iRacing after 9+ years

[kneebon5]

Finally getting back into dirt. Loving the USAC Midget. this was an amazing race where i got the bottom to hook up while everyone else ran the top.

[superjames1992]

I got back in the saddle for my first race since last April. I was in top split of the NiS Fixed Series at Las Vegas and finished 28th. We only had one caution all race (about 15 laps in), so it was a tough one for me. I lost 4 positions in the last 20 laps as I short-pitted on my last stint and my tires were really fading.

It’s just tough for me to do well in NiS top split. I have no chance against guys like Alfala, Bussa, etc. and even running mid-pack is a challenge. I really needed some cautions and carnage to have a chance at a mid-pack finish.

Oh well, it was fun. I’m hoping to try to run most of the NiS Fixed races this year, but we’ll see what happens. I like the strategy of the longer races.

[canes21]

I was a very responsible iRacer tonight. Bought the Camping World trucks and within 15 minutes I was qualifying for my first race in them at Bristol. I had never driven Bristol in a race before, I had just bought the trucks 15 minutes ago and had never driven them and was doing a race. I was everyone's worst nightmare. Of Course I don't qualify well, 18th out of 24, but I was the #20 car so I guess I did better than expected? The race was a mess. We got a yellow before the first lap was over. We had 10 laps in before ever having a clean lap.



It eventually cleaned up after 20ish laps and was a pretty decent race. I didn't know the line too well, but I tried to watch the other drivers and race the same line I saw Keslowski running when I was there Sunday afternoon. I ended up finishing 6th. I had 8x points from not completely getting through the wrecks unscathed, but I never was actually in a wreck. My fastest lap was a 16.2 which I know is not good at all, but I was running smooth and safe and letting people pass whenever they got near for the first 50ish laps. By then I actually felt comfortable and was catching up the front pack before I pushed it too hard and got loose and had to slow and lose ground to stay straight. I kept it and eventually got close to the front pack again before another wreck happened and the race fittingly ended during yellow.


I had a lot of fun despite how messy it was. The trucks are fun. I am rusty and obviously very new to the trucks. I don't know what a good time is on Bristol with the trucks, but I did qualify at 15.7 I think it was. It felt rough and I definitely could tell I could improve that by half a second at the very least, but overall I was happy with my performance qualifying and racing considering the circumstances.

[kneebon5]

Finally had some good luck tonight in the eNASCAR Peak Series spotting for the 42. This series has put on some pretty good races so far. The new package at Dega is actually really good.

[canes21]

I'm excited to race Dega in the trucks later this week. Richmond was something else last week. I raced 3 races with the trucks there and was wrecked out of two of them. Finally on the 3rd race I was able to complete it. I qualified 11th, fell all the way back to 17th at one point, then with 15 to go I started pushing it and got up to 7th before a caution came out and ultimately ended the race. A 7th place finish and a 0x race was more than enough to make me happy. I'm still getting used to racing ovals as this is the first time in 3 or 4 years since I've gotten to race and back then it was simply running rookie street stocks to get out of Rookie and D races.



I feel like I am definitely getting better and starting to compete for higher spots. I still suck at hot lapping and don't qualify as well as I probably should. I am one hell of a driver in 2nd place, but take the cars in front of me away and I become inconsistent. I think that is just me needing more practice. I am not as inconsistent as I used to be and at the end of both Bristol and Richmond I was starting to gain on all the cars in front of me. I think that is another indicator I just need to practice more and when I get even more comfortable and consistent I'll start pushing for more top 5 spots. Still, 6th and 7th place finishes at Bristol and Richmond in my first two weeks with the trucks when racing in the 1st and 2nd splits feels pretty good.

[canes21]

Guy forced it 4 wide 5 laps into the race and I got into a big wreck. Could barely get the truck to 155. Finished 21st. Tried another race. Got wrecked on the first lap as they tried to force it 4 wide again by passing me halfway on the apron... I was excited for Talladega and then I actually raced. I'm excited to get out of Talladega.

[kneebon5]

Yeah, the plate tracks are hit and miss, but that's what happens when you put a bunch of people in a pack.


New damage model video below.

[canes21]

I'm about to get my B license on oval. The thing is, I am not a fast driver. I am a consistent driver that stays out of wrecks more often than not(outside of Talladega haha). My biggest issue is that I don't know optimal track lines, what tracks to use brakes on and where, whether or not left foot braking is needed, etc. I just ran 50 practice laps on Kansas in the C Class trucks and was probably averaging a 32.3 lap time. I never could get a feel of what to run, where exactly to slow, etc.

I ran two races earlier. One with the Impala on Bristol. I would usually run one of the faster laps in practice and qualified decently well, but it was like by lap 15 I had killed the grip on my tires and I lost positions the remainder of the race. I made maybe 4 passes at most in the final 45 laps.

Is there a good site to go to to learn how to become quicker? Driving consistently and driving in traffic I am comfortable with at this point. Driving faster at a consistent pace I can't seem to achieve. I;m about to be a B Class driver with like a 1,600-1,800 iRating and I'd really like to get it up more.

As someone who bought iRacing for the road racing and only fell in love with oval rookie and has never looked back, all of my oval experience ever is just from the 68 races I've ran in iRacing the last 4 years. 59 of those were in 2015 and so far since getting my free time back I've been able to run 8 officials the last 4 weeks. I enjoy oval racing a lot more, but I definitely am not near as good at it as I am road racing despite not racing road and having stuck with oval after loving it so much.

Is this just a case of me needing to keep at it and the speed will come with experience? It just feels like my biggest weakness right now is not knowing lines or great tire preservation techniques. Like the Bristol race, I ran fast early, but I had no grip a quarter into the race. It felt like and could not keep up at the end of the race. Pushing it any harder felt dangerous and I'd get loose easily.