USAC Auto Racing
USAC Auto Racing Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
- Rules folder.
- Game board, mounted in three sections (40.6 cm x 84.3 cm in total), including the race track, the Trouble Table, the Pit Stop Table and reference tables.
- Thirty-three driver specification cards ("driver cards"), one for each real qualified driver.
- Thirty-three plastic cars, each numbered 1 to 33 for identification, for use on the race track.
- USAC race pad, including a lap record sheet on one side and a qualifying time trial score sheet on the reverse.
- Two dice.
- Sports game catalog, describing the full series of award-winning Avalon Hill/Sports Illustrated sports games.
Driver Cards
It is important to keep in mind that the cars do not move according to the result of the dice. Instead, the result of the dice determines the movement of the cars.
Source note: the Spanish source prints the "Driver Cards" heading twice, with two versions of this paragraph. The first version reads as printed above; the second version, which follows, reads "according to the number of dice" and continues with the explanation of the driver card. Both are transcribed in order as printed.
Driver Cards (second printed version)
It is important to keep in mind that the cars do not move according to the number of dice. Instead, the number of dice simply refers to a number on the Driver Card, which indicates the distance that driver's car can travel each turn.
Strategy plays an important role here, just as in real life. On each turn you have the option of choosing risk. For example, most of the time you will drive in Normal mode; this will result in an outcome practically identical to that of your chosen driver in real life. You can increase your speed by switching to Accelerate on any turn, but this also increases your chances of having trouble. Decelerate if you want to play it safe for a while. You may change among the three options at any time, as long as you state it before you roll the dice.
EXAMPLE 1: You decide to drive in Normal mode and roll a "4" on one die and a "2" on the other. This totals "6". You look at the "Normal" column to the "6" and see "14". This means you can move your car up to 14 spaces. Now suppose that instead you decide to Accelerate. A roll total of "6" in the Accelerate column means you can move up to 15 spaces. However, note that if you roll a "7" while accelerating, you will have Trouble; whereas if you decelerate, you will move up to 13 spaces.
The illustration accompanying Example 1 shows an excerpt of a driver card with these annotations: "The dice roll 6" (Normal column, 14 spaces); "The dice roll 7" (Accelerate column, TA); "The dice roll 8" (Trouble A column, No. 6), with the note "This means consult the Trouble Table on the Game Map, then look at number 6 for the result"; and "This means consult the Trouble A column on the right and roll again." The entries of the excerpt are transcribed here:
| Dice total | Normal | Accelerate | Decelerate | Trouble A | Trouble B | Pit Stop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 17 | TA | 15 | No. 1 | No. 2 | No. 1 |
| 3 | 17 | 17 | 16 | No. 2 | No. 3 | No. 1 |
| 4 | 16 | 16 | 15 | No. 3 | No. 3 | No. 2 |
| 5 | 15 | 16 |
When "TA" or "TB" appears, consult the Trouble A or Trouble B columns, respectively. You must roll the dice again. In this case, the result of the dice refers to a number on the Trouble Table printed on the game board.
EXAMPLE 2: While accelerating, you roll a "12" on the dice. In the Trouble A column (TA), you roll an "8", which refers to the "6" on the Trouble Table. This means you LOSE POWER and can move only 5 spaces this turn.
NOTE: Several blank cards are provided in case you wish to duplicate any of the 33 included in this game.
Get Ready to Play
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Each person chooses a driver card showing his favorite driver, then takes a plastic car with the same identification number as the one printed on his driver card.
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Each player, one at a time, makes a time trial to determine his starting position in the race. (See TIME TRIALS.)
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Assign one player to handle the USAC Race Pad. Begin by writing the car number and the driver's name on the sheet titled QUALIFYING SCORE SHEET. Do the same on the LAP RECORD side of the score sheet.
Once you have become familiar with the track and have played several games, you can increase the fun by having each player drive more than one car. For example, four people can come close to the realism of the 500 Miles at Indianapolis by assigning 8 cars and different driver cards to three players and 9 to the fourth, for a total of 33 participants.
Time Trials
Each player, one at a time, must determine his starting position by running a time trial of three individual laps. The best of the three times will determine the starting position.
The order in which players make their time trials does not matter.
Driving in normal mode, it takes an average of 4 to 7 dice rolls to complete a lap. It is important to keep a record of the number of dice rolls needed to complete a lap; this can be done simply by placing a small "x" for each dice roll in the corresponding lap column of the QUALIFYING SCORE SHEET.
Keep rolling the dice until you have crossed the finish line at the end of a lap.
Because time trial speeds change from year to year, consult NOW the QUALIFYING SCORE SHEET, which shows how to calculate the time trial for the most recent race. See the paragraph HOW TO CALCULATE THE TIME TRIAL at the lower left of the score sheet.
Record lap times in the matching columns headed 1, 2 and 3. When the third time trial is finished, record the best of the three times in the column headed Best.
NOTE: If a driver is forced to "RETIRE FROM THE RACE" during a time trial because of trouble, he is considered out of the race for that lap only.
Start of the Game
It is recommended that in your first race you choose a small number of drivers to compete, such as six or nine, and run a short distance; 100 miles (5 laps) is recommended. Once you have mastered this short race, increase the number of drivers and also the distance, which will let you make pit stops and give you the opportunity to put your strategy into practice.
How the Race Proceeds
Line up all the cars on the START, no more than three per row. The best qualifying time gets the inside lane in the first row.
Stack all the driver cards in one pile, in turn order: the first car to move on top, the second car second from the top, and so on. This method guarantees that every driver has his turn and lets you know when the round has been completed.
Each car moves as shown in DRIVER CARDS, Example 1.
A car that cannot complete its move because it is blocked by the cars ahead of it loses its remaining speed points. Speed points lost in one turn cannot be used on the next.
If two or more cars are side by side, the cars in the inside lane always move first.
In the turns, all cars in the inside lane move before those in the outside lane.
Lane changes are not permitted in the turns.
Once a car passes another, the car that has been passed will move first in the next round. Find its card in the pile and place it in front of the car that has just been passed. The dice rolling follows a simple rule: "Whoever is first, rolls first."
As each car completes a lap (crosses the finish line), an "x" is marked on the lap record sheet. This is extremely important, since it will let you know who is leading the race after the pit stops. Keeping an accurate score sheet will resolve any problem that may arise in determining the position of the cars at the end of the race.
Passing
A car may be passed at any time, except in the turns where "NO LANE CHANGE" is indicated.
Once a car is behind another in the turns, it must stop and cannot pass or change lanes. It must give up its remaining moves.
A car may change lanes at any time, provided there is no other car in the space it is moving to.
Cars may move forward or sideways, BUT NEVER DIAGONALLY. Each move counts as ONE.
The four spaces at each end of the track are considered a short straight and may be used to change lanes or to pass other cars.
Pit Stops
Mandatory pit stops are:
500-mile race: 3 pit stops 250-mile race: 2 pit stops 150-mile race: 1 pit stop 100-mile race: 0 pit stops
Mandatory pit stops can be a strategy, so do not make them until you believe they benefit you.
You may make a pit stop on any lap except the first and the last.
To enter the pits, move to any of the spaces marked "ENTER PITS HERE". It is not necessary to reach an "ENTER PITS HERE" space with the exact number of spaces, but any leftover points are lost.
In the same turn in which you reach an "ENTER PITS HERE" space, roll the dice again. Consult the Pit Stop column of your driver card. The dice result will give you a number. Consult the Pit Stop Table on the game board, and that number will tell you how many turns you remain in the pits.
EXAMPLE 3: The car from Example 1 reaches the "ENTER PITS HERE" space and rolls a "10", which corresponds to "No. 5". On the pit stop table on the game board, the number "5" means it stays 6 turns in the pits. In this case, the car is placed on the space marked "6".
The pit spaces work like a clock. After each round in which all the cars on the track have moved, the cars in the pits move to the next lower numbered space.
Even while a driver is in the pits, his driver card must be placed in the pile of completed turns, just like all the other driver cards in any turn.
Once a car has reached space "1", it may resume normal, accelerate or decelerate speed on the track on that driver's next turn.
Be sure to mark an "X" in the pit stop column of the lap record sheet to ensure that all requirements are met. Do not mark an "X" for pit stops that cannot be counted toward the required stops (such as the "9" on the Trouble Table).
There is no limit on the number of pit stops. There is a limit on the number of cars allowed in the same pit space at the same time. If no space is available, simply place the surplus cars in a straight line next to the numbered space.
Out of the Race
In any race of more than 300 miles, a pit stop that requires a rest of 7 laps means that car is out of the race.
Yellow Caution
If the situation requires a yellow caution flag, consult the procedure described on the game board, under SPECIAL YELLOW LIGHT INSTRUCTIONS.
If the number of laps to be skipped is equal to or greater than the number of laps remaining at the time of the incident, the race is ended. The winner is the car that is in the lead at that moment.
Winning the Race
Mark an "X" beside each driver on the lap record sheet after he completes a lap. The apparent position of the cars becomes somewhat confusing when pit stops are made, but this is part of the complex nature of car racing. It is not hard to calculate if the score sheet is used correctly.
When the checkered flag falls on the winner, complete the rest of that driver's laps for this round and then end the race.
In the event that two or more cars cross the finish line and have completed all the laps required in the race, the car that finishes farther ahead is the winner. If two cars finish together, the winner is the car in the inside lane.
Optional Rule: Passing Through
For greater strategy and realism, players may use the special passing rule:
PASSING THROUGH: If on a straight a car is blocked by another car ahead, a driver may pass through this blocking car without changing lanes, at a cost of four points.
EXAMPLE 4: Driver A is behind Driver B and cannot pass him because of traffic, but has 6 points left. Driver A can pass in front of Driver B with 2 points remaining; therefore, passing Driver B costs Driver A a total of 4 points.