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Track name: Kingsport Speedway 2021 PST
Racing Sim: NASCAR Racing 2003 Season simulation.
Short Track: 0.375 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] NOTES ABOUT THIS 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

These NR2003 day and night versions of "Kingsport Speedway 2021 PST" are an attempt to closely resemble the track as it appeared in 2021. Kingsport Speedway 2021 PST is not, however, an exact replica of the real-life Kingsport 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 Kingsport Speedway to the fans of NR2003.

AI: Yes.  Working pit stalls for 24 total cars (23 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: 0.375 mile asphalt oval located in Kingsport, TN.

Banking Information:  10-11 in the turns and 5 on the straightaways.  

History and Background:

Kingsport Speedway has provided race fans in the Tri-Cities, Tennessee and surrounding areas with exciting short track racing since 1965. The speedway, located just minutes from the famed Bristol Motor Speedway, has undergone four surface changes in its 56 plus years of existence. Founded as a high-banked dirt track in 1965, the facility transitioned to an asphalt track in 1969, back to a dirt track in 1984 and then to its current concrete surface in 1996. From 1969 through 1971, Kingsport Speedway hosted NASCAR's Top Division, the NASCAR Grand National Series, for 3 events. 

Through it's existence, Kingsport Speedway fans have enjoyed watching many of racing's greatest drivers, whether its track surface was asphalt, red clay, or brushed concrete. NASCAR and Motorsports Hall of Fame members, the likes of Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Harry Gant, Jimmy Hensley and many others have raced and won at Kingsport Speedway, as have a contingent of regional stars. 

Affectionately known as "The Concrete Jungle" for its concrete surface, walls and grandstands, Kingsport Speedway currently is part of the NASCAR Advanced Auto Parts Weekly Series, NASCARs grassroots series which crowns track, state, regional and national champions. 

For more information on Kingsport Speedway, follow Kingsport Speedway on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

(The above historical info on Kingsport Speedway was excerpted from www.NortheastTennessee.org and www.hometracks.nascar.com.)

 
[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, surface grip levels, quality assurance and testing.

2.  Ian Smythe:  Creation of base track layout and custom 3d objects too numerous to mention individually.

3.  Dave spears:  Painting of billboards, Victory Lane banner and the track win graphic. Provided numerous reference photos of Kingsport Speedway.

4.  Ben Althen:  Painting of real-life recreations of Hoosier and miscellaneous haulers seen in this and many PST tracks.  Quality assurance and testing.

5.  Wayne "Bowtie" Anderson:  Creation of 3d objects too numerous to mention individually.

6.  Mike Ehresman:  Quality assurance and testing.

7.  Beta Testing Team:  Mark Downing, Jim Windrow of STR SimRacing, Dave Spears, Ben Althen and Mike Ehresman..


Additional credits:

8.  John Norton (WKC Tracks):  Miscellaneous custom 3d objects.

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

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

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

12. Reference sources:      
    a.  Kingsport Speedway Facebook page.
    b.  Google Earth, maps, miscellaneous images and videos.
    c.	Miscellaneous YouTube videos.
    d.  Dave Spears - numerous reference photos
    e.  Racing-Reference.info
     
13. 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] 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.  Caution Pacing and A.I. Pitting.  BE VERY CAREFUL DURING CAUTION PACING.  KEEP A GOOD DISTANCE BEHIND THE CAR YOU'RE FOLLOWING IN THE PACE LINE!  During caution laps, the A.I. will speed up, then slow/STOP suddenly, hesitate for a short period and then speed back up again.  This is most evident entering turns 1 and 3.  This cycle is a behavior we call the "Brake Check - Accordian Effect". Please be aware of this while pacing under caution and be prepared to stop suddenly or drive to the outside of the car in front of you in case he suddenly brake-checks.  This is an issue we have observed in other tracks this size built under Butter's Rule.  Unfortunately, in no cases have we been able to solve this speed up/slow down behavior. By giving you this "heads up" about it you will find that it doesn't detract from the enjoyment of racing at Kingsport Speedway 2021 PST.  

3.  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 will 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.

4.  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.

5.  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 0.375 mile track holds 24 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.  

6.  Pit Stops.  The pit road speed limit is set at 35 mph which is 5 mph faster than the pace speed limit of 30 mph.  So you will be able to pass the pace car while on pit road.  Routine 4-tire and gas pit stops are possible without losing a lap depending on how close you are behind the pace car when you make your stop. If you are further back in line, you probably will not have enough time to complete damage repairs or a full 4-tire stop with gas and still remain on the lead lap, so plan your pit work accordingly. 
  
7.  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.

8.  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.) 

9. 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.
  
10. Multiple Racing Grooves.  This track features 2 distinct racing groves just like the real Kingsport 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.  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.

11. 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 Kingsport Speedway and short track racing in general in NR2003.  (The track will run however, using Cup and PTA physics and in Arcade mode.)

12.  WARNING.  Highly Detailed Graphics Rich Track.  In an effort to duplicate the details of the real Kingsport 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/

13. 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



[5] 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.



[6] DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION 
====================================

Autorized Distributing Websites:

Ground Pounder Designs Facebook page
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.



