VB.net timer tick event question - vb.net

Question

I wrote the following code to build a basic game that makes two cars race (randomgenerator) and let the user pick their bets on the end results. I've gone terribly wrong somewhere in that my cars only race halfway then get stuck behind the start line and the programme keeps repeating the beeping and the messsagebox.show and adding results to the 'incorrect' box. I've spent the last three days trying to figure out where I've gone wrong and I'm just missing it. Thank you for taking the time to look at this. I really appreciate any advice.
The only way to terminate the application is to hit 'stop debugging'.
Option Explicit On
Option Strict On
Public Class MainForm
Private Sub exitButton_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles exitButton.Click
Me.Close()
End Sub
Private Sub MainForm_Load(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Load
'fills the list box with items, then selects the first item
resultListBox.Items.Add("No guess")
resultListBox.Items.Add("Tie")
resultListBox.Items.Add("Red Car wins")
resultListBox.Items.Add("White car wins")
resultListBox.SelectedIndex = 0
End Sub
Private Sub startButton_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles startButton.Click
raceTimer.Enabled = True
End Sub
Private Sub raceTimer_Tick(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles raceTimer.Tick
' moves two cars from a starting line to a finish line on the form
' displays a message indicating the race results
' calculates and displays the number of times the user selects the
' correct race result from the resultlistbox, and the number
' of times the user selects an incorrect race result
Dim randomgenerator As New Random
Dim whitenewlocation As Integer
Dim rednewlocation As Integer
Dim raceresult As String
Dim userchoice As String
Dim finishline As Integer = finishTextBox.Left + 1
Static numbercorrect As Integer
Static numberincorrect As Integer
' save the user's list box selection, then disable the list box
userchoice = resultListBox.SelectedItem.ToString
resultListBox.Enabled = False
'calculate the new location of each picture box's right border
' don't allow the right border to go beyond the finish line
whitenewlocation = whitePictureBox.Right + randomgenerator.Next(0, 11)
If whitenewlocation > finishline Then
whitenewlocation = finishline
End If
rednewlocation = redPictureBox.Right + randomgenerator.Next(0, 11)
If rednewlocation > finishline Then
rednewlocation = finishline
End If
'move each picture box toward the finish line
whitePictureBox.SetBounds(whitenewlocation - whitePictureBox.Width, 0, 0, 0, BoundsSpecified.X)
redPictureBox.SetBounds(rednewlocation - redPictureBox.Width, 0, 0, 0, BoundsSpecified.X)
'the following selection structure is processed only when at least
' one of the picture boxes is at the finish line
If whitePictureBox.Right = finishline _
OrElse redPictureBox.Right = finishline Then
'disable the timer
raceTimer.Enabled = False
End If
'sound a beep to indicate the end of the race
For x As Integer = 1 To 5
Console.Beep(100, 100)
Next x
'store the result of the race in a variable
If whitenewlocation = rednewlocation Then
raceresult = "Tie"
ElseIf whitenewlocation > rednewlocation Then
raceresult = "White car wins"
Else
raceresult = "red car wins"
End If
'display the race results
MessageBox.Show("Race Over!" & ControlChars.NewLine & raceresult, _
"Car Race", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information)
'move the picture boxes back to the starting line
whitePictureBox.SetBounds(12, 0, 0, 0, BoundsSpecified.X)
redPictureBox.SetBounds(12, 0, 0, 0, BoundsSpecified.X)
'if the user did not want to guess the race results, then
'don't update or display the counter values; otherwise,
'compare the race results to the user's selection and update
' the appropriate counter, then display both counter values
If userchoice <> "no guess" Then
If raceresult = userchoice Then
numbercorrect = numbercorrect + 1
Else
numberincorrect = numberincorrect + 1
End If
correctLabel.Text = Convert.ToString(numbercorrect)
incorrectLabel.Text = Convert.ToString(numberincorrect)
End If
'enable the list box
resultListBox.Enabled = True
End Sub
End Class

Answer 1

Your timer is doing everything at every tick. The code that handle the end of the race is processed every tick of the timer. It should be enclosed in the if-logic that handles the end of the race.
Allmost eveything after the comment "sound a beep to indicate the end of the race" should be inside the check for end of race:
If whitePictureBox.Right = finishline OrElse redPictureBox.Right = finishline Then
'put all logic of the "ending" of the race here
end if
So this code will work as you expected:
Private Sub raceTimer_Tick(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles RaceTimer.Tick
' moves two cars from a starting line to a finish line on the form
' displays a message indicating the race results
' calculates and displays the number of times the user selects the
' correct race result from the resultlistbox, and the number
' of times the user selects an incorrect race result
Dim randomgenerator As New Random
Dim whitenewlocation As Integer
Dim rednewlocation As Integer
Dim raceresult As String
Dim userchoice As String
Dim finishline As Integer = finishTextBox.Left + 1
Static numbercorrect As Integer
Static numberincorrect As Integer
' save the user's list box selection, then disable the list box
userchoice = resultListBox.SelectedItem.ToString
resultListBox.Enabled = False
'calculate the new location of each picture box's right border
' don't allow the right border to go beyond the finish line
whitenewlocation = whitePictureBox.Right + randomgenerator.Next(0, 11)
If whitenewlocation > finishline Then
whitenewlocation = finishline
End If
rednewlocation = redPictureBox.Right + randomgenerator.Next(0, 11)
If rednewlocation > finishline Then
rednewlocation = finishline
End If
'move each picture box toward the finish line
whitePictureBox.SetBounds(whitenewlocation - whitePictureBox.Width, 0, 0, 0, BoundsSpecified.X)
redPictureBox.SetBounds(rednewlocation - redPictureBox.Width, 0, 0, 0, BoundsSpecified.X)
'the following selection structure is processed only when at least
' one of the picture boxes is at the finish line
If whitePictureBox.Right = finishline _
OrElse redPictureBox.Right = finishline Then
'disable the timer
RaceTimer.Enabled = False
'sound a beep to indicate the end of the race
For x As Integer = 1 To 5
Console.Beep(100, 100)
Next x
'store the result of the race in a variable
If whitenewlocation = rednewlocation Then
raceresult = "Tie"
ElseIf whitenewlocation > rednewlocation Then
raceresult = "White car wins"
Else
raceresult = "red car wins"
End If
'display the race results
MessageBox.Show("Race Over!" & ControlChars.NewLine & raceresult, _
"Car Race", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Information)
'move the picture boxes back to the starting line
whitepicturebox.SetBounds(12, 0, 0, 0, BoundsSpecified.X)
redpicturebox.SetBounds(12, 0, 0, 0, BoundsSpecified.X)
'if the user did not want to guess the race results, then
'don't update or display the counter values; otherwise,
'compare the race results to the user's selection and update
' the appropriate counter, then display both counter values
If userchoice <> "no guess" Then
If raceresult = userchoice Then
numbercorrect = numbercorrect + 1
Else
numberincorrect = numberincorrect + 1
End If
correctlabel.Text = Convert.ToString(numbercorrect)
incorrectlabel.Text = Convert.ToString(numberincorrect)
End If
'enable the list box
Resultlistbox.Enabled = True
End If
End Sub