As oval racing is not big here in Australia I’m kinda left scratching my head at the racing line on the Daytona oval. Normally the fastest way around a corner is to come in wide, cut the apex and exit wide, but the line on the Daytona oval is just wide the whole way around the track. What’s the logic in staying wide around the entire track? Also I know the Brickyard oval has a more traditional racing line, so if it works on Daytona why not go wide and stay wide on all ovals?
I could be very wrong with what I’m about to say… But there are only two reasons for this. First of all I believe the outside line surface is more preferable (better grip, different slope on road), and of course the inside line requires a tighter turning radius. I’ve done a lot of racing on that track and for some reason, the outside line does seem to be faster; at least it is on the x or p class vehicles.
Oval lines vary because the banking angle can differ massively along with the angle of the turns. Daytona is a very heavily banked oval, Indianapolis very little banking, and it is technically a rectangular style oval so you want to think more about exit speed than anything else.
With high speed ovals it’s a trade off- you want to do the shortest distance BUT with the least speed scrubbed off by the turns.
So the optimal line for Indy then and the fastest is to aim for a virtual apex on the turns where you can shave off distance without scrubbing too much speed. Enter high, hit the apex low, exit high maximum possible exit speed. Closer to ‘traditional’ circuit cornering.
For Daytona it is different, the steep banking and long turns mean you need to run higher and stay there so as to not scrub so much speed all the way around the corner.
It depends on if your grip limited or not but generaly the inside line is faster because you got a shorter distance to drive. Sometimes I run even more in the inside on the non banked part if your car can handle it.
Yes the inside line is generally faster on Daytona. It does depend on your grip levels and of course if you are running a long race where tire wear is a factor but in general the outside line around the corner is both slower and has less grip due to less banking at the top of the track. Many cars I have driven out there will hit the wall if you try the suggested line.
Some cars you are best being wide on entry, drop down to the apex and wide on exit, other cars are better to run mid way up the track through the corner and others are best to run right at the bottom,
I’ve did a lot of laps on Daytona posting top 10 times and yet my stats so 0 good turns and 0 perfect turns on that track. Driving those same cars if I were to drive what the game considers a perfect line I would not even sniff the top 25 and later in the game not the top 100.
Indy on the other hand shows a pretty good line. You can run the suggested line and be very fast though if you have enough grip you can be faster by running a bit tighter in the corners than the line suggests
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Also the closer you are to the wall the less drag/wind resistance
Also, and when you are aiming for that fastest lap time, when your car is on the fringe between being stable and sliding up into the wall, that line is pretty much where you want to be as the Double-Yellow is a bit too tight and hard to hold on to whilst maintaining 265+mph.
If you watch Daytona NASCAR qualifying they run the bottom. It is the fast line. Forza putting the driving line around the top is unexplainable but most cars in the game are faster around the bottom. Maybe there are some exceptions for higher classes or over powered cars. Daytona doesn’t have progressive banking so that is not a factor there.
The line required on ovals is usually the line where you can carry the most speed.
On some turns to stay narrow you may need to wash off too much speed.
It’s wrong. That’s all you need to know.
The fastest line is at the bottom. The only reason to run the top is if you need a few laps to build up speed. It has absolutely nothing to do with grip or being a preferable line.
The only times you should run a higher line is if your car is garbage and can’t hold the bottom so you would come in higher and come down maybe a half lane above apex. This should keep up speed and help with consistent cornering.
With Daytona you don’t want to turn. Turning results in slower laps. The goal instead is to take the corner entry as straight as possible, hug the bottom line with little turn input and somewhat let it wash up out of the corner. If you let it wash up on exit too much you will lose time because you are driving a longer distance. Usually a half lane above white line is as high as you should go on exit.
Typically corner principles do not apply because you’re already at a high speed and acceleration is non existent. The goal instead is to take the shortest path around the track without scrubbing speed in the corners. If you run the high line you will have little trouble keeping up speed but your lap will be at least a second slower because you went a longer distance.
What I said above for the most part doesn’t apply at Homestead oval for most classes due to sharper turns. On this track it’s a mix between Daytona and traditional cornering philosophy.
I’ve stood next to Daytona. You’d be amazed how tall and how banked the corners are. It’s breathtaking.