Abstract:
A card game simulative of automobile track racing comprises a deck of cards having several categories of cards, including lap cards, offensive pit cards, defensive pit cards, sponsor cards, and a draft card, a die for determining a track condition for each round of play, and a method for keeping score to determine the order of finish for each player. The rules of the game closely simulate auto track racing with each player utilizing the cards in a strategic manner based upon certain track conditions and that approximates the strategic decisions an actual auto track racer makes during a race.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/807,135, filed Jul. 12, 2006, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to games simulating auto racing, and more particularly to a card game that simulates stock car track racing. 
         [0003]    Automobile racing around a track has become a popular spectator sport. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR), which began in 1948, is the sanctioning body for auto track racing in the United States. Under its guidance, NASCAR® racing has become the United States&#39; top spectator sport—holding 17 of the top 20 attended sporting events in the U.S. in recent years, the second rated regular-season sport on television with broadcasts in over 150 countries, and has around 75 million fans that purchase over $2 billion annually in licensed products. 
         [0004]    NASCAR racing consists of three major national series (NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series) as well as eight regional series and one local grassroots series. NASCAR sanctions 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 35 U.S. States, Canada and Mexico. Thus, in addition to individual races, the sport that is guided by NASCAR also has a series format wherein the racers collect points at each race and a winner is ultimately determined by which racer has the most points collected at the end of the series. 
         [0005]    The fans of NASCAR, as described supra, desire merchandise that is associated with auto racing, including clothing, toys, posters, and other general merchandise. In order to simulate the sport without having to actually play the sport it is desirable that the fans be provided with games having strategies that closely approximate the sport itself. 
         [0006]    It is therefore a principal object and advantage of the present invention to provide a game that simulates the sport of auto track racing. 
         [0007]    It is another object and advantage of the present invention to provide a game that can be played in one sitting, or played as a series event wherein points are collected over a series of games. 
         [0008]    It is a further object and advantage of the present invention to provide a game that is portable. 
         [0009]    It is still another object and advantage of the present invention to provide a game that may be inexpensively manufactured. 
         [0010]    Other objects and advantages of the present invention will in part be obvious, and in part appear hereinafter. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    In accordance with the foregoing objects and advantages, the present invention provides a game simulative of auto track racing, comprising a deck of cards, each card being categorized into one of a plurality of card types comprising lap cards each of which contains a number of laps printed thereon, condition cards each of which contains a condition printed thereon, and repair cards each of which contains a repaired condition printed thereon; a die, or other chance determining means, for determining the track condition; and a play area comprising a common discard pile area, a common draw/play pile area, a plurality of player lap piles, and a plurality of player condition piles. The play area may be defined on a game board having designated spaces for the various piles of cards, or can simply be a make-shift area defined in the space on which the game is being played, without any formal game structure being provided (e.g., on a table around which the players are seated.) 
         [0012]    The method for playing the game simulative of automobile track racing, generally comprises the steps of providing a deck of cards, each card being categorized into one of a plurality of card types comprising lap cards each of which contains a number of laps printed thereon, condition cards each of which contains a condition printed thereon, and repair cards each of which contains a repaired condition printed thereon; dealing a predetermined number of cards into a predetermined number of piles of cards, the predetermined number of piles corresponding to the number of players playing the game, and placing the non-dealt cards in a draw/play pile; designating one of the players as the flagman; providing a die containing a plurality of sides with each side containing identifying means for determining the track condition, wherein the flagman will roll the die to determine the first track condition; providing that each player shall have a lap pile and a condition pile, and that the draw/play pile and a discard pile shall be positioned in a common play area; each player taking a turn in sequence playing the game, wherein each player&#39;s turn comprises the steps of drawing a card from the draw/play pile, and discarding a card from his/her pile of cards into one of the following piles: his/her lap pile, his/her condition pile, and the condition pile that is associated with another of the players; after each player has taken a turn in sequence, the step of the flagman rolling the die to determine a subsequent track condition; and continuing the sequential playing of the game until an end of game condition is satisfied. An end of game condition can include, for example, the first player to accumulate a predetermined number of laps, e.g., exactly 500 laps, in his/her lap pile (although any number of laps could be designated as constituting a complete game/race), or the aggregation of the most points by any player collected over a series of individual games/races. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    The present invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reading the following Detailed Description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a representational schematic view of a game layout according to the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of representative cards used in playing the game according to the present invention; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of a representative score card used in playing the game according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout, there is seen in  FIG. 1  a game that simulates auto track racing, designated generally by reference numeral  10 . Game  10  generally comprises a play area  12 , a die  14 , and a deck of cards  16 . 
         [0018]    Play area  12  consists of either a board layout or simply a make shift area on a table or other surface on which the game is being played, and includes a common play area  18 , and player stations  20  (player  1 ),  22  (player  2 ),  24  (player  3 ), and  26  (player  4 ) (although it should be noted that the game can be played by two or more players with  FIG. 1  simply illustrating the game set up for four players). Each player station  20 - 26  includes a lap pile area  28 , a condition pile area  30 , and two special card pile areas  32  and  34  (pile area  32  being referred to hereinafter as the “180° play area” and pile area  34  being referred to hereinafter as the “360° play area”). 
         [0019]    Die  14  can be a standard six sided die, or other multi-faceted die, with each surface being representative of a track condition. There are three different track conditions possible; a green flag condition, a yellow flag condition, and a red flag condition, the consequences of which will be explained hereinafter. Of course, other “chance” tools could be used, such as, for example, a spinner which could be spun instead of rolling the die, or chance cards which could be drawn or selected instead of rolling the die. 
         [0020]    Deck of cards  16  includes several different categories of cards as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . Amongst the categories of cards are: lap cards  36 , defensive condition/pit cards  38 , offensive condition/pit cards  40 , sponsor cards  42 , draft cards  44 , a “move-over/skip” card  46 , and a pace car card  48 . Amongst each category of cards, there are specific cards. For instance, inclusive amongst lap cards  36  are a predetermined number of first valued e.g., 10 laps, lap cards (representative of 10 laps)  50 , a predetermined number of second value e.g., 20 laps, lap cards (representative of 20 laps)  52 , a predetermined number of third value e.g., 40 laps, lap cards (representative of 40 laps)  54  (although these are the only demarcations illustrated, it is understood that any other demarcations are possible, including for example 60, 80, 50, and 100 lap cards). In the invention&#39;s preferred mode, there are 10 each of the 10, 20, 40, 60, and 80 valued lap cards, and 5 each of the 50 and 100 valued lap cards. 
         [0021]    With regard to offensive pit cards  38 , there are fuel cards  56  (preferably 3 one tank cards and one two tank cards), tire cards  58  (preferably 3 one-sided tire change cards and one two-sided tire change card), and body damage cards  60  (preferably 3 one-sided body damage card, and one two-sided body damage card). The fuel cards  56  may be played against an opponent (by placing on the opponent&#39;s condition pile  30 ) during a player&#39;s turn, if the track conditions permit as described hereinafter, which places that opponent in the pits for a turn (thereby losing the opportunity for that player to play lap cards  36  until such time as that person can get out of the pits by playing a corresponding defensive pit card  40  as described hereinafter.) A “two tank” fuel card will require the opponent to use two corresponding defensive fuel cards to get out of the pit. The same rules apply for playing the body damage and tire cards  60  and  58  (i.e., the opponent remains in the pit until such time as that opponent can get out of the pit by playing corresponding defensive pit cards  40 .) 
         [0022]    With regard to defensive pit cards  40 , there are fuel repair cards  62  (12 one tank cards provided in the preferred mode), tire repair cards  64  (12 one-sided change cards in preferred mode), and body damage repair cards  66  (12 one-sided repair cards in the preferred mode). Thus, if an opponent places you in the pit for a two-sided body damage repair, it will require playing two of the one-sided body repair cards  66  (by placing these cards on your own condition pile  30  during your turn) to get out of the pit and resume play. The same rules apply for tire and fuel changes. 
         [0023]    Another way for a player to get out of a pit condition brought on by another player placing you in a pit by playing an offensive pit card  38  is for the affected player to have and play a corresponding sponsor card  42 . Sponsor cards comprise a fuel sponsor card  68 , a tire sponsor card  70 , and a chassis (or body) sponsor card  72 . In the preferred mode, only one each of these sponsor cards are provided. If one player is placed in the pit by an opponent placing an offensive pit card  38  in the condition pile  30 , the affected player can play a corresponding sponsor card in one of two ways. First, if a player is not in the pit condition, he/she can place the card in the 180° play area  32  during that player&#39;s turn and then that player cannot be sent to the pits for the stated condition (fuel, tire or body) for the remainder of that round (i.e., if playing the fuel sponsor card  68 , you cannot be sent to the pits for a fuel change during that round of play). In addition, the player is awarded 50 points for playing the sponsor card in the 180° play area  32  (the effects of points will be described hereinafter). Second, the player can place the card in the 360° play area  34  immediately after being sent to the pits by an opponent which will automatically bring the turn to that player who will then remove the offensive pit card  38  and place it in the discard pile  74  in the common play area  18 , will draw one card from the draw/play pile  76  in the common play area  18  to replace the sponsor card  42 , will draw another card from the draw/play pile  74  for that player&#39;s actual turn, and return to normal play. By playing the sponsor card  42  in the 360° play area  34 , the player will be awarded 100 points. As an alternative to playing the sponsor card  42  in the 360° play area  34 , the player could also play the pace car card  48  to obtain the same results (although the pace car card will not result in the award of 100 points). In addition to the sponsor cards, there is another special card referred to as the pace car card  48  which is the corresponding offensive special card to the draft card  44 . The pace car card  48  can be played as a 180 play or a 360 play as described above. 
         [0024]    The draft cards  44  may only be played on the immediately preceding player (i.e., the player seated to the left), and who may not be in a pit condition at the time the draft card is played (e.g., it is not possible to draft a car that is not moving). Likewise, a player cannot play a draft card if that player is in a pit condition. If playing a draft card  44  it is to be placed on the opponent&#39;s condition pile  30  which provides notice to that player he/she is being drafted. The consequence of drafting and being drafted is that the last lap card  36  that was placed on the draftee&#39;s lap pile  28  will be removed and placed on the drafter&#39;s lap pile  28 . Draft cards  44  may not be discarded at any time, and must be played or held in the player&#39;s hand until the first person reaches the predetermined number of laps that ends the game at which time the number of draft cards  44  remaining in the hand will be counted and a penalty assessed against that player, as described hereinafter. 
         [0025]    The skip/move-over card  46  may only be played against the next successive player (i.e., the player seated to the right) who is not in a pit condition. The consequence of this play will result in the player against whom the skip/move-over card  46  has been played losing a turn. 
         [0026]    There are three track conditions determined by the roll of the die  14 : green flag conditions, yellow flag conditions, and red flag conditions. During a green flag condition, players are able to put down lap cards  36  of any denomination, can use draft cards  44  to draft another player that are not in a pit condition, send other drivers into a pit condition by playing an offensive card  38 , make pit repairs by playing a defensive condition card  40 , or simply discard into discard pile  72 . During a yellow flag condition, players may put down lap cards  36  of up to only a predetermined number of laps (e.g., 40 laps maximum), may make pit repairs by playing a defensive condition card  40 , send other drivers into a pit condition by playing an offensive card  38 , or discard into discard pile  72 . During a red flag condition, players may only send other drivers into a pit condition by playing an offensive card  38 , or discard into discard pile  72 . It should be noted that sponsor cards  42  and pace car card  48  can be played at any time. 
         [0027]    In addition to the three track conditions determined by die  14 , two other “flag” conditions can arise. One is referred to as a black flag which occurs when one player makes a disallowed play and is caught by another player (e.g., laying down 100 laps when a yellow flag condition exists, wherein only 40 laps maximum may be played, or if a defensive body repair card  66  is played but the player is in the pits for a fuel repair). The incorrectly played card will be placed in the discard pile  72 , and the player will not get to redo his/her turn. 
         [0028]    A white flag condition arises when a player calls this condition on the basis of his/her belief that they will reach the predetermined number of laps (i.e., 500 laps) in the next round of play (i.e., after play continues past the flagman one more time). If the player succeeds, he/she receives 50 bonus points, as will be described more hereinafter. A white flag condition may only be called once during a game. 
         [0029]    To play the game  10 , the dealer (“flagman”) will shuffle the cards and deal 5 cards into a number of piles that corresponds with the number of players playing the game (i.e., if four players are playing, the flagman will deal 5 cards into 4 piles). The order of play will be counter clockwise (as like in auto racing where drivers drive counter clockwise around a track). The person to the right of the flagman will therefore pick up one of the dealt piles first, and so on until all four players have their respective piles of five cards. The non-dealt cards will be placed face down in the draw/play pile  74 . The game will begin under green flag conditions starting with the person to the right of the flagman until it comes back to the flagman again. Once the flagman plays his/her turn, he/she will then roll the die  14  to determine the track condition for the next round. 
         [0030]    During each player&#39;s turn, he/she must draw one card from the draw/play pile  74 , and then play one card: either a lap card  36  which will accumulate the stated number of laps for that player, an offensive condition/pit card  38  against another player to send that other player into the pits for the stated condition, a defensive condition/pit card  40  to get out of the pit for the next round, a sponsor card  42  (playing it in either the 180° or 360° play areas  32 ,  34  as described hereinabove), a draft card  44  against the player who played previously (to the left) to achieve the result stated hereinabove, the skip/move-over card  46  as described hereinabove, or the pace car card  48  as described hereinabove. Once the play returns to the flagman and the flagman plays his/her turn, he/she will then roll die  14  to determine the track condition for the next round of play. 
         [0031]    To end the game, one player must exactly reach a predetermined number of laps. In the preferred mode of playing the game, the predetermined number of laps is 500. Once the game is complete, scoring is tabulated to determine the order of finish. In the preferred mode of playing the game, the scoring is done by counting the number of laps each player has completed at the time the checkered flag has come out, and subtract 50 laps for each draft card  44  left in the player&#39;s hand. The order of finish is then determined based on the race total points after all bonus points and penalties have been calculated. If all of the cards in the draw/play pile  74  have been played, the top card on each condition pile  30  is left in place and the remaining cards are shuffled by the flagman and placed in the draw/play pile  74 , and play can then resume until one player reaches the 500 laps. 
         [0032]    For purposes of calculating the race total, as is illustrated in  FIG. 3 , points are awarded as follows:
   First place in terms of laps completed (+90 points), second place (+70 points), third place (+50 points), fourth place (+30 points), fifth place (+10 points); bonus points are awarded for: checkered flag (+50 points), half way leader (i.e., first player to accumulate 250 laps—if 500 laps constitutes completion) (+25 points), 180° plays (+25 points), 360° plays (+50 points), the O-factor (drawing a sponsor or pace car card and playing it when under a single offensive pit condition for a single O-factor, or playing it against a double offensive pit condition—double O-factor) (+50 points for single, +100 points for a double), a perfect race (completing all 500 laps using five 100 valued lap cards) (+100 points), half perfect race (completing all 500 laps using ten 50 valued lap cards) (+50 points), white flag call (+50 points), fourth turn finish (a player who uses his/her draft card  44  to take laps from previous player&#39;s laps in order to complete 500 laps) (+100 points). Penalties are assessed for draft cards not played after the first player completes 500 laps (−50 points for each draft card remaining in hand). The points are then totaled and the player with the most points wins, and so on. Points can be accrued over a series of games with the player with the most points at the conclusion of the series being declared the series winner.