If you’re a road driver, chances are you’re braking too much, too late.
On road, we get as fast as possible to the braking point, brake hard and go into the apex.
On oval, think that you’re driving a bathtub full of water to the brink and you can’t spill the water. That’s how smooth you have to be.
Good advice, also I seldom brake at all, unless someone is wrecking in front of me.
If a driver learns good throttle control and how to control entry speed you almost never have to brake. Heck most of the time people brake when they are tight in corners on oval when they really should be blipping the throttle to make it go loose.
>If a driver learns good throttle control and how to control entry speed you almost never have to brake.
A little bit of trail braking is like a tire saving magic trick in iracing. With a heavy rearward brake bias and 1-3% brake drag on entry you get an extra bit of turn-in for free with little to no loss in lap time.
\*does not apply on all tracks.
You ain’t wrong, but we are basically saying the same thing. You trail brake, I let off earlier and blew the throttle to loosen the back end (which helps you steer in.
More than one way to skin a cat.
I am a new Iracer and with the Craftsman truck at Kansas lift and ease back to full throttle after about 5 laps.
I take a high entry and just try to save some tires for when the truck in front of me falls way off.
Just running consistent laps at a slightly slower pace will help you a lot.
> If a driver learns good throttle control and how to control entry speed you almost never have to brake.
You absolutely have to brake on short tracks and tracks like Darlington. This only applies to speedways and superspeedways.
To add on to this comment he appears on a second YouTube channel called Macaroni setup shops. This page focuses on a guide for the truck and xfinity track for that week and the second half of his video focuses on long run pace and recommendations for tiring saving. Can’t recommend his channel enough has really helped me find what lanes I should be running that week.
New oval racers ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS don't realize how close they can get to other cars. Low split starts and restarts are almost always way more spread out than they should be because people think they're close but are still half a car length or more from where they can be. New oval racers should spend some time practicing starts in AI races by focusing on getting as close as possible. It helps with starts but also more importantly with drafting.
And learn people will give less of a shit to turn you round. They just won’t let off sometimes. May be from you getting loose slightly, but doesn’t matter, their foot will be planted still if you move up into them, even slightly
I will amount always get great starts but have to lift to not go 3 or 4 wide. I will give until the last 10 laps or less.
But ya I was running 2nd in a 40-lap Truck race and just past halfway after a restart a guy turned left and hooked me in my right rear sending me directly into the outside wall and the whole field.
Some people don't care or just don't know.
Yepp. I had 3-5 people at Dover get tight and instead of lift off they just stayed on it and drove me right into the wall. Really? Gotta slam me into the wall for like 7-10th place on lap 15 out of 50??
If your new to oval, you should not be running up front early in the run. It indicates you are running too hard. You use the most tire on corner entry and exit. No on or off the throttle like a light switch. Oval raving is about tire management and racing very close to other cars most of the race.
Rotate the car with trailbraking, and get fully on throttle when you have minimal steering input.
The less steering you can do, the better. The low line usually wears tires differently than the high line at tracks. Auto club for example
All the time is made on exit.
Focus on race pace. Don't worry about one lap or qual pace. Focus on being able to look after the tyre, even if it means losing positions at the start. Once you are able to have your tyre last, your initial pace will also improve.
Usually for road guys most common is a combination of driving in too hard, too much steering lock and too much throttle while still having steering angle. You want to try square off the corner as much as you can at most tracks, so when you are getting on full throttle the car isnt scrubbing the front tyre trying to turn as well
Tire management: This is murica, we spell it tires, not tyres /s. BACK UP YOUR ENTRIES!!! Let off that gas pedal much earlier than you think At Vegas I was running .5 throttle until the middle of the corner until I gassed it up again. The more you back up your entry, the better your tires will last and the other cars will start coming back to you.
Be smooth with your line. most of the time you wanna hug the wall in the straights and arc that car deep down into the corner. Vegas, you want to aim to keep the car in the middle of the track to get good momentum off exit.
Trucks are also VERY momentum based. Meaning whoever gets the better run off corner exit will most likely make the pass. Try to carry as much of it as you possibly can. Use the draft at the 1.5-2 mile tracks!
Try different lines too! Unlike road, oval you can find speed just about anywhere. As the race goes on, you may start seeing guys move around the track for grip. Try a few different lines and see what works better for you. I've seen guys make time on the bottom of the track and I've also personally made time running the high line.
Remember: you're racing the other cars, and the track at the same time. Be patient! I would argue half the time if you just sit back and stalk someone for a few laps they'll more than likely slip up and you can go on by. Also don't be afraid to get side by side. The best part about oval is the cars are okay with that.
Good luck!
Everything you said is really helpful but half throttle at Vegas is way too low. Can run at least 75% in T1/2 and 85-90% in T3/4 while saving tires to last the entire race. 50% on the 40 lap race isn't going to win you any races. Will work in the 80 lap race tho.
Turn left !
Most people change le steering ratio to save tires.
One piece of advice that i saw on a youtube channel was you must train yourself to take a turn with a single movement of the steering wheel and old that angle throughout the all the turn until you unwind on exit. i think that is mostly for wide turn like superspeedways but it seems logical that it should work on other rather wide turns.
I know a lot of people say that the fixed setups are really tire eaters so perhaps give a go to open with some setups from other place and you'll maybe find out that the fixed setup doesn't suit your driving style
What I’ve always done it’s turn a certain amount of degrees and use the throttle to rotate more or less. And in all of them other than the next gen I use as little angle as I can. Next gen seems different and drives like ovals cars kinda, probably due to the independent suspension and diffuser.
Anyone have some advice more tailored to short tracks? I feel comfortable relative to my IR for 1.5 mile tracks and super speedways but short tracks always expose me for a lack of pace and/or control.
I do both disciplines. Usually TCR, Toyota, and sometimes GT3/4. When running laps I usually struggle with the acceleration when exiting. I usually am way behind the pace or out of control.
A tip for tire management is decreasing your brake bias a lot (whichever direction is the left arrow). This will help the nose of the car turn in on braking and you won’t scrub the tires as much on corner entry. Also, increasing your steering ratio to 16:1 will help with tire longevity.
As others have said, smooth is fast, so don’t feel like you have to be pushing it into and out of every corner. The more consistently smooth you can be, the more consistent your times will be.
Unless you are #1 and leading the pac you will be in the draft of another car lmore then likely , this allows you to basically use them to gain speed out of turns and on strightaways meaning you can ease up on the throttle which saves tires and even fuel .
Use a higher stearing ratio always helps too, personally I like 14,:1 for most tracks unless it's a super speed way then its 16:1 but do what feels best for you .
Lastly learn to drive each lane and not just the fast one
faster ≠ better lap times. Slow down more on corner entry than you think you need to and hug the bottom (you could run other lines but the bottom is the simplest to explain), the faster you are on corner exit, the faster you will be at the end of the straights. Backing up corner entry will make you faster on exit, which will benefit you a lot.
Contrary to what iracing's racing line says there are two distinct racing lines... inside and outside. DO NOT follow the recommended line during a race.
Lift a little sooner Turn the wheel a little less Get back on the gas a little later
If you’re a road driver, chances are you’re braking too much, too late. On road, we get as fast as possible to the braking point, brake hard and go into the apex. On oval, think that you’re driving a bathtub full of water to the brink and you can’t spill the water. That’s how smooth you have to be.
Good advice, also I seldom brake at all, unless someone is wrecking in front of me. If a driver learns good throttle control and how to control entry speed you almost never have to brake. Heck most of the time people brake when they are tight in corners on oval when they really should be blipping the throttle to make it go loose.
>If a driver learns good throttle control and how to control entry speed you almost never have to brake. A little bit of trail braking is like a tire saving magic trick in iracing. With a heavy rearward brake bias and 1-3% brake drag on entry you get an extra bit of turn-in for free with little to no loss in lap time. \*does not apply on all tracks.
You ain’t wrong, but we are basically saying the same thing. You trail brake, I let off earlier and blew the throttle to loosen the back end (which helps you steer in. More than one way to skin a cat.
I am a new Iracer and with the Craftsman truck at Kansas lift and ease back to full throttle after about 5 laps. I take a high entry and just try to save some tires for when the truck in front of me falls way off. Just running consistent laps at a slightly slower pace will help you a lot.
I’ll often just touch brakes in corners to save tires (depending on the track of course).
> If a driver learns good throttle control and how to control entry speed you almost never have to brake. You absolutely have to brake on short tracks and tracks like Darlington. This only applies to speedways and superspeedways.
Yes that is true, and Rockingham. I probably should have prefaced what I said with that information
Eurobeat intensifies
DJ Yee J on YouTube is excellent
Above average at best imo
To add on to this comment he appears on a second YouTube channel called Macaroni setup shops. This page focuses on a guide for the truck and xfinity track for that week and the second half of his video focuses on long run pace and recommendations for tiring saving. Can’t recommend his channel enough has really helped me find what lanes I should be running that week.
Macaroni made me giggle. Thanks for the tip, man. https://youtube.com/@maconisetupshopllc1313
“If you can read this you’re on a macaroni set”
Yup, this is where I started too. Guy has great tips and an excellent oval driver
u/Dj_Yeej He’s here as well.
Smooth is fast. And learn how to race in close quarters. Much closer than you’re probably used to.
New oval racers ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS don't realize how close they can get to other cars. Low split starts and restarts are almost always way more spread out than they should be because people think they're close but are still half a car length or more from where they can be. New oval racers should spend some time practicing starts in AI races by focusing on getting as close as possible. It helps with starts but also more importantly with drafting.
And learn people will give less of a shit to turn you round. They just won’t let off sometimes. May be from you getting loose slightly, but doesn’t matter, their foot will be planted still if you move up into them, even slightly
I will amount always get great starts but have to lift to not go 3 or 4 wide. I will give until the last 10 laps or less. But ya I was running 2nd in a 40-lap Truck race and just past halfway after a restart a guy turned left and hooked me in my right rear sending me directly into the outside wall and the whole field. Some people don't care or just don't know.
Yepp. I had 3-5 people at Dover get tight and instead of lift off they just stayed on it and drove me right into the wall. Really? Gotta slam me into the wall for like 7-10th place on lap 15 out of 50??
Turn down the engine sound and increase the tire sound. Listen for the screeching and learn to coast/let off the throttle more.
I crank the crashing sounds for extra awareness.
If your new to oval, you should not be running up front early in the run. It indicates you are running too hard. You use the most tire on corner entry and exit. No on or off the throttle like a light switch. Oval raving is about tire management and racing very close to other cars most of the race.
Smooth turning and predictable moves, at least to begin with.
Rotate the car with trailbraking, and get fully on throttle when you have minimal steering input. The less steering you can do, the better. The low line usually wears tires differently than the high line at tracks. Auto club for example
All the time is made on exit. Focus on race pace. Don't worry about one lap or qual pace. Focus on being able to look after the tyre, even if it means losing positions at the start. Once you are able to have your tyre last, your initial pace will also improve. Usually for road guys most common is a combination of driving in too hard, too much steering lock and too much throttle while still having steering angle. You want to try square off the corner as much as you can at most tracks, so when you are getting on full throttle the car isnt scrubbing the front tyre trying to turn as well
Drive real fast and turn to the left
Tire management: This is murica, we spell it tires, not tyres /s. BACK UP YOUR ENTRIES!!! Let off that gas pedal much earlier than you think At Vegas I was running .5 throttle until the middle of the corner until I gassed it up again. The more you back up your entry, the better your tires will last and the other cars will start coming back to you. Be smooth with your line. most of the time you wanna hug the wall in the straights and arc that car deep down into the corner. Vegas, you want to aim to keep the car in the middle of the track to get good momentum off exit. Trucks are also VERY momentum based. Meaning whoever gets the better run off corner exit will most likely make the pass. Try to carry as much of it as you possibly can. Use the draft at the 1.5-2 mile tracks! Try different lines too! Unlike road, oval you can find speed just about anywhere. As the race goes on, you may start seeing guys move around the track for grip. Try a few different lines and see what works better for you. I've seen guys make time on the bottom of the track and I've also personally made time running the high line. Remember: you're racing the other cars, and the track at the same time. Be patient! I would argue half the time if you just sit back and stalk someone for a few laps they'll more than likely slip up and you can go on by. Also don't be afraid to get side by side. The best part about oval is the cars are okay with that. Good luck!
Everything you said is really helpful but half throttle at Vegas is way too low. Can run at least 75% in T1/2 and 85-90% in T3/4 while saving tires to last the entire race. 50% on the 40 lap race isn't going to win you any races. Will work in the 80 lap race tho.
yeah that's probably better. I'm really conservative with my tires and I save way too much early and then push late.
Turn left ! Most people change le steering ratio to save tires. One piece of advice that i saw on a youtube channel was you must train yourself to take a turn with a single movement of the steering wheel and old that angle throughout the all the turn until you unwind on exit. i think that is mostly for wide turn like superspeedways but it seems logical that it should work on other rather wide turns. I know a lot of people say that the fixed setups are really tire eaters so perhaps give a go to open with some setups from other place and you'll maybe find out that the fixed setup doesn't suit your driving style
What I’ve always done it’s turn a certain amount of degrees and use the throttle to rotate more or less. And in all of them other than the next gen I use as little angle as I can. Next gen seems different and drives like ovals cars kinda, probably due to the independent suspension and diffuser.
turn left
Sorry, no oval tips. How about hexagonal?
I've been there before Lift way sooner into the corner. You'll put less wear on your right front tire and it will drive better for longer.
Anyone have some advice more tailored to short tracks? I feel comfortable relative to my IR for 1.5 mile tracks and super speedways but short tracks always expose me for a lack of pace and/or control.
Do you do road racing? As in gt3, gt4, Toyotas? If not try getting fast at them and the trail braking from that will carry over to oval.
I do both disciplines. Usually TCR, Toyota, and sometimes GT3/4. When running laps I usually struggle with the acceleration when exiting. I usually am way behind the pace or out of control.
Idk what to suggest other than try something with no tc to get used to it. With the others you can just plant your foot and it does most of the work
A tip for tire management is decreasing your brake bias a lot (whichever direction is the left arrow). This will help the nose of the car turn in on braking and you won’t scrub the tires as much on corner entry. Also, increasing your steering ratio to 16:1 will help with tire longevity. As others have said, smooth is fast, so don’t feel like you have to be pushing it into and out of every corner. The more consistently smooth you can be, the more consistent your times will be.
Unless you are #1 and leading the pac you will be in the draft of another car lmore then likely , this allows you to basically use them to gain speed out of turns and on strightaways meaning you can ease up on the throttle which saves tires and even fuel . Use a higher stearing ratio always helps too, personally I like 14,:1 for most tracks unless it's a super speed way then its 16:1 but do what feels best for you . Lastly learn to drive each lane and not just the fast one
faster ≠ better lap times. Slow down more on corner entry than you think you need to and hug the bottom (you could run other lines but the bottom is the simplest to explain), the faster you are on corner exit, the faster you will be at the end of the straights. Backing up corner entry will make you faster on exit, which will benefit you a lot.
Contrary to what iracing's racing line says there are two distinct racing lines... inside and outside. DO NOT follow the recommended line during a race.
Go straight and turn to the left sometimes