Part 9

Complete NHL 27 Part 9 challenges like No Rain, No Problem and Learning the Draft. Strategies and requirements included.

No Rain, No Problem

Driver: Joe Nemechek

Difficulty: Legend

Description: Joe Nemechek was being pursued by Dale Jr. and Bobby Labonte when rain fell and gave Joe the win. This time with no rain and Dale Jr. and Labonte on your rear, win the race.

Situation: You start first at Richmond, six laps to go.

Requirements: Finish first, stay in top 10, stay on track, no reckless driving.

Strategy: After the restart, concentrate on blocking any major threats by the guys behind you. Once your car is up to speed, you are good to go as long as you don't get loose or run into the wall.

Learning the Draft

Driver: Brain Vickers

Difficulty: Legend

Description: Vickers and Gordon started towards the back of the pack at the 2004 Daytona 500 and drafted their way up to the front. Take control of Vickers and draft with Jeff into the top 10.

Situation: You start 24th at Daytona, ten laps to go.

Requirements: Ally must finish in top 10, finish in top 10, stay on track, no reckless driving.

Strategy: For the first 5 or 6 seconds, draft Jeff closely. As turn one approaches, take advantage of the slower AI by using the apron to pass a few cars. After the turn, return to the racetrack and hold your position until Jeff catches back up with you. Let him by and repeat as needed until both cars are in the top ten. Give yourself a good pat on the back if you can beat this in one try.

Zeroin' on Victory

Driver: Ward Burton

Difficulty: Legend

Description: Ward Burton finished in the top 10 in just his second race with his new team at the 2004 Subway 400. See if you can improve the #0 team's luck that day and get Ward into Victory Lane.

Situation: You start 9th at North Carolina, five laps to go.

Requirements: Finish first, stay in top 20, stay on track, no reckless driving.

Strategy: This challenge isn't too hard if you know how to pass intelligently, since the AI cars won't be running as fast as they usually do. The one thing that will make this challenge harder is the strict time limit and the fact that Kenseth, the leader, starts out about 2.5 seconds ahead of you. Do not use the Intimidator too much with this challenge as it will cost you time if you don't use it correctly. With a little practice, you'll beat this challenge in no time.

Repercussions?

Driver: Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Difficulty: Legend

Description: Dale Jr. wanted a top 10 in the worst way at the 2004 Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. See if you can change history by getting around the #15 car and finish in the top 10.

Situation: You start 11th at Bristol, five laps to go.

Requirements: Finish in top 10, stay above 16th, stay on track, no reckless driving.

Strategy: Don't ask me why they made this challenge a legend one, as all you need to do is pass an ALLY and hold off the rest of the field for the victory. Concentrate on making a clean pass as you have plenty of time, and you should successfully change history once again.

Doubters?

Driver: Matt Kenseth

Difficulty: Legend

Description: Kenseth followed up his win at North Carolina with another win at the UAW DaimlerChrysler 400. This time, with 2 to go, hold off a charging Kahne (again) and win the race.

Situation: You start second at Las Vegas, a little more than two laps to go.

Requirements: Finish first, stay above 5th, stay on track, no reckless driving.

Strategy: Lock onto Harvick immediately after beginning this challenge as you will easily get ahead of Kahne's pace that way. The #9 Dodge won't even threaten you until the first pair of turns on the last lap. On the back stretch, Harvick will run out of fuel, handing you the victory.

Turning the Tide

Driver: Ricky Craven

Difficulty: Bonus

Description: Ricky Craven battled hard at the end of the spring Talladega race and managed to lock up a fourth place finish. Take control and work your way through the pack to a win.

Situation: You start sixth at Talladega, two and a half laps to go.

Requirements: Finish first, stay above 11th, stay on track, no reckless driving.

Strategy: You will probably be able to pass two or three cars just as this challenge begins if you weave into the middle of the giant pack that is ahead of you. After making it into third or fourth place, the pack will start to become single file and drive away from you. Quickly lock onto a draft with them in order to keep them within range. You should catch up to them quickly enough that you will be able to blow by all of them on the next set of turns. It's just a matter of blocking any major passing threats from there on out.

Road Sweeper

Driver: Robby Gordon

Difficulty: Bonus

Description: Robby Gordon won the 2003 Sirius at the Glen after a hard charging Jeff Gordon ran out of fuel on the last lap. See if you can hold off a fully fueled Gordon and the rest of the pack.

Situation: You start first at Watkins Glen, one lap to go.

Requirements: Finish first, stay above 19th, stay on track, no reckless driving.

Strategy: To start, your lead is only .2 seconds heading into this challenge, so you'll have to pull off that tricky first turn perfectly. Slow down as you need to and avoid the hazards to the left. It's not that hard to hold off the field from there until you reach the set of tricky turns requiring you to run around 75 MPH. Allow someone to bang into your backside to get you.