I raced steamboat in 98, the last year it was run and I was a novice. It did scare the crap out of me but it was fun once you got used to running on the wrong side of the double yellows.
It was also a huge draw from around the country as it was the last real road course, some big name people came to run steamboat. So many people wanted to run the Boat that you had to have run a previous MRA race to be able to sign up, that's how big it was.
Just like anywhere else you have to race the track and keep at about 90% in reserve most of the time.
Bartman