Category: Miscellaneous

First included in a computer game all the way back in 1985, NASCAR has since gone on to feature prominently in modern games. There have been a whopping 50 computer games with NASCAR as its core element and a further 16 featuring it as a smaller detail within the game. The latest installment, NASCAR Heat 2, provides the most realistic portrayal of exciting and intense motor action to date.

We’ve taken on the difficult task of picking the very best of the NASCAR games from the last 22 years.

NASCAR Heat 2

The latest edition of the NASCAR game series came out just a couple of months ago and is available on Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. Featuring driver Kyle Busch on the front cover, this brand new release features the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the first time since NASCAR 09 was released.

NASCAR Heat 2’s career mode option, which gives players the option to create their own driver and design their own car, puts NASCAR lovers in the driver’s seat and gives them the chance to conquer the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup with their self-designed character.

NASCAR Kart Racing

A lighter-hearted and more humorous take on NASCAR racing, this release which hit the market back in 2009 bares comparison to the immensely popular Mario Kart series and is available only on the Nintendo Wii.

The game does bare some comparison to real life, featuring 14 real drivers and 4 real race tracks, but mostly focuses on the funny side of race gaming. Somewhat unsurprisingly unlike actual NASCAR drivers, players are able to throw things at other drivers and drive over boosts to accelerate past other racers in an attempt to secure the number one spot. Whilst not the most realistic of the NASCAR games, it’s certainly one of the most enjoyable.

NASCAR Racing 4

Being one of the older and more retroes of the NASCAR games (released back in 2001) does not make this installment of the series any less enjoyable than Heat 2 or Kart Racing. Available only on the PC, this game puts driving simulation at the very heart of its gameplay and marked a huge step forward from its predecessor.

Including all 21 tracks used in the 2000 Winston Cup, the developers of the game precisely demonstrated what driving an actual race car is like. This edition of NASCAR gaming goes down as an absolute classic and is a must-play for all race fans and video game lovers.

Racing slots

NASCAR and other racing games have also inspired many race-themed games, read online slot reviews at Play-Slots.com, games such as Drive: Multiplayer Mayhem which includes 15 pay lines and animation of a jet black car speeding down the street to give you an authentic driving feel

Other racing-themed slots such as Good to Go, Mad Dash, and Racing for Pinks have also built upon the advancement in race gaming to produce enjoyable, entertaining slots for the NASCAR fan looking to try their luck at winning a healthy sum.

If you are not into racing-themed games, you can try games like Minecraft at immortal smp with a seamless cross-play experience with bedrock support and you are able to play from your phone, xbox, or your pc.

The sport of NASCAR is about as intensive and high-stress as it gets. Whether trying to avoid crashing into other cars on the speedway, chasing the leader, or getting the best out of yourself and your race car, if you don’t have nerves of steel, you best go do something else for a living.

Here we look at how NASCAR drivers get their stress levels down, relax when not racing so they can leave it all on track, and what other activities we recommend for easing the tension from your body.

How Ty Dillion Finds Pockets of Lower Stress Time

Ty Dillion, a popular NASCAR driver, finds that before every race it’s nearly impossible to relax. Fans can approach him when he’s about to climb into his race car and strap in, and there are so many other responsibilities to the press and sponsors ahead of a race that it never stops. The calm before the storm, when he is properly strapped in, has a helmet on and audio communication is reaching the team, is when he finally gets to chill out before the intensity ramps up at race time.

After the race and on non-racing days, Dillion is naturally a laid-back personality.

Taking Care of the Body to Recover from Highly-Charged Periods

Dillion finds comfort in returning to his motorhome after the race to be greeted by his wife. She’s a source of encouragement whether the race was won or lost. Any NASCAR race is mentally and physically exhausting on the body. Re-hydration is important after being crammed into a car for numerous hot laps with minimal air ventilation and a drink is the first order of the day.

With the frequent travel, just being who you really are and not putting on a front to the world avoids wasting energy on useless vanity. Even when the schedule is hectic, being able to mentally calm the mind to relax helps to de-stress the body, mind, and spirit.

What Other Activities Help with Relaxation?

We all feel stress from work and the fast pace of life. It’s important to not let too much cortisol into the bloodstream because it has a draining effect on performance when stress is not balanced out with appropriate release and endorphins.

There are different ways to go about having fun or being peaceful to let the stress move out of your body. One way is to learn to standup paddle board. You bravely stand up on a floating board and use a paddle to guide you and your board through the calm water. Unlike with surfing, it’s easier to do when you’re older and you don’t need perfect waves either as any clean body of water will do. To learn more about SUPs, click over to waveschamp.com where they have more information about it. Another approach is to use meditation to calm the mind and relax the body.

Much can be learned from people who handle high-stress environments well. Whether it’s NASCAR race drivers, Special Operations warriors, or Olympic athletes who don’t fold under intense pressure, us mere mortals can still find inspiration and apply techniques that allow us to cope better.

Charismatic, driven, hard-working and a true fan favourite, Dale Earnhardt Jr is no stranger to the limelight. Having picked up 14 Most Popular Driver Awards already, Earnhardt topped off his career with yet another win at the NASCAR Cup Series Awards held in Las Vegas.

In his acceptance speech, Earnhardt thanked the fans most of all. He said that without the fans, none of the opportunities he had would have happened in the first place. It all comes back to the fans he said. Having recently retired from full-time racing, Earnhardt falls one short of Bill Elliott’s famous record for 16 Most Popular Driver Awards.

Earnhardt first came to the attention of NASCAR fans back in 1999 when he made his first career Cup Series start at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Since that first start, the North Carolina native has racked up a total of 26 Cup series wins including six wins at Talladega and four at Daytona. To add to this impressive resume, he has also won 24 Xfinity Series wins with impressive back-to-back title wins in the second-tier series.

During a rather emotional press conference earlier in the year, Junior spoke about his retirement from full time racing. He said he still plans to be involved in NASCAR in the future and will be doing one or two races in the 2018 Xfinity Series. As it turns out, he didn’t have to wait long for his first job offer for 2018.

Earnhardt to Grand Marshal the 2018 Daytona 500

It could be due to his popularity or the fact that he has put many a punter in profit with sports betting NZ, but the newly crowned most popular driver will be returning to the track to serve as grand marshal for the season-opening Daytona 500. Announced just last week, Earnhardt will be fulfilling the duties at the Daytona International Speedway to kick off the 2018 season.

Speaking to the press, Earnhardt said he was humbled when he was asked if he wanted the job. Earnhardt went on to explain that for him, the race has so much history and being a two-time winner at Daytona is an achievement he is very proud of. Dale said that he is honoured to be adding his name to the list of people who have come before him to be grand marshal for the race. He ended off by saying that Speedweeks in such an exciting time for NASCAR and this would give him the ideal opportunity to witness the thrills that it has to offer first hand.

It is no exaggeration to say that Dale has a history with Daytona, one of the world’s most popular racing events. Earnhardt has won a total of 17 races at the Daytona International Speedway including the famous Daytona 500 back in 2004 and more recently in 2014. Having finished up his final full season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, he will be back on the track on the 18^th of February 2018 (Presidents day weekend). Dale will have the privilege of giving the command for the drivers to start their engines for the 60^th running of this incredible race.

NASCAR is one of the most demanding and dangerous racing sports around. It is not easy to imagine that a former champ would end up fighting for his life, long after his career has come to an end. So, it came as a real shock to the NASCAR and motor racing industry to learn that Jack Ingram, a national treasure and NASCAR Hall of Famer has been seriously injured in a vehicle accident in his hometown of Asheville in North Carolina.

Ingram, a former driver and multiple champion winner in what has become the NASCAR XFINITY Series, was rushed to hospital on Monday directly from the accident site. He is currently receiving treatment in the intensive care unit at Mission Hospital near his North Carolina home. Speaking to the press, Ingram’s family said that they are currently standing by his side and managing his care.

The family along with the clinicians are will be deciding the next steps in his treatment. The family have stated that they remain positive and hopeful about his recovery. They appreciate all the thoughts and prayers that are coming through and will provide updates on his condition when further information becomes available.

Ingram’s Family Remains Hopeful

The accident report, which was filed by the Asheville Police Department indicated that Ingram was driving a 2002 Chevrolet which collided with a 1999 Ford pick-up truck. All that we know for now was the Ford was driven by a 36-year old man from Henderson California. According to the accident report, Ingram’s Chevy was struck on the driver’s door.

In his time, Ingram was a true competitor, they type of driver who, if racing today would be lighting up the online betting NZ sites with plenty of punters backing him in every race. Racing in what is now known as the NASCAR XFINITY Series, Ingram won the championship in 1982 and again in 1985. He also picked up three titles and plenty of race finishes in the Late Model Sportsman division which later became the XFINITY series.

As a testament to his contribution to the sport, Ingram was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2014. Thanks to his ability to compete in multiple events every week and his extended career, he picked up the nickname, the “Iron Man” and was clearly never saddled with the label of the underdog. According to Ingram himself, he scored a total of 317 points-paying victories in the various NASCAR competitions.

From the accident report, we know that Ingram was transported directly to Mission Hospital with undiagnosed injuries. There were two other passengers in Ingram’s car, one of which was also transported to the hospital with a possible injury to his right arm. The diver of the other vehicle was not reported to have any injuries.

In a strange twist of fate, report states that the accident occurred less than half a mile from the legendary Asheville Motor Speedway, where Ingram first rose to fame. After ending its weekly racing in 2000, the paved oval has been preserved in its original format and has become a recreation area called Carrier Park.

Jason White is a racing veteran. Clocking in over 200 races, including 21 top tens and a pole finish in the Camping World Truck Series and multiple appearances as a part-timer in the Nationwide series. Although his presence on the track isn’t anything to shout about, his earnings at the green baize have gained him more limelight over the years, with tons of tournament appearances in Vegas and at the World Series of Poker.

His Debut at the 40^th WSOP in 2009 was successful, with a top 20 finish in the £1,000 No-Limit Hold ‘Em category, but it was 2014’s Main Event that cemented his status as both a pro racing driver and pro poker player. In fact, White was the first NASCAR driver to ever appear at the event and one of the first NASCAR drivers to take part in a pro tournament.

The North Carolina native, who has amassed $2.9 million in his 11 year NASCAR career managed a respectable 348^th out of 6,683 participants, taking home $33,734, which fellow NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin quickly pointed out was more than could be earned from a Camping World Truck Series race. Fast forward to 2017, and White has relocated to Henderson, Nevada to pursue his poker career.

The big question however is whether we will see another NASCAR driver who will transfer their skills to the poker table. Although completely different sports, poker and track racing actually share quite a few similarities, with similar skill-sets required for success.

NASCAR races and the average tournament poker game last roughly the same amount of time, with extended periods of concentration and focus needed. Players are rooted to a single spot in both events and need to have tactics and a strategy, whilst watching exactly what is going on around them at all times. Granted, a lapse in focus on the track could spell life and death, something you won’t find in a casino, but miss one trick in poker and you could lose your pot if the stakes are high.

Mind games also play a huge role. Out of the car, drivers are known to hold grudges, make press comments and generally wind their opponents up to try and get an advantage when it comes to race day. Just look at Jimmy Spencer and Kurt Busch, a rivalry so intense that it came to blows. It’s no surprise that the exact same techniques and levels of trash-talking are used by poker pros with so much money and winning reputations at stake. Although brash and often aggressive tournament play would suit someone like Busch, it’s the ability to keep calm and collected at the right moment that sorts the talented players from the wannabes. This is what makes Jason White a good poker player, although many sportsmen and women just don’t have the right skills for poker.

Although many sportsmen and women have tried to juggle their sports career with a professional poker career, the truth is that it’s hard to be disciplined in two sports that are taxing both mentally and physically. Poker is a great way to unwind, but the stress and strain soon creeps in when large sums of money are at stake. Luckily, NASCAR drivers are built for this mental and physical pressure so hopefully, we’ll see more drivers following in Jason White’s footsteps. He certainly seems adamant that other NASCAR drivers are playing poker away from the spotlight.

NASCAR racecars are supposed to resemble the cars we drive on the road. Chevy has the “Camaro,” Toyota has the “Camry,” and Ford has the “Fusion,” but these are all in fact just variations on the NASCAR generation 6 platform launched in 2013.

These new cars feature unique body panels that help them look more like what you see in a showroom, but the best way to tell cars apart when they’re circling the pavement at 200mph is by their colors. The paint schemes worn by NASCAR competitors are unique and bright, and some of them aren’t even painted. So how do they get applied?

Old School vs. New Vinyl

Many NASCAR teams have paint sponsors that do the work of applying elaborate color schemes to vehicles in preparation for a season. Painting a car in the bright colors you need to stand out on a racetrack costs upwards of $10,000, and keep in mind that these cars are likely to wreck.

Because of the high cost of custom paint jobs, many teams have taken to using custom vinyl wraps instead of a single paint scheme for the entire season. Wraps are easy to repair and can be switched quickly between tracks to appeal to a different fan base.

Pros and Cons of Wrapping

Compared to the process of sanding a car down to bare metal and then layering on an insulated electrocoat followed by multiple coats of colored paint, a wrap goes on quick and easy.

Wraps are available in all different colors and can last several years on a typical street car. Racers will typically only use a wrap for a few races and then switch to a new one, but if the wrap is damaged, a quick fix can be made by applying new vinyl in the affected area. That allows teams to keep cars on the track for practice rather than send them back to the paint booth between races.

There are a few drawbacks to wraps. They don’t hold up as long as a paint job, and applying the wrap does add more mass to a car than a layer of paint. Wrap makers are learning how to create thinner vinyl products that reduce drag and provide better aerodynamic characteristics than even paint.

Wrap Over Paint

The other neat feature of a wrap is that it can be used to protect existing paint. NASCAR teams can apply a wrap over the livery painted on a car for a specific race or event and then remove it. The vinyl will not damage the paint below and peels away easily.

For this reason, some exotic car collectors have even taken to wrapping their cars right away after making a purchase. This ensures the paint will be in perfect condition when they sell the car a year later.

It will probably be a long time before paint goes away entirely as means of applying livery to racecars, but we are certainly living in the era of the wrap. Soon, teams may not have paint sponsors but vinyl sponsors instead.

College degree graduates turned NASCAR driver heroes are few and far between, but there are a few characters who managed to spend time out of their racing careers to achieve their online MEBME degree by using an online MEBME program. Many top NASCAR racers didn’t have the time to concentrate on their college years because racing took over. However, the below NASCAR racers still managed to obtain a degree that they could fall back on if their NASCAR dreams didn’t become a reality.

Jennifer Jo Cobb

Jennifer Jo Cobb isn’t just a pretty face with a knack for beating men on the race track – she has also earned her degree in journalism. Jennifer took her love for NASCAR and journalism and mixed them together when she became a professional sports reporter while still racing. She wasn’t just a success in front of the camera either – she also earned a 6^th place finish in the 2011 Camping World Truck Series, which makes her one of the most successful ladies on the track.

Bill Lester

Bill Lester is a former NASCAR driver who started out as an engineer & project manager for Hewlett-Packard. He’s well-known and respected as the first African-American to race in the NASCAR Craftsman Series as a full-time job. Before he began his career at Hewlett-Packard and became a full-time NASCAR professional, though, he managed to achieve his bachelor’s degree in both computer science and electrical engineering. He wasn’t a huge success on the track, but he knew full well that because he had his degrees and an interest in EECS (Electrical Engineering & Computer Science) – he would always have something to fall back on if his NASCAR career didn’t work out.

Ryan Newman

Ryan Newman still plies his trade in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, working under his team, Richard Childress Racing. The 39-year-old, known to NASCAR fanatics around the world as “Rocket Man”, isn’t just a genius in the hot seat. Before he took up his love for racing, he studied engineering at university, where he managed to land himself a bachelor of science. So, Rocket Man isn’t just a hero behind the wheel thanks to his over 50 pole finishes; he’s also a hero when it comes to his teammates because of his love and knowledge of engineering.

Brett Bodine

Although Brett Bodine is a former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver, he still makes his presence felt in Cup Series events. Bodine wasn’t a huge success on the track like his brothers, Geoff and Todd, but he still managed to get to the pole on five occasions during his NASCAR career. Luckily for Brett, he had the skills in mechanical engineering where he earned his associates degree at Mitchell Community College in North Carolina.

College is sometimes at the back of the mind for some of the current NASCAR drivers because their racing events take up too much practice and travel. However, the above NASCAR legends have all managed to leave college with something to fall back on, knowing the NASCAR industry is far from easy to make a living from.

People might be interested in the 5 things you didn’t know about the MotoGP, at least. This is a sport that a lot of people are very passionate about, but it does not have the extensive popularity of a sport like football. However, for the people who do tend to follow Moto GP, some of the facts might be really surprising.

Whether people know a lot about Moto GP riders or not, they might be surprised to learn that a Moto GP rider will often travel at the rate of 100 mph during the actual races. The fact that it’s possible for them to reach speeds like this will shock a lot of people, and it certainly makes for a compelling and potentially dangerous spectacle. The bikes will travel so quickly during the races that they’re going to look like a blur, and people might be blown away by what’s happening.

Some people tend to think that doing any sort of race on a vehicle means that the actual athletes don’t have to worry about their diets as much. After all, they’re not really relying entirely on their muscle power in order to move and in order to get everything done in the first place. However, diet still really does matter when it comes to Moto GP riding.

A Moto GP rider is not going to want to risk stomach cramps at any point. It still takes energy to conduct a race like that. The wrong meal is going to be a source of stress and not a proper source of energy. Prior to the race, a Moto GP rider will typically eat tuna or chicken with brown rice or whole grain pasta. The focus is on lean meat and complex carbohydrates, which is the case for most racers.

If people want to know what it’s actually like on the bikes during the races, they should know that it’s extremely hot. A Moto GP rider will lose a shocking amount of sweat during these sorts of races, and that’s one of the toughest parts of actually being involved with the race. Staying hydrated is probably one of the toughest parts of being a Moto GP rider today.

Lugging around those bikes is going to be just as difficult. A Moto GP bike will weigh around 350 pounds. The overwhelming majority of riders are going to be significantly smaller than that, and the weight of a Moto GP bike can be something of a strain for them. Still, at least these are very solid and effective vehicles that people are really going to be able to enjoy from a distance and nearby.

A Moto GP rider will be just as good on a regular bike. They do this in order to stay in shape. Riding on a regular bike will also help to give them the skills that they need to handle a bike that is traveling at such an alarmingly fast pace. This is a sport that requires a lot of dedication, even though the races seem to be over in a flash.

Putting powerful stereo systems in racecars have always been a controversial subject. Some say that racecars should be as pure as possible, and that means taking out everything that doesn’t contribute to performance.

If you’re lucky enough to have a vehicle that you only use for the track, that approach might make sense. But for a lot of us, our track car is also the vehicle we use to drive to work and back. If you’re using a car on a daily basis, it’s certainly nice to be able to listen to music.

But – and it’s a big but – to my mind, you should never fit a powerful audio system to your racecar. A small, lightweight system is great, of course, but don’t make the mistake of loading your performance machine down with heavy, expensive, and potentially dangerous amplifiers and subwoofers. Here’s why.

                        Hearing Damage

That’s right, having a powerful amp in your car can cause permanent damage to your hearing. A lot of car audio enthusiasts report permanent damage to their ears after pushing their stereo too high for too long. Though some claim that their hearing has recovered after a period of taking it easy, medical opinion still maintains that any noise above 98 dB will cause permanent damage.

Of course, it’s possible to have a powerful audio system and use it carefully, at a reduced volume. Equally, it’s even possible to wear ear-plugs when it’s turned up loud. But what’s the point?

                        Weight

The above warning – that powerful audio systems can cause hearing damage – applies to anyone who is into modifying their car, whether they are seeking performance or style. For those of us who are primarily concerned with building racecars, however, there is another big reason why a powerful audio system is not a good idea: they weigh you down.

If you’re the kind of person who stripped the carpets out of your car in order to “reduce weight”, it’s a bit stupid to then stick 20 pounds of amplifier and speakers in the back of the same car.

                        Distraction

And lastly, if you’ve set up your racecar to give you the best possible performance, you should be focusing on that rather than what your sound system sounds like. If you’ve done it correctly, the sound of your engine should be all the music you will ever need!

Tinkering with car audio can be distracting at another level, as well. If you start to worry about amplifier voltages and impedance ratings, you are going to have less time to focus on what matters, at least to me – performance.

Take a look at some of the absurd lengths that audiophiles go to in building audio systems into their cars to get an idea of what I mean. Troy Irving, currently the owner of the most powerful car audio system in the world, has a Dodge caravan that is virtually undrivable and weighs 10,000 pounds. While I’m sure it makes him happy, I can think of nothing worse than a car you can’t even drive.

So take my advice, and take that stereo out of your racecar.