G'Day fellow tuxers……. Its Bruce your host here once again…….. Its another Saturday here right now…….……


[+..••] As for gaming this week in Emulationville I played [+..••]

Arcade

Garou: Mark of the Wolves (1999 SNK) - Fighting


Console

Darkwing Duck (1992 Capcom) - Nintendo Entertainment System - Platfromer
ESPN NFL 2K5 (2004 Sega) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Football)
Formula 1 (1996 Psygnosis) - Sony PlayStation - Sports (Racing)
Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball (1996 Acclaim) - Sony PlayStation - Sports (Baseball)
Madden NFL 2003 (2002 EA Sports) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Football)
NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona (2002 Infogrames) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Racing)
Pilotwings 64 (1996 Nintnedo) - Nintendo 64 - Action
Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (2006 Konami) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Soccer)
Risk: Global Domination (2003 Atari) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Board game
The Firemen (1994 Human Entertainment) - Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Action-adventure
Tecmo Super Bowl 2024 (2023 TecmoBowl.org) - Nintendo Entertainment System - Sports (Football)


PC

NASCAR Heat 5 (2020 Motorsport Games) - Steam - Sports (Racing)
Race 07 (2007 SimBin) - Steam - Sports (Racing)
SRX: The Game (2021 Monster Games) - Steam - Sports (Racing)


Dick Trickles Racing Career: Part 46
NASCAR Dirt to Daytona: Part 46

Intro music…... Hello and welcome to Left Turn Heaven exclusively on the Crass Racing Association Programming..... Im Murray Eastlake and today im going to be bringing you all a special off season edition…… This week is the final week before the 2006 racing season starts……

And we have saved the best till last…… This week I sit down with the owner of Dick Trickle Racing…… Dick Trickle…… Dick dominated the 2005 Featherlite Modified Series…. Setting many records that will never be broken….. Lets find out what he has been up to during the off season…..

*Murray Eastlake walks into Dicks workshop and sits down in the chair opposite to Dick….. Dick is flanked by three vehicles…… One is the Infogrames Flaming Dick Machine…….. One is the Grinch Performance Modified Flaming Dick Machine……. The third vehicle is covered by a sheet…….*

Murray Eastlake: Thank you for allowing us to have this interview with you Dick….. I have it on good authority that you have been very busy this off season……

Dick Trickle: No worries Murray……. And yes ive been flat out like a lizard drinking…… After conquering the modified series I needed a new challenge…… Ive been making lots of phone calls and sending emails and having meetings…… You know all that boring stuff I hate doing…… And I managed to find a new sponsor that was willing to pay the money I was looking for with the requirement I thought was fair……. And I was able to track down a vehicle that was suitable for my needs……..

*Dick Trickle stands up and walks over to the covered vehicle and pulls back the cover to reveal a Craftsman Truck*


2006 Sears Craftsman Die Hard Dick Machine…….


Dick Trickle: Well there it is Murray…… My new ride for this season…… I will be moving up to the Craftsman Truck Series……. With the help of Sears Craftsman Die Hard as my main sponsor……. Now im in the big leagues the sponsor dictates the livery……. So no more “Flaming Dick” for me…….

Murray Eastlake: Wow that is huge news……. I look forward to seeing you race in the Craftsman Truck Series…….. What does this mean for your other racing programs???…...

Dick Trickle: Ive done all there is to do in the dirt series so I will not be racing in the Weekly Dirt Racing Series anymore…… But I will keep going in the Featherlite Modified Series……. Someone needs to keep an eye on that twunt Jason Sulivan………

Murray Eastlake: Speaking of Jason Sulivan you had several run ins with him during the season resulting in a big fight at the end of the season…… Once again a edited picture of your self was the highest viewed image on the Featherlite Modified Series MySpace page………


The edited photo of Dick on MySpace…..

Dick Trickle: That image is just the gift that keeps of giving hey…… The guy who edited that did a great job……. And it does always give me a laugh when its brought up…….. I hope the fighting can stop in the Craftsman Truck Series…….. But I this Dick dont like it when hes rubbed the wrong way……...

Murray Eastlake: You set so many records in the Modified Series and also in the Dirt Series……. Ive never seen anyone dominate the Modified Series like you did last season……. Every pole position……. Every fastest lap……. Every race win…….. Led every single lap…… No one has done any of that before period……. But you have done it all in a single season…….. What are thoughts and feeling on that now that you have time to reflect on it???…….

Dick Trickle: It felt really good…… After getting totally screwed out of the championship thanks to Louis Livas and Jason Sulivan in 2004…… My focus was on crushing them in the 2005 season and that I just did…… And oh boy did I crush them……

Murray Eastlake: Speaking of crushing…… I see the Grinch Performance Modified Flaming Dick Machine got repaired…… Who ended up paying for that???…….

Dick Trickle: Yeah it got repaired all ok……. And NASCAR ordered that twunt [Jason] Sulivan to pay it….. As he should have to as well….. That kid has a few lose roos in the top paddock thats for sure…….. As I said before it sucks that we need to get into these types of situations before NASCAR does anything……. They should have stepped in long before that happened…...

Murray Eastlake: After you accomplished your goal of getting the perfect season...... Pussy Galore promised you a "Special Surprise"....... Can you tell us what that was???.......

Dick Trickle: I would like to tell you but I cant...... Since Crass Racing Association Programming is professional network and has standards....... I would very much be in breach of those professional standards if I told you what it was....... But I will say that it felt very..... VERY..... good......

Murray Eastlake: With your move to the Craftsman Truck Series you are going to be doing battle with the current Craftsman Truck Series Champion Rick Crawford…. As well as the likes of Brendan Gaughan, Travis Kvapil, Bobby Hamilton and Ron Hornaday Jr.…… How do you think you will stack up against the likes of them????……..

Dick Trickle: I think I should do alright…… The truck is totally stock right now and I will wait and see what needs to be upgraded the most after Daytona……. But with my driving ability I should be able to get in the top half of the field even with a stock truck……. The thing I do need to get before Daytona though is a pit crew…… As cautions and pit stops will now be a thing in my races…….. I hope to have a crew all set for Daytona……. I have a good bit of money saved up so I should be able to afford a good pit crew………

Murray Eastlake: Any other changes you have to make to the team now that you have moved to the truck series????

Dick Trickle: Yes…… I hired Jacques O’Ften who will be my spotter……. And as for a crew chief I hired Dick Seaman to be my crew chief…… Im sick of dealing with NASCAR so he can do it….. And he can deal with the tech inspections also…...

Murray Eastlake: Do you have any outright goals for your first Craftsman Truck Series season???…… Anything in particular you want to achieve???…….

Dick Trickle: The sponsors objectives is the main thing I am aiming for……. Of course I would like to get a win and maybe be in the championship hunt……. But first and foremost I need to get the sponsors objectives done for the bonus money…...

Murray Eastlake: Any words you want to give your fellow new competitors before the start of the season next week???…….

Dick Tricke: Just that im not here to make up the numbers…….. I will race as hard as possible and I will be a threat for the top 10 after a few races….. Once I get to grips with the truck and get some upgrades I will be gunning for top 10 finishes….. Minimum……...

Murray Eastlake: Any words for the new fans that will be watching you for the first time???……..

Dick Trickle: You better buckle up…… Because you aint ever seen a Dick like this…… Its going to be a wild year…….

Murray Eastlake: Well thats all the time we have….. Thank you for letting us come here and do this interview Dick…… Much appreciated…….. And good luck for the up coming season…….

Dick Trickle: Anytime Murray….. You are always welcome here……. Look forward to seeing you next week at the track……. Will see you there…….

Thats all from this special off season edition of Left Turn Heaven….. The racing action will be back next week as Left Turn Heaven will be exclusively bringing you all the heart stopping action from the 2006 Craftsman Series..…

Next week the Craftsman Truck Series will be at the Daytona International Speedway……. Dick Trickle will be making his series debut…… This will also be Dicks first plate race…… How will he fair??…… Will he be a contender???…… Or will he be a pretender???……. Can Rick Crawford start his championship title defence with a win???….. Or will another hungry driver walk away with the top prize???…...

Tune in next week for the answers to all these questions and more….. You wont want to miss a single moment of what is sure to be a sensational season…… Same CRAP time…… Same CRAP network…...

This is Murray Eastlake reporting for Left Turn Heaven exclusively on Crass Racing Association Programming..... And until next time its goodbye from me....

This series has been great fun for me so far…… Hope you have all enjoyed reading it as much I have enjoyed writing it…… Getting some creative writing in has made these weekend posts even more fun for me…..

From here on there will be no more Featherlite Modified Series race recaps I will be focusing on the Craftsman Truck Series…… I will just post the NASCAR Heat Weekly newspaper image after each Modified race…… And a short paragraph of what happens……..


End of season…..





Final 2005 Weekly Dirt Racing Series Season Standings…..





Final 2005 Featherlite Modified Series Season Standings…..



Sears Craftsman primary sponsorship offer….



2006 Grinch Performance Modified Flaming Dick Machine……



2006 Sears Craftsman Die Hard Dick Machine…….


The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a “Pickup Truck” racing series…… Its one of the newest NASCAR series and started as the “NASCAR SuperTruck Series” in 1995…… With Mike Skinner winning the first ever race at Phoenix International Raceway…… Skinner would go on to be the first Truck Series Champion……

The Craftsman Truck Series has proved to be very popular over the years from both fans and drivers alike….. Many of the todays top NASCAR Cup drivers have had a stint in the truck series……. And has proved to be a popular stepping stone for young talent to prove they have what it takes to be a top flight NASCAR Cup Series driver……..

Many of the top Cup drivers even owned a Truck Series team…. From Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Brad Keselowski…..

The Craftsman Truck Series is the place to be to be seen and rise up the NASCAR racing ranks…… It can also just as easily end careers of young drivers who are just not good enough……. The Craftsman Truck Series is not for the faint of hearted……..

In NASCAR Dirt to Daytona……. The Craftsman Truck Series has a 14 race schedule…… All 14 races are on tarmac/concrete ovals…… And all tracks are real……. So no more road courses for a bit…….

There are no heat races just like in the Modified Series and there are 36 trucks in the races…… Some of the drivers are the real and some of them are fake…….

There are pit stops as well as yellow flags and the pace car are now part of the races ……. So lots of race strategy now……. I will be continuing to do 50% race distances and now the 2x tyre wear and fuel usage will come into effect……


Allen Bestwick introduces us to the Craftsman Truck Series…...



Game Settings…...



The office area…….



The garage area…….



2006 season…..


***INTERMISSION……...***


2023 Advent Gaming Calendar

Its that time of year again……. I gave my lovely assistant a list of 40+ games I have never played before……. My assistant had the task of culling the list down to 25 games and putting them in order for the Gaming Advent Calendar……. And I have no idea what games made the cut and what order they are in……

Day 16 of the 2023 Gaming Advent Calendar was……..

Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball (1996 Acclaim) - Sony PlayStation - Sports (Baseball)

A nice arcade like baseball experience…….. Graphics are really nice for the PS1……. With some really nice sound effects and announcers……. The gameplay is simple and more on the arcade side of things which is good……

Features all the teams and nearly all of the players from the 1995 season….. Im not enough into baseball to know if all the players are there but im assuming a few would be missing due to licencing issues……. It was the style at the time……..

A good baseball game…… Not as deep or well known as EA’s Triple Play series…….. But still a good game in its own right…… Well worth a play……. Was also released on the SNES, Mega Drive, Saturn, Game Gear, Game Boy and PC……. So plenty of ways to play it…….


Day 17 of the 2023 Gaming Advent Calendar was……..

Darkwing Duck (1992 Capcom) - Nintendo Entertainment System - Platfromer

Darkwing Duck on the NES is a good game….. Nice music and sounds for the NES…… Very nice graphics as well……. Very bright and colourful……. A descent storyline????……. Not sure I skipped most of it……. Controls are good if a bit weird at times……

Its a good platformer and well worth a play if you like Disney CRAP…….. 73%……….


Day 18 of the 2023 Gaming Advent Calendar was……..

Garfield Kart - Furious Racing (2019 Microids) - Steam - Sports (Racing)

A very by the numbers inoffensive kart racer……. Its looks good…. Controls well….. Sounds alright…… Maybe a tad on the bland side and lacks imagination in both vehicle design and track design……….

If you cant play Mario Kart this is a good option…… Perfect for the younger kids as well…… What kid doesnt love Garfield????……..


Day 19 of the 2023 Gaming Advent Calendar was……..

Pilotwings 64 (1996 Nintnedo) - Nintendo 64 - Action

Pilotwings 64 was a launch title for the Nintendo 64…… Its not bad but does come off as a tech demo for the system…… The three vehicles which are the hang glider, jet pack and gyro copter all control nice…… The game looks good for the N64 as well……

Theres just not really a whole bunch to do…… One you get your licences theres really just free roam….. Which is really nice and soothing…… The whole game just lacks depth…..

Really should have been a pack-in title and not a full priced game…….


Day 20 of the 2023 Gaming Advent Calendar was……..

The Firemen (1994 Human Entertainment) - Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Action-adventure

A very very damn good game that is well worth a play through……. Play as a fireman putting out a fire in a high rise office on Christmas Day……. The graphics are fantastic with excellent sprite work and awesome fire effects…… The sounds are good….. The controls are nice…… Storyline is ok……

A game about being a fireman might sound boring but its actually real good…… And even has boss fights against the fire……. Human Entertainment put a lot of thought, time and effort into this game……. Definitely give it a go…….

It was released only in Japan and PAL regions…….. For my money its the best Christmas game ever made…….. Just like Die Hard is the best Christmas movie ever made…...


Day 21 of the 2023 Gaming Advent Calendar was……..

Formula 1 (1996 Psygnosis) - Sony PlayStation - Sports (Racing)

And its go go go for Formula 1 on the Sony PlayStation……. This is the first Formula 1 game on the PlayStation and recreates the 1995 FIA Formula One World Championship Season…… All the teams, drivers and tracks are represented as well as can be for a 1996 PS1 game……

Graphics are good with some nice detail and good use of colour……. Sounds are ok…… Very generic guitar rift in the menus…….. The engine sounds are nice and they have the voice of the one and only Murray Walker shouting at you as you drive……. And the controls are very very nice…….

Overall this is a really good Formula 1 game for the PS1…… And should be played by anyone interested in Formula 1 or racing in general…….


Day 22 of the 2023 Gaming Advent Calendar was……..

Risk: Global Domination (2003 Atari) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Board game

A digital adaptation of the bored game…… Its a good challenging adaptation of the game……. The virtual dice like to screw you just as much as the real dice do…… So they at least got that part right…. And the AI is quite good too……

The graphics are nice…… Nothing special but then again its Risk……. Sounds are good with nice voice overs of the action…….. And the controls are alright…….

Overall its a solid digital adaptation of the board game….. Though I do think Risk Factions is a overall better version of the game…...


The Road To PES Penguin 6


The road to unlock the PES Penguin in Pro Evolution Soccer 6 is at 2050 PES points out of 5000……….


Next week…… There will be more hardcore modified Dick Trickle racing action in NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona……. 2023 Gaming Advent Calendar…….. And more PES Penguin 6……….

Well thats it from me…… Hope all you tuxers have a good week……

Now for my bad joke of the week……
Q: What do you call the fear of being trapped in a chimney???.....
A: CLAUStrophobia........
*ba dum.... tssssh…...*