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NASCAR Driver (Pro V)
 
Posts: 7810
Joined: 08 Apr 2002, 9:45 am

Post 19 Feb 2021, 7:52 am

Please post comments here.
Indy Car Driver (Pro IV)
 
Posts: 100
Joined: 07 Jan 2019, 8:42 am

Post 20 Feb 2021, 10:07 pm

First, thanks for Mike for setting up and running the Benefit. Glad we had the chance to support Redscape for another year.

The track: Looking at the track, I really didn't see a good front-running strategy. I needed ALL the wear. So I decided to try a modified "from-the-back" with a 100 start speed. I thought I could move up the field quickly despite a minimal bid.

Lap 1 went well. Start pushed me to the middle of the pack. Thought I had botched by not requesting slip position in first turn, but Rob only went 100, so no loss. (Still a mental mistake.) 6w and a chance (3s) roll later, I'm in 5th and have the most wear of the top 10.

Lap 2 was fairly uneventful. Used wear to move on up in position. 7w and some skill (chips) got me to 3rd going into the Roundhouse. Turn 24 was a mistake which I compounded in turn 25. I should have been more patient, but I was worried about Don having too big a lead to catch. So I pushed 2w for the Roundhouse. Once I did that, I had to clear the hairpin or the previous 2w were wasted. So I set up all the contingencies (including the one that happened), but I was surprised when it did. Another chance (2s) roll in the hairpin to clear the hairpin. So 11w to catch Don and Rob and set up the last lap, still with a wear advantage over the rest of the top 7.

Lap 3. Tried to be patient, until the first turn of Lap 3 (so much for patience). It was again a contingent move, but it thrust me into the lead at the cost of 2w. Used another wear to gain a space to cement the lead. Turn 30 was a tough one. I didn't consider it a "slow-play", as I went full speed and locked in my move for Turn 31. But others might disagree. At least no one was surprised by Turn 31. That move gave me some room. I was still concerned whether some extra chances would be taken at the end, so I anguished over every turn until victory was clear (Turn 36).

Wrap-up. With the level of competition, I really wanted to take my chance early to grab hold of the race. My chance in the first lap accomplished that. The chance in the second lap made a victory almost inevitable, but I still had opportunities to squander the advantage, which I am quite capable of doing (See Thursday Night Lights vs Mike).

I enjoyed the race. The series races are great, but the Benefit race always gets my heart pumping faster. Congrats to Rob and Don for podium finishes. The email discussions were passionate and interesting. I'm looking forward to trying the No-Dice race coming up with many of you that was born in our discussions. Thank you all for participating and creating an exciting race. See you on the track.