NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway Gears Up for 1998 3Dfx Cup
10 September 1998
NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway Gears Up for First-Ever Virtual Racing Championship in 1998 3Dfx Cup
CUPERTINO, Calif.--Sept. 10, 1998--3Dfx and Creative Labs Launch Interactive Race For All Skill
Levels, Complete with Life-Size Stock Cars and A Virtual Track
NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway(TM), the country's hottest interactive race driving center, announces the 3Dfx Cup, a four-state, four-city, no-holds-barred, first-ever virtual NASCAR race driving championship worth $30,000 in prize money.
The door-banging, white-knuckle, wheel-to-wheel racing action on the simulated track at NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway is getting even more serious with the creation of the "3Dfx Cup," a three-tiered competition open to players of all abilities at Speedway race driving centers located in Minnesota's Mall of America, in Illinois' Woodfield Shopping Center near Chicago, in Texas at the Dallas Galleria and in Southern California's Irvine Spectrum Center.
Using a proprietary simulation system powered by 3Dfx Interactive technology, the fully equipped, two-seat, 700hp NASCAR stock cars are each mounted on their own full-motion platform. This allows NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway to provide life-like, race-driving action including acceleration up to 195mph, banking and bumping sensations.
Dale Jarrett, NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver, said "I am amazed at how competitive this simulated race can get. I felt like I was fighting for every inch of track, not unlike any given Sunday in a NASCAR Winston Cup race."
Contestants can qualify to race in Veteran, Professional and Rookie levels at Speedway locations between September 12 and November 15, 1998. Following elimination races on Nov. 18 through 20, the top two fastest qualifiers in each category at each site will win a trip to Dallas plus two-nights hotel stay to take part in the 3Dfx Cup's championship race on Dec. 5.
The top eight winners in each level will win prize money, with the Professional first-place winner netting the grand prize of $5,000, followed by the Veteran bracket champion winning $2,500 and the Rookie winner racking up $1,250 in cash prizes.
3Dfx Interactive, Inc., along with Creative Labs, Inc. are the premier sponsors of the 3Dfx Cup. NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway uses 3Dfx Voodoo2(TM) technology in the form of Creative Lab's award-winning 3D Blaster Voodoo2 along with Sound Blaster products to help create the hottest, most intense gaming experience ever.
"The 3Dfx Cup is a sport of skill that combines the latest technology with race car driving talent," said Doug Kennedy, events and promotions manager for 3Dfx Interactive, Inc. "The Speedway is powered by multiple Voodoo2 graphics accelerators -- the same 3D graphics technology used to transform a PC into the ultimate gaming machine. This techology delivers a visual experience that rivals that of real racing."
"Creative is proud to be a premier sponsor of the 3Dfx Cup," said Jim Carlton, product marketing manager for Creative Labs. "Our hardware provides the sights and sounds of a racing experience so real you feel like you're actually strapped to the seat of a NASCAR Winston Cup car."
A player's best lap time in a qualifying race will be used to determine the category of competition: faster than 29.39 seconds is Professional, 29.40 to 29.99 seconds is Veteran and 30.00 seconds and above is Rookie. The cost to qualify is $10 which includes a 3Dfx T-shirt and the chance to win $5,000. All participants must be 18 years of age or older.
"We created the 3Dfx Cup in response to the popularity of racing leagues that have sprung up at each Speedway and hope to expand it into an annual national competition as dozens of sites open around the country over the next two years," said Chris Morse, vice president of Silicon Entertainment, creators of the Speedway.
Motor Trend Magazine says "Whether you're a closet stock-car race driver or simply looking to boost your adrenaline count by a couple hundred percent, a visit to a new NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway center is just the right prescription." Sports Illustrated Magazine calls NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway "an exhilarating approximation of real racing."
For information about local Speedway racing, telephone toll free 877/NEEDSPEED. Or visit NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway on the Web at www.smsonline.com. Or check out the 3Dfx Web site at HYPERLINK http://www.3dfx.com.
3Dfx Interactive develops high-performance, cost-effective 3D media processors, software and related technology that are designed to enable a highly immersive, interactive and realistic 3D experience across interactive electronic entertainment platforms and personal computers, coin-operated arcade systems and location-based entertainment. Current 3Dfx Interactive products include the Voodoo family of accelerator chipsets, Voodoo2(TM), Voodoo Graphics and Voodoo Banshee(TM).
Creative Technology Ltd. (Creative Labs) develops, manufactures and markets a wide array of advanced multimedia solutions for the PC, entertainment, education, music and productivity tools markets. Creative's products are marketed through the OEM, systems integrator and retail channels under a variety of trademarks, including the "Blaster" family name. With the new Sound Blaster PCI standard, Creative has produced a solution that utilizes a combination of hardware and software for near-perfect compatibility with existing DOS and Windows titles.
Privately-held Silicon Entertainment (formerly LBE Technologies, Inc.), creator of NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway, is located in Cupertino, California. NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway, the most realistic and entertaining driving simulator in the world, is officially licensed by NASCAR. Developed around continually advancing technology, a network of NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway race driving entertainment centers is being located throughout the U.S.
Note to Editors: Photos & videotape available
3Dfx Interactive and Voodoo Graphics are registered trademarks and Voodoo, Voodoo2 and Voodoo Banshee are trademarks of 3Dfx Interactive.
