From Humble Beginnings: The Steve Fulton Story (NASCAR Racing 2003 Season)

[sgf83]

Welcome to my career playthrough on NASCAR Racing 2003 Season. This game is a simulation racing game for PC. It is an older title but it is still in my opinion the best non-subscription racing experience out there today. With the amazing modding community this game has it is possible for me to race in nearly any NASCAR series from the early days up until the present. There are resources available to make the AI drivers perform realistically to how they did in real life as well. The game doesn't have a career mode but with my imagination I can create my own.

I will begin in 1995 and run the NASCAR SuperTruck Series, the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. The names of the series will not change as they did in real life. I will have the drivers and teams pretty realistic as to what happened in real life as well as far as who drove what car or truck.

I will be running on 25% race length with full damage and everything default. If I do not out qualify the slowest driver I will count that as a DNQ or did not qualify and miss the race.

If I am inside the top-35 in points in the Winston Cup and Busch Series then I can use a provisional to make the race. I will start the season with 5 and gain 1 back after every five races with 5 maximum. If I am in the top-25 in points then I can use a free provisional. Point standings for first 5 races of the season for provisional spots go back to previous season. For the trucks the numbers are top-30 and top-20 since the fields are capped at 36 trucks. However the first five truck races are lined up as qualified so I have to outqualify the last place drive on tracks with less than 36 trucks. I hope this makes sense.

Another little 'house rule' will be if I wreck in qualifying or practice I will have to go to a backup car if the damage is bad enough. To simulate this I will use the default car setups which are very slow. This is to give the realism of the backup car just not being as good as the primary and puts an emphasis on avoiding accidents in practice.

I will keep a 'wikipedia style' post on my career results and update at the end of each season. I will also have Series stats for each season as well in another post. I am going to be recording the races as I run them. Nothing fancy just a live, real-time look as to how my race unfolded. I will post results and point standings each race along with a picture or two.

Finally, I will have a weekly recap of my own weekend at the track in a separate post with a write up and statistics for the weekend. I hope you enjoy following along and see you on the track.

[sgf83]

Steve Fulton's Career Finishes by Year

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NASCAR SEASON STANDINGS HISTORY

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Steve Fulton's 1995 Rides and Expectations


NASCAR SuperTruck Series
#30
Grier Lackey Motorsports
Unsponsored
Dodge Ram
Series Inaugural Season

Owner Expectations
- Qualify for every race.
- Keep truck clean.
- Finish in the top-20 each week.
- Finish top-20 in final points.

Owner Wishlist
- Finish in top-10 in a race


NASCAR Busch Grand National Series
#41
Brewco Motorsports
Unsponsored
Chevrolet Lumina
Rookie of the Year Contender

Owner Expectations
- Qualify for each race.
- Keep the car clean.
- Finish the race.

Owner Wishlist
- Finish in the top-25 in a race.
- Finish on the lead lap.
- Win Rookie of the Year.
- Finish top-35 in the final points.


NASCAR Winston Cup Series
#77
Jasper Engines Motorsports
USAir
Ford Thunderbird
Rookie of the Year Contender

Owner Expectations
- Qualify for each event.
- Keep the car clean.
- Finish on lead lap.
- Finish season in top-35 in points.

Owner Wishlist
- Finish in top-25
- Lead a lap
- Win Rookie of the Year.

[sgf83]

1995 SCHEDULES



2-5-95 | Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic | Phoenix International Raceway
4-8-95 | Racing Champions 200 | Tucson Speedway
4-15-95 | Scott Irvin Chevrolet/Craftsman 200 | Saugus Speedway
4-22-95 | Ford Credit 125 | Mesa Marin Raceway
5-5-95 | Maxx Race Cards 200 | Portland Speedway
5-13-95 | Jerr Dan/Nelson 150 | Evergreen Speedway
5-27-95 | Western Auto 200 | I-70 Speedway
6-3-95 | Ford Credit 200 | Louisville Speedway
6-23-95 | Pizza Plus 150 | Bristol Motor Speedway
7-1-95 | Sears Auto Center 125 | The Milwaukee Mile
7-15-95 | Total Petroleum 200 | Colorado National Speedway
7-29-95 | Heartland Tailgate 175 | Heartland Park-Topeka
8-3-95 | Action Packed Racing Cards 150 | Indianapolis Raceway Park
8-19-95 | Stevens Beil Genuine Car Parts 150 | Flemington Speedway
9-7-95 | Fas Mart SuperTruck Shootout | Richmond International Raceway
9-25-95 | Goody's 150 | Martinsville Speedway
9-30-95 | Lowe's 150 | North Wilkesboro Speedway
10-7-95 | Subway 100 | Sears Point Raceway
10-15-95 | Spears Manufacturing 200 | Mesa Marin Raceway
10-28-95 | GM Goodwrench/Delco Battery 200 | Phoenix International Raceway



2-18-95 | Goody's 300 | Daytona International Speedway
2-25-95 | Goodwrench 200 | North Carolina Speedway
3-4-95 | Hardee's 250 | Richmond International Raceway
3-11-95 | Busch Light 300 | Atlanta Motor Speedway
3-19-95 | Opryland USA 320 | Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway
3-25-95 | Mark III Vans | Darlington Raceway
4-1-95 | Goody's 250 | Bristol Motor Speedway
4-15-95 | Sud Drop 400 | Hickory Motor Speedway
5-13-95 | NE Chevy Dealers 250 | New Hampshire International Speedway
5-21-95 | Meridian Advantage 200 | Nazareth Speedway
5-27-95 | Red Dog 300 | Charlotte Motor Speedway
6-3-95 | Goodwrench/Delco 200 | Dover Downs International Speedway
6-10-95 | Carolina Pride/Red Dog 250 | Myrtle Beach Speedway
6-25-95 | Lysol 200 | Watkins Glen International
7-2-95 | Sears Auto Center 250 | The Milwaukee Mile
7-22-95 | Humminbird Fishfinder 500k | Talladega Superspeedway
7-29-95 | Ford Credit 300 | South Boston Speedway
8-4-95 | Kroger 200 | Indianapolis Raceway Park
8-19-95 | Detroit Gasket 200 | Michigan International Speedway
8-25-95 | Food City 250 | Bristol Motor Speedway
9-2-95 | Gatorade 200 | Darlington Raceway
9-8-95 | Autolite 250 | Richmond International Raceway
9-16-95 | MBNA 200 | Dover Downs International Speedway
10-7-95 | All Pro Bumper to Bumper 300 | Charlotte Motor Speedway
10-21-95 | AC Delco 200 | North Carolina Speedway
11-5-95 | Jiffy Lube Miami 300 | Homestead-Miami Speedway



2-19-95 | Daytona 500 | Daytona International Speedway
2-26-95 | Goodwrench 500 | North Carolina Speedway
3-5-95 | Pontiac Excitement 400 | Richmond International Raceway
3-12-95 | Purolator 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway
3-26-95 | TranSouth Financial 400 | Darlington Raceway
4-2-95 | Food City 500 | Bristol Motor Speedway
4-9-95 | First Union 400 | North Wilkesboro Speedway
4-23-95 | Hanes 500 | Martinsville Speedway
4-30-95 | Winston Select 500 | Talladega Superspeedway
5-7-95 | Save Mart Supermarkets 300 | Sears Point Raceway
5-28-95 | Coca-Cola 600 | Charlotte Motor Speedway
6-4-95 | Miller Genuine Draft 500 | Dover Downs International Speedway
6-11-95 | UAW-GM Teamwork 500 | Pocono Raceway
6-18-95 | Miller Genuine Draft 400 | Michigan International Speedway
7-1-95 | Pepsi 400 | Daytona International Speedway
7-9-95 | Slick 50 300 | New Hampshire International Speedway
7-16-95 | Miller Genuine Draft 500 | Pocono Raceway
7-23-95 | DieHard 500 | Talladega Superspeedway
8-5-95 | Brickyard 400 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway
8-13-95 | The Bud at the Glen | Watkins Glen International
8-20-95 | GM Goodwrench Dealer 400 | Michigan International Speedway
8-26-95 | Goody's 500 | Bristol Motor Speedway
9-3-95 | Mountain Dew Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway
9-9-95 | Miller Genuine Draft 400 | Richmond International Raceway
9-18-95 | MBNA 500 | Dover Downs International Speedway
9-24-95 | Goody's 500 | Martinsville Speedway
10-1-95 | Tyson Holly Farms 400 | North Wilkesboro Speedway
10-8-95 | UAW-GM Quality 500 | Charlotte Motor Speedway
10-22-95 | AC Delco 400 | North Carolina Speedway
10-29-95 | Dura Lube 500 | Phoenix International Speedway
11-12-95 | NAPA 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway

[sgf83]

2-5-95
Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic
Phoenix International Raceway | Avondale, Arizona
Race 1 of 20

RACE RESULTS

1. #3 Mike Skinner (6th) 180 Points | 1 Lap Led
2. #84 Joe Ruttman (1st) 180 Points | 19 Laps Led
3. #98 Butch Miller (2nd) 165 Points
4. #25 Jack Sprague (4th) 160 Points
5. #6 Rick Carelli (3rd) 155 Points
6. #16 Ron Hornaday, Jr. (8th) 150 Points
7. #2 Mike Bliss (7th) 146 Points
8. #24 Scott Lagasse (5th) 142 Points
9. #21 Tobey Butler (9th) 138 Points
10. #75 Bill Sedgwick (12th) 134 Points
11. #7 Dave Rezendes (14th) 130 Points
12. #30 Steve Fulton (10th) 127 Points
13. #38 Sammy Swindell (13th) 124 Points
14. #29 Bob Keselowski (17th) 121 Points
15. #37 Bob Strait (11th) 118 Points
16. #83 Steve Portenga (15th) 115 Points
17. #1 P.J. Jones (18th) 112 Points
18. #81 Jerry Glanville (21st) 109 Points
19. #74 Gary Collins (20th) 106 Points
20. #87 John Nemechek (24th) 103 Points
21. #14 John Kinder (19th) 100 Points
22. #20 Walker Evans (16th) 97 Points
23. #94 Mark Simo (22nd) 94 Points
24. #11 Mike Hurlbert (29th) 91 Points
25. #23 T.J. Clark (33rd) 88 Points
26. #54 Steve McEachern (25th) 85 Points
27. #58 Wayne Jacks (26th) 82 Points
28. #06 Butch Gilliland (27th) 79 Points
29. #88 Jerry Churchill (31st) 76 Points
30. #8 Craig Huartson (28th) 73 Points
31. #10 Stan Fox (35th) 70 Points
32. #08 John Borneman (32nd) 67 Points
33. #34 Bob Brevak (23rd) 64 Points
34. #31 Gary Balough (36th) 61 Points
35. #12 Dave Smith (34th) 58 Points
36. #35 Billy Venturini (30th) 55 Points

20 Laps
Caution Flags: 0 (0 Laps)
Lead Changes: 1 (2 Drivers)
Weather: Clear | 74 Degrees | Wind- Southeast 8 mph



The inaugural season for the NASCAR SuperTruck Series is underway as the first race is in the books. Mike Skinner drove his #3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet to the win edging out Joe Ruttman by 0.01 seconds which had the sellout crowd on their feet. The good showing of support to go along with some exciting racing bodes well for the future of the series.

Mike Skinner is driving for legendary Winston Cup car owner Richard Childress hence the way the truck is painted to mimic the #3 of Dale Earnhardt.

POINT STANDINGS TOP-20

1. #3 Mike Skinner | 180
2. #84 Joe Ruttman | -0
3. #98 Butch Miller | -15
4. #25 Jack Sprague | -20
5. #6 Rick Carelli | -25
6. #16 Ron Hornaday, Jr. | -30
7. #2 Mike Bliss | -34
8. #24 Scott Lagasse | -38
9. #21 Tobey Butler | -42
10. #75 Bill Sedgwick | -46
11. #7 Dave Rezendes | -50
12. #30 Steve Fulton | -53
13. #38 Sammy Swindell | -56
14. #29 Bob Keselowski | -59
15. #37 Bob Strait | -62
16. #83 Steve Portenga | -65
17. #1 P.J. Jones | -68
18. #81 Jerry Glanville | -71
19. #74 Gary Collins | -74
20. #87 John Nemechek | -77

[sgf83]

Grier Lackey Motorsports Race Review

Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic
Phoenix International Raceway | Race 1 of 20

Start: 10th | Finish 12th

When we unloaded the #30 Dodge Ram for practice we were in the same boat as most of the other teams in the garage area. Not knowing what to expect in these new trucks. Our team wasn't fortunate enough financially to be able to test as much as some of the other teams so we spent most of the practice just feeling out the truck but were able to turn in the 17th fastest time of the 36 trucks at the track. 36 trucks is the max entrants so nobody will DNQ this week.

In qualifying with no fear of missing the show we ran a solid safe lap on lap one and then really drove hard on lap 2 and were able to stun ourselves and qualify in 10th position. A great start for our little team!

The final practice was spent just trying to make sure all the temps were going to be fine and we only ran a few laps and then parked it.

The race was pretty uneventful for us. We overqualified for our stuff so we had to fight to hold onto what we had. I slipped back to 12th but that was a very good outing in our first race as a team. We will be off in the trucks until April but look forward to the next race.

NEXT RACE
4-8-95
Racing Champions 200
Tucson Speedway | Tucson, Arizona

Previous Results at Tucson:
N/A

[sgf83]

2-18-95
Goody's 300
Daytona International Speedway | Daytona Beach, Florida
Race #1 of 26

RACE RESULTS

30 Laps
Caution Flags: 1 (4 Laps)
Lead Changes: 20 (16 Drivers)
Weather: Cloudy | 80 Degrees | Wind- Southwest 14mph

1. #11 Pete Silva (15th) 180 Points | 3 Laps Led
2. #23 Chad Little (1st) 175 Points | 2 Laps Led
3. #97 Joe Bessey (13th) 170 Points | 2 Laps Led
4. #51 Jim Bown (21st) 160 Points
5. #15 Jerry Nadeau (26th) 155 Points
6. #7 Stevie Reeves (43rd) 155 Points | 1 Lap Led
7. #60 Mark Martin (16th) 151 Points | 3 laps Led
8. #5 Brad Teague (19th) 147 Points | 2 Laps Led
9. #43 Rodney Combs (3rd) 138 Points
10. #1 Hermie Sadler (22nd) 139 Points | 3 Laps Led
11. #4 Jeff Purvis (2nd) 130 Points
12. #12 Mike Dillon (40th) 132 Points | 1 Lap Led
13. #54 Rich Bickle (10th) 124 Points
14. #59 Dennis Setzer (5th) 126 Points | 1 Lap Led
15. #34 Mike McLaughlin (17th) 118 Points
16. #71 Kevin Lepage (31st) 115 Points
17. #57 Jason Keller (32nd) 112 Points
18. #74 Johnny Benson (23rd) 109 Points
19. #6 Tommy Houston (12th) 111 Points | 1 Lap Led
20. #3 Jeff Green (9th) 108 Points | 1 Lap Led
21. #47 Jeff Fuller (4th) 105 Points | 1 Lap Led
22. #08 Bobby Dotter (20th) 97 Points
23. #17 Robbie Reiser (7th) 94 Points
24. #44 David Green (8th) 91 Points
25. #72 Tracy Leslie (14th) 88 Points
26. #29 Steve Grissom (33rd) 90 Points | 1 Lap Led
27. #25 Johnny Rumley (30th) 82 Points
28. #55 Tim Fedewa (25th) 89 Points | 5 Laps Led
29. #04 Kelly Moore (36th) 76 Points
30. #48 Randy Porter (39th) 73 Points
31. #75 Rick Wilson (11th) 75 Points | 2 Laps Led
32. #40 Patty Moise (27th) 72 Points | 1 Lap Led
33. #63 Curtis Markham (24th) 64 Points
34. #99 Phil Parsons (18th) 61 Points
35. #41 Steve Fulton (41st) 58 Points
36. #46 Shawna Robinson (29th) 55 Points
37. #50 Tommy Ellis (37th) 52 Points
38. #35 Doug Heveron (34th) 49 Points
39. #92 Larry Pearson (6th) 46 Points
40. #64 Dirk Stephens (42nd) 43 Points
41. #01 Randy MacDonald (38th) 40 Points
42. #8 Kenny Wallace (35th) 37 Points DNF- ACCIDENT
43. #00 Buckshot Jones (28th) 34 Points DNF- CAMSHAFT

Did Not Qualify
#03 | David Bonnett (R)
#09 | Mike Stefanik (R)
#16 | Jerry Foyt
#18 | L.W. Miller (R)
#36 | Andy Belmont
#39 | Tim Bender (R)
#56 | Ed Berrier
#67 | Tom Peck
#70 | Dale Fischlein (R)
#85 | Shane Hall (R)
#88 | Marty Ward (R)
#95 | John Tanner (R)




The 1995 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series season kicked off today in Daytona Beach at the world center of racing the Daytona International Speedway. Underdog veteran Pete Silva was able to find himself in the right place at the right time and capture the Goody's 300 victory. He was able to edge out Chad Little for his first career win.

NEXT RACE
2-25-95
Goodwrench 200
North Carolina Speedway | Rockingham, North Carolina
Race #2 of 26
1994 Winner: Terry Labonte

POINT STANDINGS TOP-20

1. #11 Pete Silva | 180
2. #23 Chad Little | -5
3. #97 Joe Bessey | -10
4. #51 Jim Bown | -20
5. #15 Jerry Nadeau (R) | -25
6. #7 Stevie Reeves | -25
7. #60 Mark Martin | -29
8. #5 Brad Teague | -33
9. #1 Hermie Sadler | -41
10. #43 Rodney Combs | -42
11. #12 Mike Dillon (R) | -48
12. #4 Jeff Purvis | -50
13. #54 Rich Bickle | -53
14. #59 Dennis Setzer | -54
15. #34 Mike McLaughlin | -62
16. #71 Kevin Lepage | -65
17. #57 Jason Keller | -68
18. #6 Tommy Houston | -69
19. #74 Johnny Benson | -71
20. #3 Jeff Green | -72
35. #41 Steve Fulton (R) | -122

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR STANDINGS

1. #15 Jerry Nadeau | 16
2. #12 Mike Dillon | -7
3. #04 Kelly Moore | -8
4. #41 Steve Fulton | -9
5. #00 Buckshot Jones | -10
6. #03 David Bonnett | -15
7. #09 Mike Stefanik | -15
8. #18 L.W. Miller | -15
9. #39 Tim Bender | -15
10. #70 Dale Fischlein | -15
11. #85 Shane Hall | -15
12. #88 Marty Ward | -15
13. #95 John Tanner | -15