01-28-2003, 10:22 AM | #1 | ||
Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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Simulated racing seasons (interactive)
Guys, I need your help.
I need to do some testing for my race sim engine and I'd like some ideas about who to test. Currently I will be testing Tony Stewart and the #20 team, along with Ken Schrader and the #49 team. Who else would you like me to sim out the 2003 season for? Thanks for your input. |
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01-28-2003, 10:58 AM | #2 |
High School JV
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Nova Scotia
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88
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It seems more like today than it did all day yesterday. |
01-28-2003, 01:00 PM | #3 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Buffalo, NY
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#18 Bobby Labonte
#5 Terry Labonte #40 Sterling Marlin |
01-28-2003, 01:01 PM | #4 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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I've never heard of any of these horses.
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01-28-2003, 01:18 PM | #5 |
College Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
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#99 jeff burton and #6 mark martin
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01-28-2003, 03:26 PM | #6 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: VA
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#24 Jeff Gordon
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Chicago Eagles 2 time ZFL champions We're "rebuilding" |
01-28-2003, 03:46 PM | #7 | |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Fairfax, VA
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Quote:
I think it may be greyhounds. |
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01-28-2003, 06:56 PM | #8 |
Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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TONY STEWART: THE WILD CHILD DOES GOOD
First out of the blocks in my series of sim tests is Tony Stewart. He won the Winston Cup championship last year, and is expected to contend again this year. Will the fates smile on him?
They did, sort of. Tony won the spring race at Bristol and followed it up later with a victory at Fontana. Alas, his next victory wasn't until nearly the end of the season at Atlanta. But he finished with five poles and numerous good finishes, and he would have to be pleased with where he ended up. His owner Joe Gibbs was concerned about the four engines that Tony cooked during the season.
NEXT: Ken Schrader goes BAM. |
01-28-2003, 07:02 PM | #9 |
College Starter
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: SE
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Looking good.
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GM RayCo Raiders-est. 2004-2012 Charter member of the IHOF-RayCo GM GM Tennessee Titans PFL 2011-2014 GM Tennessee Titans FOWL 2020-2025 |
01-28-2003, 07:14 PM | #10 |
Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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KEN SCHRADER: SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS
The next test is with a not-too-bad driver for a hopeless team. No one expects Ken to make it to the top 10 this year; he couldn't do it last year with a better team. But how well can the ladies & gentlemen at BAM Racing do?
Well, in this iteration, not too well. His best qualifying efforts were 22nd at Texas and Loudon. Best finish? 25th at the Charlotte spring race. By the middle of the season, rumors were floating around that Ken would be replaced with a better driver (like Derrike Cope). But they stuck with Ken, through all those DNQ's (13) and DNF's (10). Ugly. NOTE: I should say here that in its current version, the race formula does not allow for provisionals. The best 43 drivers are assumed to make it on time, and the other three (the field is fixed at 46) go home. Ken's number of DNQ's will probably be lower in real life because (1) he'll have provisionals, and (2) most fields should be smaller than 46.
NEXT: The Labontes! |
01-28-2003, 08:39 PM | #11 |
n00b
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Manchester, NH
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Wow, that was a pretty bad season for Ken
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Lock the door, kill the light No one's coming home tonight They bring news that must get through. Dying peace in me and you Locked in a place where no one goes. |
01-29-2003, 02:27 AM | #12 |
Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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BOBBY LABONTE: RECOVERING LOST GLORY?
After winning the Winston Cup championship in 2000, Bobby slipped all the way to 16th last year. Can he do better this time around?
Yes, with some qualifications. No poles or wins on the year (best qualifying: 2nd at the spring Bristol race; best race: 2nd at the spring Charlotte and fall Richmond races), but enough top 5s and 10s to make Interstate Batteries happy.
NEXT: Terry Labonte |
01-29-2003, 02:48 AM | #13 |
Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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TERRY LABONTE: ANOTHER STEP DOWN?
Terry has won two Winston Cup championships in his career - in 1984 and 1996. But lately he's been a 3rd or 4th stringer on the Hendrick team. Can Texas Terry make one more run at the title before retiring?
The luck of the draw was not kind to Terry. Actually, the first third of the season wasn't TOO bad, with four top-20 finishes and even a top-10 (6th at Talladega). But the DNQ's and DNF's started to stack up after Dover, and the 5 team had just one top 20 the rest of the season. It's enough to make you want to cry in your Frosted Flakes. NOTE: I don't like these results because I think they are below Terry's true ability. So I tweaked some of his numbers upward. This is not reflected in the chart below.
NEXT: The Coors Lite guy |
01-29-2003, 04:45 PM | #14 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Chicago
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I'd like to see you test #2 Rusty Wallace.
And if you really want to put this thing through its paces, see how it handles a rookie. Try Greg Biffle in the #60 Grainger Ford (Roush Racing).
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Current Games Diablo III (BattleTag: DataKing#1685) Allegiances: Chicago Bears - Detroit Red Wings - Kansas Jayhawks Awards: 2011 Golden Scribe - Other Sports Category (The Straight(away) and Narrow - A Forza Motorsport 3 Dynasty) |
01-29-2003, 05:44 PM | #15 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
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I'd like to see #10 Johnny Benson.
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01-30-2003, 04:03 AM | #16 |
Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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STERLING MARLIN: STILL A CONTENDER
Sterling's career had been on the upswing the past two years, staying in the top 10 in points from the beginning of '01 until a few weeks after his late season wreck last season. Can he come back?
The RNG gods say yes. Two poles (Loudon & Phoenix) and a victory at Michigan showed that he still had the stuff to win. He also had multiple good finishes to keep the boys in Golden happy.
NEXT: The Roush spear carriers |
01-30-2003, 11:47 AM | #17 |
Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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JEFF BURTON: SOMETIMES IT MATTERS WHERE YOU START
Jeff was considered the smart man's contender for the Winston Cup crown two or three years ago after coming close a few times. But the emergence of the young guns has pushed him down the charts. Can this middle-aged gun make a strong showing?
Even Jeff's fans will admit he's never qualified well. The sim engine takes that into account. This time around, he only qualified in the top 10 four times, with a high of 7th at Indianapolis. Out of that came two top 5 finishes (5th at Daytona, 4th at Atlanta), and several other top 10s. But no wins, and that would be a disappointment.
NEXT: Mark Martin and the little blue car. |
01-30-2003, 12:15 PM | #18 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Buffalo, NY
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I'm very interested in how you're simulating all this, can you give me some ideas on how you put this together? If you need input on specifics for drivers, or items that should be included in the whole thing let me know, I'd love to be involved. This is looking very interesting so far!
keep up the great work! Ren |
01-30-2003, 08:19 PM | #19 | |
Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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Quote:
On your last point, thank you! And I'll do my best. The sim engine is basically the same one I used here in this dynasty 1 1/2 years ago. I've tweaked it and reworked it a little, and that's what I'm using here. To make a long story very short, this is how I sim each race: 1) Open spreadsheet 2) Rate each driver on several factors 3) Rate each team on several more factors 4) Add 'em up 5) Add a random number 6) Rank the results. That's qualifying. 7) Add differently weighted numbers 8) Add another random number 9) Rank those results. That's the race. I can't imagine anything I need so far, unless you happen to be an insider. I do welcome suggestions, and probably the best place for that is this poll thread. |
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01-30-2003, 08:23 PM | #20 |
Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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MARK MARTIN: MOMMY, WHAT'S A VIAGRA?
Mark had made the top 10 in points for the past dozen years or so, except for 2001, when all of the Roush teams had subpar years. He rebounded to second last year. Can he continue to win and finish well?
Certainly, according to the RNG gods. No poles (best was third, twice), but he did take a win at Kansas City along with several second place showings. Not his best season, but almost any other driver would have been happy with it.
NEXT: Jeff Gordon. |
01-30-2003, 08:40 PM | #21 |
Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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JEFF GORDON: DOWN PAYMENT ON HIS SECOND WIFE
If you're reading this, you've probably heard of this guy. Can he continue to do the things he's done for the past decade?
But of course. This would be a typical year for Jeff, perhaps a touch on the disappointing side. His first six races were quite disappointing, with only one top 10 among them. But he started to turn it on at Texas with a solid second behind Dale Jarrett. In the next race at Talladega, Gordon won... Robby, that is. Jeff finished 19th there. His first win came at Richmond, which he took from the pole. He also won at Watkins Glen and the fall Charlotte race. In addition to the wins, Jeff also had five poles.
NEXT: Rusty Wallace |
01-31-2003, 12:07 AM | #22 |
College Starter
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: SE
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HB,
Is this something that you are looking to develop into a NASCAR sim? |
01-31-2003, 01:43 AM | #23 | |
Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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RUSTY WALLACE: OUT (YOUNG) GUNNED
Quote:
Yes. Moving along... Rusty had a subpar season by his own standards with no victories (again) and only one pole (at Watkins Glen). His best finish was third, three times (Daytona, Bristol, Indy).
NEXT: Greg Biffle, the rookie. |
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01-31-2003, 11:47 AM | #24 |
Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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GREG BIFFLE: ANOTHER ROUSH ROOKIE
Greg has won championships in the trucks and the Busch series. Now he's trying to do the same in Winston Cup. This will be his first full season, so no one expects too much from him.
His season had its ups and downs, highlighted by the four poles (including both Richmond races) and a second place finish at the Talladega roller coaster. Overall not a bad first season.
NEXT: Johnny Benson |
01-31-2003, 06:03 PM | #25 |
Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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JOHNNY BENSON: GO JOHNNY GO!
Being the only full-time Winston Cup driver from Michigan, I've always kind of rooted for Johnny to do well. His first win last year was great; unfortunately, the rest of the year - with its two injury time outs - mostly sucked. Can Johnny regain his touch?
Yes and no. I couldn't massage a victory out of him, darn it, and his best qualifying effort were a couple of 9ths (Talladega and Daytona). But he did finish third at Talaldega and fifth at the always fun late summer Bristol race. Probably would have done better except he DNF'd in a quarter of the races.
NEXT: An extra special mystery driver! |
01-31-2003, 07:04 PM | #26 |
Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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RICKY CRAVEN: BEST OF THE ONE-DRIVER TEAMS?
At 15th in the points standings last year Ricky Craven and the PPI Motorsports 32 team beat out Bobby Labonte and all of the RCR cars, among others. No one seriously thinks Ricky can be a championship contender, but given a little (OK, a lot) of luck, he could sneak into the top 10. So how does my fancy little simulator evaluate him?
Since this is probably my last go-round with the sim for awhile, allow me to describe Ricky's season in a little more detail. Ricky qualified third at Daytona but could do no better than 21st in the race. After a ho hum 27th at the Rock, he scored his first top 10 at Las Vegas (exactly 10th) and followed it up with another at Atlanta (7th). Then came a forgettable race at Darlington (started 35th, finished 37th - but at least he took the checkered flag), after which were two more top 10s at Bristol (7th) and Texas (6th). Mechanical gremlins gave him a substandard finish at Talladega (35th) and he was just well beaten at Martinsville and Fontana (17th and 18th). Then came his most impressive run - from qualifying 33rd, he took third at Richmond. That was his last top 10 for a long time - Indianapolis, actually, where he took 4th. After two mid-pack runs at the Glen and Michigan (21st and 20th), he took another top 10 (9th) at Bristol. Ricky finished 17th at Darlington, then earned his only pole of the season at Richmond. It didn't help him during the race as he finished 36th and several laps down. He followed up the disappointment at Richmond with two top 10 finishes in the northeast - 5th at Loudon and 10th at Dover. His last top 10 came seven races later at Rockingham. Ricky probably didn't finish in the top 10, but he did a fine job for someone who isn't owned by one of the big guns.
This ends this dynasty report/experiment. Thank you for your participation and thanks for reading. |
02-01-2003, 02:31 PM | #27 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
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Thanks for posting these results, but I sure hope Benson has a better season then that.
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02-02-2003, 01:14 PM | #28 |
College Starter
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Henderson, Nevada
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Do #8
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Toujour Pret |
02-02-2003, 06:30 PM | #29 |
Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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DALE EARNHARDT JR.: LONG, TALL, DARK SHADOW
Dale Jr. has had some wins here and there, and shown a mastery of the restrictor plate superspeedways. But his father was (arguably) the greatest driver in NASCAR history, and so he has a huge legacy to live up to. Can he do it?
Not this time around. I've had sims where Dale Jr. popped up in victory lane all the time, but I couldn't do it in this one. He could only win the spring Talladega race and the Southern 500 at Darlington. He did win five poles, though. Clearly not a championship season, but perhaps one will come in time.
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