What is so difficult about winning the NASTE Championship?

Nicely said Bill, but you left out luck of the draw is a plus too.

Placement in a heat race can make a big difference. If you are in the first heat where you race one or two of the lanes and then sit out till you cycle back in it can throw you off. If you get placed between two really good drivers it will usually help because you can see how they are driving. If you get placed next to a slower driver it can affect you as you need to take time to find a safe place to pass, especially if they are trying to play nerfing games.

In Salem, placement can really change your finish position. If you cycle through with better drivers you will have a hard time winning a heat or even staying on the lead lap. If you cycle through with drivers of your ability or lesser you have a better chance of winning heats and scoring better. An Expert racer running against Amateurs in a race is more likely to finish first with more laps. If it's a race that stops when the first person reaches a certain amount of laps, Amateurs will probably never get a chance to get the maximum laps possible running against Experts. And the Experts who gets to run against the Amateurs, gets a boost over the other Experts who only run against other Experts.  Since you only get credit for laps completed, with the winner getting 30 and everyone else 29 or less, luck of the draw can be huge.

So, some times Luck, either good or bad, plays a factor too. My two cents worth. Well, maybe a nickels worth. Feel free to throw back some change!

Thank you Bill for taking time to explain some things and give your point of view. Yes, I do believe getting screwed is a rule. LOL It's too bad some people get more than their fair share of that bad luck though. Some people are naturally more lucky than others. You can adapt, evolve and try to overcome adversity, but sometimes that is impossible with bad luck.

Forgive me for not knowing something that might be obvious to others, but that's why I'm asking. Maybe I'll understand better with more knowledge.

Which brings up another question to my mind. Why is the Salem race allowed to be different and run with no tenths factored in? If it's total laps accumulated over all of the heats, doesn't that make a huge difference by not using tenths? I recall several NASTE race finishes that were won or lost by a tenth or so. Tenths could play a big part in where you finish for the season too as results from races not using tenths could have different people in different places and points awarded would be different.

Another nickels worth.

Speaking of formats...

I spent the past Wednesday in Tacoma visiting with Tony at Fantasy World with an intended stay-over to go to their weekly race night.  As for the racing, it was quite fun and a fun and interesting format.

By the end of the evening we would race two classes of cars - a set with IROC Fly Porsches and then a set with Slot.It Classics - I'd brought my Alfa 33//3 which was unused except for a few practice laps to make sure it ran.

Once out of FW we stopped by Tony's and he set to work adjusting my car so that it would be competitive with the locals.  Added a spacer to the gear side, changed the tires and a few minute touches here and there and it was deemed ready.  One of those touches - some motor time on his DS break-in box that automatically ramps the voltage to predetermined intervals.

After meeting up with a few of the other racers for dinner it was off to Victor's for an evening of racing.

Victor's track is a larger Scaley Sport 4-lane setup - rather familiar in layout and not too tough to get the measure of.  Good thing since I got zero practice laps.  Those that know me know that I'm ok with that.  Rally men want to experience the track in real time at full tilt.  Or something like it...

So here's their race format:

A two-minute "Crash'n'Learn" heat.  One off and you are out.  They stop the time after one minute and re-slot any cars that have come off.  Then restart the heat and race another minute.  Once again, one off and your heat is over.  As for scoring, just like our Sunday program - laps plus points.  And they assign those after each minute.  Nerfing, you bet.  Taking cars out, yup.  No one complains.  All good fun.

Though this sounds like a tough format for a beginner I managed the first complete set without a single off finishing 5th out of 13 with the IROC Fly Porsches.  Felt pretty good.

The second set was the Slot.It Classics.  It was apparent right from the get-go that I had one quick car!  Won a heat or two, didn't lose too many laps to the leaders.  About halfway through I had my only off of the evening and spent a good part of a minute watching cars go by.  At the one-minute reset when my car returned to the track I vowed that wouldn't happen again and it didn't.  So I used the off-road mantra - "fast as possible, slow as necessary".  It worked out well as once again I was 5th of 13.  Not a bad night for the Oregonian!

I enjoyed the format so much that we're going to give it a try at the next NASTE race here.

Cool Smooth!  Lookin' forward to it!

The potential for bad luck is evenly distributed between all the racers before the flag drops. After the flag drops it would appear some choose not to take advantage of the opportunity.

I'm sure you're right Bill. Rules are necessary just to keep people honest and fair, but no one wants to be the bad guy with enforcing them, so they constantly get broken. I guess as long as you don't 'ask' me to leave, then I'll be alright. Hope you're having a wonderful time at the beach.

I read this discussion last night. I woke up in the middle of the night with this on my mind. I thought I had something to add, I'll give it a shot.
As pointed out, it takes luck, it also takes skill in quickly "reading" each controller, each car, each lane of the track and who is racing and his/her skills. It takes practice, determination, concentration. As in all racing some are better at it than others. Jimmy Johnson comes to mind! It comes down to: how bad do you want to win, how much time to devote to the cause. And whether you take it as stated or just to be there and do the best you can with friends, it is ALL fun to me. And yes Hammer, I am having a great time even though I may not be belly laughing and slapping my knee!!
Marking a track: I think that depends on what kind of system you have. Here at Rapid the computer keeps track of each racer. The only issue is a tie. If at the end of the race you are tied with another racer in total laps and the computer puts the other racer ahead, you can challenge. This is where the clothes pins come into play. If you both put your clothes pins down where your car stopped, there is your answer. If one of the racers failed to put his clothes pin down, and you did, then you will be placed ahead of him/her.
Rules: Oh boy! Here is the deal, IROC racing, you don't need many rules. The type of racing done at Rapid Raceway, OSCAR and other venues where you bring a car to compete, THE RULES NEED TO BE WRITTEN DOWN! So if there is any conflict, you can pull out the written rules. So as a rule writer, I have to try to determine in advance how to write the rules for the racers who "read between the lines".
Code of conduct: I have that written loosely in the rules also. Here is my take on this issue: if I go to a race at another track for a night of racing, I consider that an invite to a person's home, nobody ( so far ) has even come close to making me angry enough to embarrass myself or my host even though it has been tried. I haven't had to ask anyone to leave from my premises yet, but I am not afraid to. Anybody who has been racing for awhile has witnessed the tantrum, it changes the atmosphere real quick, and that racer will be talked about and pretty much it will be decided that he/she is a real jerk. And like Bill said, they pretty much fade away.
OK, I think I may be able to sleep tonight. Goodnight Mrs. Calabash, where ever you are!!

Glad you enjoyed your beach trip Bill. What a great win at the casino too! Can't do much better than that! What a find on the model too. You were in the right place at the right time.

Thanks Howie for commenting and posting your point of view. I'm still learning all the ins and outs. That's why I'm asking questions about rules, tracks and scoring. I hope I never throw a tantrum to get thrown out of your place because that would mean I'm horrible since it takes a LOT to get you angry. Hope you were able to sleep last night.

Since the NASTE championship is a cumulative total of all events rather than an "X of so many" the most important strategy is to attend all the events.  Look at the big picture.  Think long term.  Try to use patience to get the best result each time and realize it won't always be easy nor will things always go your way. 

Two seasons ago Bill Bostic won the championship without winning a single event.  However he garnered enough second and third place finishes to be the most consistent performer.

As for myself I've won more races with good driving than I have by having the fastest car. 

I know it sounds simple but relax your pace and learn to keep your car on the track.  It will do wonders for your results.  When you can finish heats without offs, then it's time to go faster.

Woohoo! About time I join the conversations. It will be an interesting race Sunday if we use this new format. Just like NASCAR with their Jimmie Johnson rule this year, the best drivers will still find a way to win.