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Track name: Ace 2023 PST
Racing Sim: NASCAR Racing 2003 Season simulation.
Short Track: 0.4 Mile oval
Author:  J.R. Franklin and Project: Short Track


TABLE OF CONTENTS:

[1] HOW TO INSTALL THE TRACK
[2] GENERAL TRACK INFORMATION
[3] CREDITS
[4] WHAT WAS CHANGED FROM ORIGINAL TRACK 
[5] KNOWN ISSUES AND NOTES ABOUT TRACK
[6] TROUBLE REPORTING
[7] DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION
[8] AGREEMENT OF USE

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[1] HOW TO INSTALL THE TRACK
====================================

Unzip the zip file to:  C:\Papyrus\Nascar Racing 2003 Season\tracks\. If you have multiple installations of NR2003S on your PC, you will need to manually select the tracks directory where you wish to install this track.



[2] GENERAL TRACK INFORMATION
====================================

Type: Real track

This NR2003 night version of "Ace 2023 PST" is an attempt to closely resemble the track as it appeared in 2023. Ace 2023 PST is not, however, an exact replica of the real-life Ace Speedway nor do the limits of NR2003 allow it to be.  It is my extreme pleasure on behalf of all of us at PROJECT: Short Track to offer our version of Ace Speedway to the fans of NR2003.

AI: Yes.  Working pit stalls for 26 total cars (25 opponents).

Mod support: GNS and CTS (This track was not tested using any other physics other than those, however the track will still work with Cup and PTA physics.)

Track Information: 0.4 mile asphalt oval located in Altamahaw, NC.

Banking Information:  12 in the turns and 10 on the straightaways.  

History and Background:

Ace Speedway opened in 1956 as a 1/3 mile dirt track and expanded to 3/8 mile in 1984.  In 1990 the track was converted to pavement and then was expanded once again in 1999 to a 4/10 mile oval which it remains as today.  

Top touring series have been featured at the track including in recent years the CARS Late Model Stock Tour and the SMART Modified Tour.  Previously the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour (NSWMT) and the Pro All Star Series (PASS) Late Models amoung others.

Currently, the track runs Late Models, Limited Sportsman, Modifieds, Mini-Stocks and X-Treme cars on a weekly schedule and has ISCARS, Mini-Cups, Flat Head Fords, Southern Ground Pounders, Mini-Trucks, Legend Cars and Bandoleros on a part-time schedule. 

For more information on Ace Speedway, follow Ace Speedway on it's website, www.AceSpeedway.net and www.facebook.com/officialacespeedway.

(The above historical info on Seekonk Speedway was excerpted from www.SeekonkSpeedway.com, and Wikipedia.)

 
[3] CREDITS:
====================================

1.  J.R. Franklin:  Project manager, graphic enhancement, detailing and immersion, 3d object creation, editing and texturing, camera files, Lps, AI tuning and balancing, Sandbox, quality assurance and testing.

2.  Ian Smythe:  New Power line objects behind turns 3-4, Whelen Caution Light structures and the creation of many custom 3d objects for our PST tracks too numerous to mention individually.

3.  Denis Rioux:  Creation of the Main Tower and turn 4 VIP Suites buildings.

4.  Ben Althen:  Painting of real-life recreations of Racing Electronics, CARS Tour, SMART, WMT, Sunoco Race Fuels, Hoosier and miscellaneous race team haulers seen in this and many PST tracks.  Miscellaneous graphics work. Quality assurance and testing.

5.  Mike Ehresman:  Restart Zone banner, Ace Speedway logos and miscellaneous graphics work. Quality assurance and testing.

6.  Wayne "Bowtie" Anderson:  Creation of 3d objects for the PST projects too numerous to mention individually.

7.  Carl Sundberg:  For his technical expertice, some object creation and general wealth of knowledge.

8.  Chris "Omodified" O'Shell and Free67 of the former ASTG (American Short Track Group):  Creation of the original Ace_Speedway_2005 version of the track.


Additional credits:

9.  WKC Tracks:  Miscellaneous custom 3d objects.

10. Mystical (racing.armorydigital.net):  Miscellaneous custom 3d objects.

11. Wayne Faircloth and Aaron Maynard:  Baseline Fast setups for BGN, CTS and CUP physics.

12. Michael Ciarlo of BBMC Tracks for some of the beautiful night skies.

13. Reference sources:      
    a.  Ace Speedway Facebook page.
    b.  Google Earth, maps, miscellaneous images and videos.
    c.	Miscellaneous YouTube videos.
    d.  Google - numerous reference photos
    e.  Racing-Reference.info
     
14. To anyone else whom we may have unintentionally neglected to mention but contributed in the creation of objects that have been borrowed from other NR2003 tracks for this project, we sincerely appreciate your contributions to NR2003.
 
We owe a debt of gratitude to each of you for your contributions, time, support and help.



[4] WHAT WAS CHANGED FROM ORIGINAL TRACK:
==============================================

Much in this track was changed from the original Ace_Speedway_2005 version.  In total, there are over 140 change items from the original.  This is a partial list of the many updates and new features you will see in this new 2023 night version:


    New asphalt racing surface texture and paint lines like real track.
    New grandstands and 3d crowd objects throughout.
    New frontstretch main tower accurately modeled by Denis Rioux. 
    New turn 4 V.I.P. Suites building accurately modeled by Denis Rioux.
    New Power line objects behind turns 3-4 updated by Ian Smythe.
    Whelen Caution Light structures modeled by Ian Smythe. 
    New catch fence texture closely resembling the real track.
    New armco fencing texture closely resembling the real track.
    New Turn 2 scoring tower that closely resembles the real track.
    New Turn 2 billboards with accurate 2023 sponsor graphics.
    New billboards behind backstretch grandstands.
    New Jersey barriers and concrete apron along inside of turns 1-2.
    New wall textures with accurate 2023 lettering and graphics throughout.
    New Light towers.
    New flagstand textured to resemble real life flagstand.
    25 stall pit road configuration with accurate exit out of turn 2. 
    Infield pit area populated with haulers to resemble the real facility.
    All new infield buildings textured to resemble real life facility.
    Updated brick wall and post lights behind turn 2.
    Improved night environment with PST session progressive night skies.	
    Plus many more new features too numerous to mention.


[5] KNOWN ISSUES AND NOTES ABOUT THIS TRACK
============================================= 

1.  For the best results with this track, we highly recommend you use the following:
     a.  A default papy_ai.ini
     b.  The default Fast setups for each physics (Cup, GNS and CTS) 
     c.  The opponent strength set at 97%. 
     d.  Ratings for the car sets used in testing and in developing the A.I. for this track are from the NRatings program using the MasGrafx Full Season V3.1 formulas. 

2.  Starts and Restarts.  Be aware that at the drop of the green flag, the AI will slow down driving into the turns.  This is also quite common in real short track racing when the field is tighly packed for a start or restart.  However, once a few laps have gone by and the field starts to spread out a little, this issue goes away.  Also, keep in mind that if you are starting at the back of the pack, you may be faster than many of the lower rated AI cars in front of you (kind of like Kyle Busch starting at the back of a NXS race).  Once you are able to "reel in" the leaders, you will have a much more difficult time keeping up with them in the corners.

3.  Cautions.  In an effort to try to simulate the short track racing experience, we have tried to make it so the A.I. cars race tight and have occasional contact resulting in a caution.  This happens often after a start or restart, but will also happen after a longer period of racing action... so expect it.  If you've been to a short track in real life it is not uncommon to see 5 to 7 cautions or more in a 150 lap event.

4.  Realiging After A Caution.  As is the case with most short tracks made for NR2003, it may take a little longer for the NR2003 "Race Director in the tower" to get the AI realigned after a caution flies. This 0.400 mile track holds 26 cars in the starting field.  The pace car and leaders may pass some of the tail end cars when the caution first comes out.  BE PATIENT and get in line behind the car that the spotter tells you to as soon as possible.  The field will get sorted out and re-aligned properly. Sometimes during a caution, after some pitting has occured, the game will wave off the re-start if the field has not realigned and closed up properly.  Other times it'll just throw the green flag when back markers have not caught up, so be ready to go at all times.  
 
5.  Pit Stop Frequency.  It is highly recommended that this track ONLY be run with "Pit Stop Frequency" set at 1X.  Higher Pit Stop Frequency" settings of 2X, 3X or 4X will introduce problems, cause confusion with the AI and should not ever be used.

6.  Race Ending Under Caution.  If a race ends under caution, some of the AI cars will stop on the track and not make their way back to the pits. We have tried a number of things to remedy this situation, but have not found anything that will solve this.  (Chalk this up to another quirk of NR2003 short tracks under 0.5 mi. built under Butter's Rule.) 

7. Odd AI Behaviors.  AI cars will sometimes exhibit other odd behaviors that are unfortunately inherent in short tracks made for NR2003 under Butter's Rule and are less than 0.5 mi. For example, during a caution, AI cars will sometimes exit the pits and merge into an improper position in the restart alignment.  In most cases they will be put into their proper position before the green flag restart, but other times they will not and without penalty.  All of these types of things are inherent with short tracks under 0.5 mi. made for NR2003 and are likely incorrectable.  In most cases, these behaviors do not deter from the enjoyment of running these tracks.
  
8. Multiple Racing Grooves.  This track features 2 distinct racing groves just like the real Ace Speedway, so race 'em low or race 'em high.  The AI will go 2 and 3 wide to provide an exceptional and exhilarating racing experience.  However, passing on this track is pretty difficult especially on the outside.  You will need a looser setup than the default Fast and Expert setups included with the track to make you competitve while riding the outside groove.  Either groove you choose, an AI car beside you (either on your outside or inside) will put up a great fight for several laps and will not relinquish the spot easily...if at all.

9. This track was not tested with Cup or PTA physics.  All testing and track.ini settings were done for the GNS and CTS physics only, which we feel are best suited for racing at Ace Speedway and short track racing in general in NR2003.  (The track will run however, using Cup and PTA physics and in Arcade mode.)

10.  WARNING.  Highly Detailed Graphics Rich Track.  In an effort to duplicate the details of the real Ace Speedway facility and capture as much immersion as possible for the end user, we have poured a ton of high-resolution objects and detaling into this project.  Please be advised that this track may tax the ability of some computers. We apologize in advance if this is the case for you. If you are experiencing difficulty running this track and your frame rates are dropping below 30 FPS, we might recommend installing the 4GB Patch offered at NTCore.com (https://ntcore.com/?page_id=371).  Also consult and try implementing the Performance Guide suggestions at the BB-MC website at: http://bb-mc.co/performance-guide/

11. We went to great efforts to make the A.I. and racing as realistic as possible. At the same time, we also took some liberties with the A.I. tools available in the track.ini to enhance the "fun" factor. We're confident that you'll enjoy the offline racing experience against the AI the way we have set them up for you. 


To enjoy the best results, we recommend that you use the Fast setups provided with the track and car sets containing ratings as described above. Your results and AI behavior, however, may vary depending on the type of mod used, the ratings of your specific car set, different setups used, driving style, skill level and countless other variables that make it practically impossible to predict the results that you will achieve while racing on this track.


PROJECT: Short Track Team
J.R. Franklin
Ben Althen
Mike Ehresman
Ian Smythe
Carl Sundberg
Wayne Anderson



[6] TROUBLE REPORTING 
====================================

This track is not supported by or affiliated with Vivendi Universal Games, Sierra Online, or Papyrus Racing Games so please do not call or email.

You may use the forums at NR2k3Tracks.com, stunodracing.net or the Ground Pounder Designs Facebook page for questions regarding the track.



[7] DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION 
====================================

Authorized Distributing Websites:

www.facebook.com/GroundPounderDesigns
www.nr2k3Tracks.com
www.smiffsden.com
www.stunodracing.net

THIS TRACK SHALL NOT BE POSTED AT ANY WEBSITES, OTHER THAN THE ONE(S) PROVIDED, WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM J.R. Franklin.


[8] AGREEMENT OF USE
=====================================

Use of this track by installation into a racing simulator constitutes agreement with this and the following statements:

1) This track shall not be sold or distributed for commercial purposes, or money exchanged for this track or any part thereof.

2) This track shall not be redistributed without written consent of the author(s) as listed above. 

3) This track cannot be modified without written consent of the author(s) as listed above.

4) This track, or any parts thereof, shall not be converted to rFactor or any other simulation without the written consent of the author(s) as listed above.

5) This track must always maintain an unmodified copy of this CREDITS_README in whatever form it is distributed.

6) This track is covered by implied intellectual property laws, in that it is the property of the author(s).

7) This track is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.



