Part 19

NHL 27 track strategies for Levi Strauss, Old Spice, New York, Phoenix Infield, Red Ball, and Speedway Blvd. Includes speed recommendations.

Levi Strauss

Length: 0.5 Miles-400/250/200/150/100 Laps

Type: Short Track

Events/Time: Signature 400/Day (Nextel), Coyote Run 250/Day (Busch), Treasure Lake 200/Day (Craftsman Truck), Market Street 150/Day (Featherlite), Steel Mill 100/Day (Featherlite)

Strategy: This track is just like Pocono, only with banking and much shorter. You will be able to reach 130-135 MPH on the straightaways and have to slow down to 105 MPH during the turns to compete well here. The turns are quite tight, so give the brakes a forceful tap during traffic.

Strategy (F): The modified cars will find themselves gliding around this track. Speed up to 130 MPH during the straightaways and slighty slow down to 120 MPH for turns one and three. The turn in the back straightaway doesn't even require a change in speed.

New York

Length: 2 Miles-175 Laps

Type: Road Course

Events/Time: Rush Hour 350/Night (Nextel)

Strategy: The track starts out with a nice straightaway, then banks hard to the right, but there is a spill-off to the left if you aren't careful enough. After an easy left, an easy right, and a long easy right, you should be going almost 150 MPH. After another long straightaway, a slight bend to the left will prepare you for a square right immediately after. Since the auto-brake feature is on for now, all you need to do is get up off the gas and maybe give the brakes a tap until you are down to 105-110 MPH. You will then reach a banked turn after another set of easy turns, which gently leads you right. You should slow down to about 120 MPH before accelerating to the start/finish line for another lap.

Old Spice

Length: 1.5 Miles-333/200/233/133/100/66 Laps

Type: Road Course

Events/Time: Old Spice 500/Day (Nextel), Ice Shanty 300/Day (Busch), Dairyland 350/Day (Busch), Cheese Wheel 200/Day (Craftsman Truck), Door County 150/Day (Featherlite), Cherry Blossom 100/Day (Featherlite)

Strategy: This track is similar to Infineon, except it is shorter. It starts out with a long straightaway before curving off to the left, forcing you to slow down to 100 MPH. A harsher right then occurs, forcing a further speed drop to 80 MPH. You will then drive down a quick straightaway before reaching a rounded hairpin to the left. Negotiate this curve at about 60 MPH. You will then go through a gentle right and a gentle left as you re-gather your speed. The enterance to pit road is on the right after this pair of turns, so watch out. If you aren't pitting, stay left and glide through to the second left-handed hairpin. You should reach 160 MPH before having to brake back down to 60 MPH and turn to complete the lap. You can re-gain your speed down the long straightaway that follows to start your next lap.

Strategy (F): The special cars will once again help you out on this course. Speed up to 140 MPH by the end of the start/finish line straightaway, then glide through the following left turn. The square right that comes up next requires a downshift and a slow down to 85 MPH. The next left beckons a further drop to 70 MPH. After that, speed up gradually to 150 MPH before reaching the hairpin. Take this nasty left at 75 MPH to successfully navigate it.

Phoenix Infield

Length: 1.149 Miles-270 Laps

Type: Road Course

Events/Time: Sandstorm 500K/Day (Nextel)

Strategy: This track is not as crazy as some of the other infield courses, as it pretty much follows the normal track path. After the normal straightaway and turn one, the track goes right of the normal path and guides you into a banked left turn, which must be taken at 85 MPH, being so tight in the middle. A quick right follows, which gets you temporarily back on the normal track. Turn three is much sharper on the road course, so slow down to about 45-50 MPH in order to make the almost square turn. Gather speed as you turn right, then slow down to 65 MPH to take the left-hand turn that will allow you to finish each lap.

Red Ball

Length: 0.533 Miles-400/350/200/250/150/100 Laps

Type: Short Track

Events/Time: Red Ball 400/Night (Nextel), Switch Track 400/Night (Busch), White River 350/Night (Busch), Crossroads 200/Night (Craftsman Truck), Locomotive 250/Night (Craftsman Truck), Railway 150/Night (Featherlite), Hooster 100/Night (Featherlite)

Strategy: This track is another re-incarnation of Bristol, which means that you should slow down to 90-95 MPH in the turns and reach 120-125 MPH during the straightaways.

Strategy (F): Speed up to 130 MPH on the stretches and slow down to 115 MPH during the turns.

Speedway Blvd.

Length: 3 Miles-133 Laps

Type: Road Course

Events/Time: Speedway Blvd. 400/Night (Nextel)

Strategy: This track is certainly the roughest, causing your controller to vibrate more often here than anywhere else. The lap begins with a straightaway that is much shorter than usual, and it sharply curves right, forcing a speed drop to 100 MPH. A quick left soon follows, causing a 90 MPH glide in this section. You will then drive down a long straightaway, the second half of which is very narrow. The quick right comes up in a hurry, so brake to 90 MPH as soon as you see the arrows. After driving through the dirt portion, you won't have to slow down for a while, not until the hard left about ten seconds after the new asphalt section begins. You will have to have a minimum speed of 90 MPH once a