CAR RACING TIPS

Faster Turns
"Lots of beginners learn how to do one turn real fast and they'll go into the next turn faster than they ever have and they'll blow that turn. Remember to let off the gas into the next turn after a fast lap even earlier because your going faster.""When you're finishing a turn, let the front wheel unwind and your car drift out all the way to the wall so you get the most speed possible."

Control your Throttle
"What a lot of people don't realize, in addition to learning the lines of the track, throttle control is every bit as important if not more than the learning the fastest lines. Throttle control directly affects the line you can take. You can turn a fast time with a good line, and on the next lap you might take the same line, but if your throttle control isn't consistent, you're not going to be as fast. This goes for all tracks.""Another simple idea that drivers just don't take into consideration - get off the gas sooner going into the corner and get back on the gas sooner while in the turn. Just be consistent."

Ride Along and Learn
"Take speedway secrets! This is the best thing I can suggest if you really want to get better. I could tell you what to do until I was blue in the face, but until you ride with someone who's fast, you're not going to be fast. Some people say to first timers to follow the black strip on the track. You can, but there are faster lines on the track out there and someone has to point them out to you."

Fast Starts
"If you want a better start out of pits, bury the throttle to the floor and get it up to 9000 RPMs. Then drop the clutch and go just after the red light on the dash appears and you feel the car slipping a bit."

Be Smooth
"Enter turns slowly, and leave turns fast. You have to be smooth, easy on the throttle. Stay very calm and control the steering wheel with minimal input. Atlanta is a very fast track with plenty of room to go two or three wide, which is very cool."

Use the Power
"Be sure to wind the engine out to high RPMs before shifting to the next gear. The power band of the engine is at high revs, so make sure you take advantage of the engine's peak performance."

Drive to Balance Your Car
"Use engine power to change the 'balance' of your racecar in the corners. You can think of your racecar sort of like a teeter-totter, with front tires at one end, rear tires at the other end and the pivot at the center of gravity, roughly in the middle of the car. If your rear tires stick better than your front ones your car will push to the outside of the turn and you may hit the wall. If your front tires stick better than the rear, the rear end will come around and you may spin. Your rear tires have two jobs:"One: Hold the car from moving sideways as you go around corners. Two: Accelerate the car when you step on the gas."If you accelerate while going around the corner your rear tires can't hold the track as well as the front tires (which only have one job to do), so the rear end will start to come around, turning you away from the wall. If you're getting frustrated by your car pushing into the wall when you corner try this:"First, decelerate by taking your foot off the gas just before you enter the corner. Just after you enter the corner and get stabilized on your line, put your foot on the gas and hold it there, accelerating through the corner."If you do this right you'll be rewarded by your car pointing away from the wall and making it around the corner faster with a higher exit speed that will get you out front of your buddies."

Watch for the Other Drivers
"One thing that's very important-whether you're a rookie or a pro driver-is to be aware of the traffic around you. Use your mirror! If you have a spotter in your car, he should help by keeping track of the cars coming up behind you."

Don't Oversteer
"The most important thing to remember is to keep your steering changes to an absolute minimum. Usually, a tenth of a turn on the steering wheel is all you need to make it around the track. If you're making hand-over-hand changes, you are out of control and steering more will only make the situation worse."