------- Start of the Race ----------------- You will be at the D-Shaped Straight when you start the race. With the rolling start, your primary focus should be stepping on the Gas Pedal all the way in and shifting to fourth gear. When the race starts, your primary focus should be to line up the cars and milk them up for speed and positions so that you can get your Time Extensions in a hurry. Make sure that you get your Time Extensions as quickly as you can in this track because the Time Limit is a lot stingier than the Beginner Track. ------ Turn 1 ------ You should be at the outside of the turn when you start easing up because you need to learn how to use the Out-And-In technique so that you can cut the apex of the turn. Lift up your foot about 9-11% (special thanks to 2 Rude for pointing this out) before the turn begins and try to "aim" right into the inside. Keep your travel line as smooth as you can to retain your speed. Eventually, you might want to step all the way in so that you can get some speed in. Make sure that you are still lining up with the cars so that you can get some drafting and speed in. If you think you are going to kiss the wall at the right, lift your feet no higher than 8-10% (maybe even less depending on skill level). Don't rapid-tap the gas pedal because you are going to lose speed that way. Upon exiting out of the turn, you should *safely* make it to the right side of the track and milk up the cars for speed and positions for time extensions. ------------ The Straight ------------ Use this straight to milk up a lot of cars and get higher positions for time extensions. If the car is too far, then it's not much of a big deal because you should use the two 14-degree bankers to your advantage so that you can gain ground in the track. Either way, milk up the cars at the right so that you can gain speed and prepare yourself for the second turn. ------ Turn 2 ------ Do the same thing as you would with Turn 1, but you will have to allow a little bit more room for error because the turn starts from a straight instead of a D-Bend. The ideal area to lift your pedal no more than 10% is as your wheels touch the orange line. Gun the car from the outside and work your way to the inside and if you think you are going to drift closer to the right-side wall, lift your right foot no higher than 5%. Hopefully, you shouldn't be able to lift your right foot 5% of the pedal press is because you are about to encounter the D-Bend after this turn. The key to handling these turns is to lift your foot no more than 10% at the start of the turn, and no more than 5% of the overall press, which might take some time to get used to, but should be easy to learn. Just keep the gas pressed all the time, and use only *fractional* lifts (no more than 1/10th of the overall press) when taking the turns. -------- Synopsis -------- 8 laps on most machines to finish the race. Any driver should suffice, but to get better times, you will need to use Manual Transmission. I personally would choose Dale Jarrett, Jeff Burton, Mark Martin, or any other Ford Driver for this one. If you can finish this race with any other driver, then that's good. ======================================================================== WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL ======================================================================== http://nascar.com/tracks/watkinsglen/index.html to learn more about Watkins Glen. The Official URL is http://www.theglen.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Racing Statistics and Details ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Code Name: New York's Thunder Road Number of Turns: 11 (But there are about 15 turns according to The Glen's official URL at http://www.theglen.com) State: New York Track Focus: Technical Difficulty Level: Expert Banking: No Banking Typical Top Speeds: 138 mph (221 km/h) Distance: 2.45 Miles Ideal Lap Time: Under 1'12"000 Ideal Overall Time: Under 3'35"000 Number of Laps: 3 Number of Cars: 15 Time Extensions when you reach: 13th, 10th, 7th, 6th, 4th, 3rd, and 2nd Mark's best effort: 3'33"402 with Mark Martin MT Mark's highest position: 2nd Place! (URGH) Resources of Statistics: http://www.theglen.com and http://nascar.com/tracks/watkinsglen/index.html, respectively ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- Overview -------- Set in a serene environment that looks more like a Grand Prix raceway rather than a Nascar track, Watkins Glen International is pretty much a Master Driver's track because there are a lot of unforgiving turns that you have to undergo in order to stay competitive at all costs. Don't expect to complete this track in your first couple of times, though. Reason why I'm saying this is because this track will test out your ability as a competent driver rather than on speed. There are many reasons why I'd say this track is a competent driver's track, and amongst them is the first turn, which is the sharpest turn in the game, and also the dizziest turn IMO in a Nascar race. You will have to use AT your first couple of times because this track will take a lot of getting used to before you're able to use the MT on this track. Use Manual ONLY if you have became accustomed to this track (after you have finished the track with AT a couple of times). The worst parts of the track has to be the back-to-back Chicane, the first turn in the track, and the final two turns near the end of the track. One more thing before I go on: YOU ARE EXPECTED TO MAKE A LOT OF MISTAKES WHILE LEARNING WATKINS GLEN. Enough said, onto the most difficult track in the game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------- Start of the Race ----------------- As with all of the tracks, you will start out with a Rolling Start. With a Rolling Start, step on the accelerator and keep the gearbox at Fourth Gear. Now when the race starts, go to the left side of the track and milk the cars at the same line to draft up. Don't let the straight fool you because you are about to come to the trickiest turn in the game. ------ Turn 1 ------ I find this turn to be more difficult than it seems because it's really sharp and unlike many Sega racing games, you have to do all of your slowing down upon entering the turn because if you turn too early or turn too late, then you might end up in the grass, which is not good. If you touch the grass, then you will lose control of the car, so avoid a lawnmowing experience in this track. From the outside of the turn, brake hard until you slide. You should be sliding and cutting the apex, and if you time it right, then you should barely avoid the grass on both sides of the track. You are expected to make mistakes while trying to memorize the timing in this turn because this turn is rather tricky to time it right and you might still be sliding so you will have to get out of that dizzy feeling upon exiting out of the turn. Upon exiting the turn, shift down to Third Gear and smoothen up the car. Now milk up those cars by lining them up one at a time. --------- Turns 2-4 --------- Now get your car smoothened up as soon as you can and be really easy on the steering wheel. Milk up the cars and try to keep a smooth travel line on these turns to maximize speed. These turns are quite hilly so don't shift to Fourth too early or you will lose precious speed. Upon exiting Turn 4 (or when your speed hits 120 mph/193 kmh, whichever comes first), shift back to fourth --------------------------------------- The Straightaway after the Easy S-Curve --------------------------------------- There will be a lot of traffic very early on the lap so use caution when milking them and passing them. You should be at the left side of the track and trying to milk up the cars as much as you can. Don't get fooled on this straight either because this straight doesn't last forever because you have a dual-chicane coming up (and there are no warning signs to save you this time). So stay alert when undertaking a straightaway. --------- Turns 5-9 --------- Turns 5-6 and Turns 7-8 are deadly chicanes. If you are going too fast, then you're in bad luck. You should try to ease up during the chicanes and try to keep the driving line as smooth as you can in order to maximize your speed. You might want to shift down to Third Gear before entering the Chicane since you will have to ease down a bit on these two punishing chicanes. Either way, make sure that you are not going any slower than 105 mph/169 kmh (but don't go too fast) on these chicanes. Now position yourself for Turn 9. Stay in Third Gear and DO NOT USE THE BRAKES. If you think that you are going to kiss the grass at the left, use *soft* taps of the Gas Pedal. Upon exiting out of the turn (or when you reach 120 mph/193 kmh, whichever comes first), shift back to Fourth Gear. Now embark on the second straightaway. ------------------- Second Straightaway ------------------- As with all straights, don't let any of them fool you as they usually lead you to some booby-traps (bad turns). Use the Straight to milk the cars up for speed and/or positions, but make sure that you prepare for the final two turns by staying on the right side of the track. You need to give some time for the turns so that you won't be able to kiss the grass. For now, use the straight to milk up some cars and to prepare yourself for Turn 10. ------------------- The Final two turns ------------------- You're on the final stretch of the track, but these two turns will kill you if you don't ease up and/or if you are going too fast. Don't brake on these two turns as slowing down too much might earn you a trip to the left side of the lawn. Instead, use *controlled* taps of the gas pedal in order to maintain your speed on these two final turns. If you think you are going to kiss the outside of the grass, then use gas pedal taps *lightly* instead of braking (Remember, braking is only needed if you are encountering really bad turns). Use *controlled* and *light* gas pedal taps (even better yet, use adjusted gas lifts to control the feed of the gas so that you don't go too fast) for both turns, and use the Out-and-In technique while encountering these turns. The target speeds for these turns is between 124 mph-127 mph (or 200 kmh-205 kmh). Now go back to the left side of the starting straight and milk up the cars in the final stretch. -------- Synopsis -------- Three laps on most machines to finish the race. Remember, you are expected to make a lot of boo-boos while learning this track because the controls of the car takes a lot of time to get used to. The target lap time is between 1'11"500-1'13"000 (Under 1'10"000 is better) and the target overall is under 3'35"000. The ideal drivers are: Mark Martin (Valvoline Number 6), Dale Earnhardt (GM Goodwrench 3), Jeff Burton (Exide Batteries 99), and Dale Jarrett (Ford Credit 88). If you are able to complete this race with another driver, then I'm pleased, but I'm giving out recommended drivers for your own safety. ======================================================================== JUST ANOTHER REMINDER This FAQ, as with all other FAQs created by Mark Kim, can only be displayed at either of the following sites: * GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com) * Verasnaship Interactive (http://www.verasnaship.net) Permission will be granted only to a few "honest" authors through requests submitted via http://www.verasnaship.net/emailme.html. I reserve the right to deny permission to mirror my FAQ at anytime and if I destroy/discontinue production of this FAQ, then you are to destroy your mirrors as well. Should for any reason you encounter a FAQ mirrored without my permission/consent or if you see any plagiarized FAQ in circulation, please notify me PDQ. You need to go to http://www.templetons.com/brad/linkright.html for details regarding about linking rights. If you want to link to my FAQ, then the only permissible link is: * http://www.verasnaship.net/text/nascararcade.txt If you see someone link this FAQ illegally, please notify me as soon as possible. Thank you. Spamming will not be allowed. Period. See http://www.cauce.org or http://www.abuse.net to see why it's bad. ======================================================================== HOW TO GET THE BEST OUT OF NASCAR (AKA RESOURCES OF THIS DOCUMENT) * http://www.nascar.com * http://www.talladegasuperspeedway.com * http://www.richmondracewaycomplex.com * http://www.theglen.com * http://www.segaarcade.com (For Nascar Arcade scopes, and detailed ways of taking certain areas of the track) (Besides the above four URLs, many more are available, and I will give additional URLs for tracks not included in Nascar Arcade in the future) I suggest that you READ THESE LINKS VERY CAREFULLY as these following links are SUPERRICH and might prove to be a learning base for your Nascar Knowledge of these tracks. With regards to segaarcade.com, it has all the pics and QuickTime Movies that you will need to see if you want to be successful at The Glen and such-such. ======================================================================== ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS * The National Association of Stock Car Racing, Ford Motor Company and General Motors in association with the Winston Cup Contestants for allowing Sega and Electronic Arts to create such a realistic Stock Car Game for the Arcade. A much needed addition to the Arcades. * Sega and Electronic Arts for taking the time to make an exclusive for the Arcades, and dedicating their talents to create a Nascar simulator for the arcades. Without them, Nascar Arcade wouldn't have been here today. * Richmond Speedway, Watkins Glen International, and Talladega Super Speedway for their cooperation during the development of the game. Also, I would like to thank International Speedway Corporation for their sincere support in this game as well. * http://www.segaarcade.com for contributing to the December 30, 2000 update. * The Winston Cup Drivers (Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Jeff Burton, etc.) for dedicating their cars for arcade players to play as at the arcades. * The Hikaru Board for providing clean graphics to this game * Brave Firefighters for being the first Hikaru-powered arcade game in the market. * Brunswick Zone Naperville for being the very first arcade to play Nascar Arcade. * GameFAQs for being the largest stable of Original Work * Christopher Tan, Jarno Kokko, and Eugene Moon for being the very first Tip-Creators for Deluxe Machines. Without them, I would have never devoted my energies to playing Deluxe Machines at all. * Nemesis for mirroring all of my recent Arcade FAQs (excluding this one) at his FAQ Website. * Finally, Dave and Buster's for being a base for my improvements for every track of this game. Did I miss anyone? Then contact me. ** END OF DOCUMENT ** Unpublished Work TM and (c)2000-2001 Mark Kim. All Rights Reserved. Use of this document is goverened by the legal disclaimer at the beginning of the FAQ and any amendments to the disclaimer thereto. This document is the sole property of Mark Kim and the document can be discontinued by Mark Kim without notice at anytime. If you see this FAQ plagiarized and stolen, please contact Mark Kim right away. This FAQ was created in memory of Kao Megura (Chris MacDonald)