DMRL Rules of Conduct
Hello, and Welcome to Driven Mavericks Racing League (DMRL). Our community provides racing venues and rules to help you reach victory lane. In order to produce the highest quality racing, we ask new applicants and veteran drivers to treat all drivers with courtesy and respect.
Our league began by following NASCAR Racing 2003 Season's racing rules and incorporates online internet specific structure to ensure a true simulation racing experience. NR2003S was a good sim, but in June of 2011, we made the switch to the iRacing.com Motorsports Simulation simulation for our racing needs.
In closing, Driven Mavericks Racing League welcome you to an elite group of committed racing professionals that have developed friendships along the way. The 2011 season will be one of the most action packed years to date.
See you on the track!
Very Respectfully,
Matthew Wells
DMRL Vice President
Overview:
Outlined below are the standard operating procedures for racing at DMRL. All drivers and administrators are responsible to read and understand all the applicable rules within. League rules inherit to this document are not to be altered and/or changed prior to CEO of DMRL approval. Any driver that has a questions or league recommendations may contact one of the administrators listed below.
Administration:
| President and Chief Executive Officer | Bobby Childs, Jr. |
| Vice President | Matthew Wells |
| Director of Competition | Mike Carroll |
| Senior Administrator | Jason Allison |
| Lieutenant Administrator | TBA |
| Series Officials | Darrell Pace, TBA |
• League Overview
• Driver Numbers
• Paint Schemes
• Car File
• Car Number
• Section I - Administrative Discretion
• Section II - Pre-race Protocol and Procedures
• Teamspeak
• Player Information
• Timeliness
• Connection Issues
• Black Flags
• Qualifying
• Pre-Race Meeting Rules and Protocol
• Lap one and Race Restart Procedures
• Post-race Inspection
• Section III - Driver Conduct
• Proper Equipment
• Section IV - Track Rules
• Practice Time
• Starts and Restarts
• Blocking
• Intentional Wrecking
• First 5 Laps / Last 5 Laps
• Contact
• Self Spins
• Lucky Dog
• Lapped, Damaged, or Slow/Off-pace Drivers
• Double File Restarts
• Section V - Caution and Pit Road Procedures
• Racing Back
• When the Caution is Waved
• Posting/Announcing Pit Stops
• Fake Pitting
• Pit Lane Rules
• Pace Laps
• Pace Lap Conduct
• Section VI - Superspeedway Rules
• Bump Drafting
• Going Three-wide
• Passing Below the Yellow Line
• Section VII - Substitute or Alternate Drivers
• Section VIII - League Expansion Rules
• Section IX - Weekly Qualifying Format*
• Weekly Qualifying Attempt
• Qualifying Results
• Transfer Rules
• Sandbagging
• One MPH Rule
• Transfer Ineligibility
• Section X - Provisional Qualifying Rules*
• Section XI - Series/Season Tie-breaking Rule
• Section XII - Disclaimer / Copyright
*sections will only be enforced if Section VIII - League Expansion is in effect
League Overview
DMRL is a simulated racing community founded in April 2010. In its first season, DMRL will offer free racing throughout the entire week encompassing different MODS.
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We will be running 3 NASCAR series, one local series, and three road racing series with schedules to be announced soon. Most series will be FIXED SETUP to increase competition between the drivers - many drivers have lives outside the sim and can't spend the time necessary to learn setting up a car and tweaking setups. However the administration of DMRL will look into the possibility of having an open setup series and encourages all our drivers to participate in testing of official DMRL setups.
Driver Numbers
All numbers are property of DMRL, and will be assigned upon request of registered members. Members will operate ONLY ONE car number for all series at DMRL. Number must be publicly registered under a driver's real name with DMRL (also referred to as
"the league") in the area specified by the league and to be named at a later date. DMRL reserves the right to reassign a number at any time for any reason, and is not required to give notice but may do so at its discretion.
Addendum 6-27-10: Any driver who registers and reserves a number must race within 30 days of registration. Unless a valid reason for not racing is communicated to the administration of the league that driver will be removed from the roster and their number released back to the available numbers pool.
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Paint Schemes
When registering car files, you must register your primary sponsors, and any duplicate sponsors must be agreed to between the drivers of said sponsor.
Local Tour Paint Schemes
All paint schemes designed for the DMRL Local Tour, must be no large companies(such as those that sponsor a full-time real major racing series(i.e. Cup/IndyCar/F1/GrandAm). vehicle. Companies such as a local repair shop, or a local/regional chain of stores may be acceptable. Approval of sponsors is subject to admin discretion. The easiest guideline to use is look at the sponsors that you would see at your local short track.
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Car Files:
Active drivers in the DMRL will have access to our Driver manager which will allow that driver to upload their own paints, changing them as often as desired. Car files must meet the iRacing format, i.e. using the iRacing member ID as the name in the tga format, at no higher a resolution than 1024 by 1024. Please refer to the iRacing Painting Guidelines for more information.
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Car Number:
Many drivers in the sim world identify with their chosen number in
much the same way as famous race drivers; we also understand with
iRacing's unique numbering system drivers may use multiple numbers.
At DMRL however you must run any series you decide to participate in
with the SAME NUMBER unless league expansion rules take effect.
Therefore it is imperative you select your chose DMRL number BEFORE
entering the server. Penalties for entering a race with the wrong
number will be as follows:
1st offense: WARNING
2nd offense:
START RACE OUTSIDE OF CAR
3rd offense: SUSPENSION OF UP TO BUT NO
MORE THAN ONE MONTH
Remember, when you enter the server with an
incorrect number you may be taking someone else's.
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SECTION I- ADMINISTRATIVE DISCRETION
DMRL officials/admins have the right to enforce rules of racing conduct at their discretion, whether it is in-race, pre-race, or post-race, and are granted authority to make judgment calls based on severity of an incident or conduct of a driver.
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SECTION II- PRE-RACE PROTOCOL AND PROCEDURES
Teamspeak:
All drivers are required to utilize the Team speak communication program to participate in all events here at DMRL. All drivers are required to use PTT to communicate, rather than voice activation. In the event of a racing incident the administration needs time to review and analyze the incident in detail in multiple racing replay angles. The administration will inform the channel when chat is open after incident review. At no time will a driver flame, curse, or demonstrate actions that are detrimental to the stock car racing code of behavior! Drivers who make unprofessional comments in race chat or on Teamspeak WILL RECIEVE ONE WARNING from the administration. If the driver continues to make such comments they are subject to EJECTION from Teamspeak and the race.
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Player Information:
Due to the changeover to iRacing and a surge of spam on our forums we now require drivers to register with their iRacing driver name; accounts registered under 'gamer tags' will not be activated.
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Timeliness:
Drivers are required to be in the practice session no later than (NLT) 10 minutes prior to the qualifying session. Drivers will not be eligible to qualify if they arrive with less than 10 minutes in the practice session. All drivers will be in the server on time - server will NOT be reset, as iRacing does not allow for restarts.
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Server Connection Issues:
If by chance the server drops more than 50% of the drivers. Two courses of action will occur:
1. If 50% of the field gets dropped before the half way point and cannot reconnect the race will be called a rain-out due to technical and/or equipment failure. This event would be rescheduled at a later date based on schedule availability.
2. If 50% of the field gets dropped after the half way point and cannot reconnect the race is considered official based on export availability.
Driver Connection Issues:
1. If a driver loses connection to the server they will receive all but one lap back not to exceed TEN laps back for one driver.
2. If the same driver in question loses connection again, that driver WILL NOT receive any more laps back. The driver will be allowed two connection attempts; if the driver falls out for the third time that driver may not return for that racing event.
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Black Flags (BF) & Administrative Penalties:
If the sim issues you a black flag it is yours to serve unless an uncontrollable circumstance on the track requires the BF to be lifted.
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Qualifying:
During qualifying we expect NO VERBAL and/or TYPED CHAT. This includes all forms of CHAT and/or TEXT until the qualifying clock reaches 0:00.
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Pre-Race Meeting RULES and Protocol:
Ten minutes prior to the qualifying session, the highest ranking DMRL administrator will conduct a formal drivers meeting. This meeting highlights rules and track specific conditions identified by the administration. At this time no Verbal and/or Non-Verbal types of communications is allowed. Drivers WILL NOT be allowed on the track until cleared to do so by the primary admin for the race. Any driver that does not follow these instructions will be given ONE WARNING then Ejected from the Event for failure to follow instructions. Drivers that connect during the Driver's Meeting, will not be allowed to participate in the qualifying session, and start at the rear of the field.
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Lap one and Race Restart Procedures:
Once the leader completes the first lap under green conditions we
will not restart the race for any reason. If a driver loses
connection on pit road and/or calibration issues prior to the GREEN
FLAG we will restart to allow the driver to field the car.
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Post Race Inspection:
Upon review of the race requested by a driver the league reserves the right to asses post race penalties. If league officials decide an incident requiring a penalty has occurred, the offending driver will start their next sanctioned event OUTSIDE OF THEIR CAR. This is to include last lap infractions that affect the outcome of a race or are missed by officials and may include point deductions.
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There is a reason you are here; because you have proven to be of a high caliber. With that said, we expect all drivers here at DMRL to race clean, race smart, and constantly be aware of their surroundings, and remember for every action there is a re-action. It is ultimately the driver's responsibility to ensure the racing is that of a professional simulation racing organization.
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Proper Equipment: Addendum 7-4-10
Due to the unpredictable nature of internet conections and the stability needed to maintain a competitive racing environment ALL DRIVERS MUST RACE WITH A STEERING WHEEL. The DMRL Administration will not mandate the type of wheel, however the higher quality wheel a driver invests in the more likely that driver is to be successful. DRIVING WITH THE KEYBOARD WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Should a race official deem a driver is using the keyboard that driver will be ejected from the event IMMEDIATELY.
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Practice Time:
The server opens 50 minutes prior to qualifying time. The practice session is designed for practice. Please allow the same racing etiquette in practice session that you would perform during race conditions, i.e. enter and exit pit road in a safe manner.
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Start and Restarts:
Drivers are required to maintain pace car speed while coming to the green flag and all subsequent restarts. The leader will not jump the restart in order to gain an unfair advantage on the track. The pace leader will accelerate when both the flag and caution lights display Green (Example below). If the pace leader advances their position by jumping the restart, the driver will serve a drive thru penalty.
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Blocking/ Erratic Driving Style:
Blocking is defined as an obstacle or hindrance. In other words,
perceived aggressive and erratic vehicular movements on the racing
surface in order to stop the advance of another vehicle.
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No blocking and/or three wide racing until 10 laps to go.
Drivers that attempt to block or go three wide in order to retain or advance their position are responsible for their own actions. Three wide racing is legal so long as it is done in a safe and courteous manner at tracks that support three wide racing.
Intentional and/or perceived intentional wrecking:
Blatant contact is an automatic 100 point deduction for that particular series and a one week suspension from all DMRL events. Further contact may result in the driver to be removed from DMRL.
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First 5 laps/Last 5 laps:
The administration reviews the first five and last five laps in accordance with the contact rules outlined below. However, the first five and last five laps are crucial to ensure racing success. We ask that these first few laps that all drivers race each other the same way that YOU would want to be raced, i.e. if a vehicle checks up in front of you; provide that level of courtesy to allow your competitor time to gather it up. Bottom Line...RESPECT!
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Race contact between two or more drivers:
Contact in the first five laps:
Any driver that brings out a caution in the FIRST FIVE LAPS will
receive an EOLL penalty and receive MINUS ONE LAP PENALTY upon going
back to green.
1st Offense:
The driver identified as responsible for contact with another driver will receive a BLACK FLAG and an EOLL penalty.
2nd Offense:
If the same driver causes a caution for the second time in one racing venue, the driver will PARK THE VEHICLE FOR THE EVENING.
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Solo or Self Spin with Contact:
Same rules apply as Race contact between two or more drivers!
Solo or Self Spin without contact causing caution:
If a driver self spins and does not make contact with another driver resulting in a CAUTION FLAG the driver will receive ONE WARNING.
If the same driver SELF SPINS for the second time regardless of
contact or no contact they will be penalized under the race contact
between two or more drivers rule.
Solo or Self Spin without contact with no caution:
A drive through of pit road after a self spin with no yellow is required.
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Lucky Dog/Wave Around Rule:
The Lucky Dog rule will be in effect for whatever series supports it by default, unless deemed appropriate by admins. The lucky dog will be awarded to the first driver not on the lead lap - this driver will be allowed to pit and rejoin the tail end of the field. All other cars may request the "wave around"; this will be done after all drivers on the lead lap have pitted, and wave around drivers are NOT ALLOWED TO PIT until after the race returns to green. Upon receiving a lucky dog/wave around drivers will proceed around the field on the HIGH SIDE of the racing surface, notifying the field they are coming.
Due to the lack of autochat in iRacing making commands harder to input by admins wave arounds will only be granted to as many drivers as the admins can safely handle on one to go, which may mean some drivers requesting the wave around will not receive it.
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Lapped, Damaged, or Slow/Off-pace Traffic:
DMRL requires all lapped, damaged, and off-pace cars to restart behind the lead lap cars. All lapped vehicles must at a minimum drive down pit lane or pit every time by to secure the tail end of the field on EVERY RESTART. EOLL might be required; the race officials will notify all drivers prior to each restart whether to pass through or to EOLL. Off-pace cars must yield the preferred racing line to the leaders under all track conditions, regardless of whether it is the high or low line. The preferred line changes from track to track and drivers must respond accordingly; the LEADERS must notify off-pace vehicles which line they want.
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Double File Restarts:
Double file restarts will be utilized for all series as supported by the sim or real life rules.
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SECTION V- CAUTION AND PIT ROAD PROCEDURES
Racing Back:
Drivers WILL NOT race back to the start finish line at any time.
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When a caution flag is waived:
Hold your position while coming to the caution flag. DO NOT PASS and DO NOT BRAKE BEFORE THE ENTRANCE OF TURN ONE while lifting gradually. Situational awareness is critical based on track circumstances.
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Posting or Announcing Pit Stops:
Announce all pit stop intentions Teamspeak twice before pitting, once on the frontstretch and once on the backstretch; this will ensure all drivers are aware of your intentions. You must announce intention to merge back onto track (exit pit road) via Teamspeak.
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Fake Pitting:
If all four wheels pass below the line separating the racing surface from the apron you MUST PIT. If you merge back out on track you will receive an EOLL Penalty.
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Pit Lane Rules:
While Entering and Exiting Pit Road stay to the OUTSIDE LANE ONLY in single file line until you have reached your pit box, do not cut through other drivers pit box upon entering or exiting pit road. The middle lane on pit road is a transition lane to merge into your pit stall and/or into the outer lane. When exiting pit lane ensure you utilize the F3 key to identify approaching vehicles. It is YOUR responsibility to safely merge and exit pit lane in an orderly manner. Maintain pit road speed while entering and exiting pit road.
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Pace Laps:
During pace laps vehicles are required to maintain .2 -.3 second variance via F3 screen between vehicles. Drivers WILL NOT lag back in the field; this creates confusion on vehicle placement when approaching the green flag. The administration will closely monitor this practice and depending on the circumstance involved may instruct the violator to secure the EOLL. To ensure wave arounds are completed without incident lead lap cars are requested to pace towards the low side of the racing surface.
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Pace Lap Conduct:
Drivers will not touch vehicles under caution by bumping, hitting, or rubbing.
First incident is a WARNING and the second incident is a drive
through EOLL penalty.
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SECTION VI- SUPER SPEEDWAY RULES
Bump Drafting:
No Bump drafting in the Turns and/or tri-oval areas at Daytona; this practice is
acceptable at Talladega. This rule may be relaxed at Daytona if and
when the repaved version becomes available.
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Going Three-wide:
Three wide racing is highly discouraged until TEN laps to go. However, at wider tracks, such as Talladega, Michigan, California, and Pocono, there is plenty of track area to safely enjoy 3 wide racing.
Three wide is currently NOT ALLOWED at Daytona; this rule will be
reviewed upon release of the new tire model, and again if necessary
upon an update of the track surface.
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Passing Below the Yellow Line:
Drivers racing at Talladega and Daytona will not pass below the yellow line to advance a position. If you advance your position driving below the yellow line you will receive a BF penalty.
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SECTION VII- SUBSTITUTE OR ALTERNATE DRIVERS
Substitute Drivers:
DMRL will address sub drivers as it learns more about the iRacing simulation.
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SECTION VIII- League Expansion rules
As the league grows, the need to modify the rules may be necessary to ensure equal treatment and fair racing for all drivers. Once league membership exceeds 30 full time members (full time meaning drivers who actively participate in 90% or more of the events they enter) then the league will move to a weekly qualifying format to place drivers of like skill in the appropriate racing series. Each time the league reaches a new level of membership new full points paying series will be added.
■ At 35 the open NS series will close, and NS will become a points paying event towards a league recognized championship.
■ At 55 the open Truck series will close, and Truck will become a points paying event towards a league recognized championship.
■ Each successive 20 full time drivers added, the league will add new points paying series for driver participation, such as an ARCA style series.
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If Section VIII of the DMRL Rule Book is applicable, the following will be in effect:
SECTION IX- WEEKLY QUALIFYING FORMAT
Weekly Qualifying Attempt:
Each driver will make an attempt at weekly qualifying on the track chosen by the league with the setup specified and provided by the league on a day of the league's choosing. Each driver will run a normal qualifying session with a league official present - times will be exported and ALL REPLAYS WILL BE SAVED. If a league official requests your qualifying replay and you do not provide it, you will be disqualified from participating in league sanctioned events for not less than one week and not more than four depending on official discretion.
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Qualifying Results:
Results will be compiled from the exported csv files by league officials. Depending on total driver entries series fields will be set at league discretion based on the following formula:
■ Top 25 qualifiers will be placed in Cup Series event - password protected, no driving aids
■ Next 20 qualifiers will start National Series - password protected, forced cockpit view, aids allowed
■ Next 20 will start Truck Series - password protected, forced cockpit view, aids allowed
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Transfer Rules:
The league's desire at all times is to provide high caliber racing and to encourage drivers to excel and improve. At no time does the league want any driver to feel limited or excluded. In that interest, the league will implement a TOP FIVE TRANSFER for each series.
The top five finishers of each points paying series will be allowed to participate in the following series, i.e. CWTS to NWS, NWS to Cup, and so on.
Full points will be awarded for the primary event and the transfer event
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Sandbagging:
To prevent sandbagging in weekly qualifying, no driver will be allowed to transfer more than once in a week. No driver will be allowed to transfer more than 8 times prior to the Chase* and no more than twice during the Chase*.
*last ten races if no Chase format is adopted
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One Mile per Hour Rule:
A driver may not exceed their weekly qualifying speed in pre-race qualifying by more than one mile per hour. A driver who exceeds their weekly qualifying speed by more than 1.0 mph will start the event outside of their car and will be ineligible for the first lucky dog. The league takes sandbagging seriously and will not tolerate it.
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Transfer Ineligibility:
Drivers who do not make an attempt at weekly qualifying are TRANSFER INELIGIBLE, regardless of reasons for missing qualifying.
If a driver has been declared TRASFER INELIGIBLE, the driver will be notified prior to the start of the event. Said driver will be required to do a pass thru prior to the final lap of the event to avoid affecting the outcome of the event.
A driver who does not honor transfer ineligibility rules will be ejected from the event and suspended from league events for no less than two weeks for unsportsmanlike conduct.
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SECTION X - PROVISIONAL QUALIFYING RULES:
Most of you, I am sure, are aware of Nascar's old provisional system. What we are going to use in our league is a spin-off that follows closely to the old Nascar system.
Basics
- For the first 5 races of a new season only drivers who have competed in 3 or more races in the previous season are eligible for provisionals(for the first 2011 iRacing season, this does not apply).
- Each driver will begin the season with 7 provisionals available to them. A driver may use up to 3 provisionals consecutively; in which case the driver must then compete in 1 race before using the remaining provisionals.
- Once all seven provisionals have been used a driver may earn additional provisionals.
- To earn additional provisionals, a driver must compete in five (5) races to earn one additional provisional.
- Under this rule there is no specific limit to the total provisionals you may earn.
- New drivers must run 5 races before they are eligible for provisionals.
- Provisionals are awarded per series. Meaning you have 7 provisionals for each series we run.
- Provisionals may NOT be transferred between series' or between drivers/teams.
Assignment
- A driver must request a provisional prior to the start of qualifying for each event.
- There is no limit on the number of drivers that may request a provisional.
- A provisional driver's starting and finishing position will be arranged via current points standings. For example Driver A is 6th in points and Driver B is 9th in points then Driver A starts and finishes ahead of Driver B.
- Provisional finishing positions will be awarded points for their position minus 2 spots. So if a driver was to finish 8th, that driver would receive 10th place points. This is done only as a buffer zone between drivers who raced and those who used a provisional. In cases of close points battles this allows a small reward for the driver who ran while not overly penalizing the provisional driver.
- A Past Champions provisional is available to the champions of each respected series. While we will not limit the champions provisional to a specific number of uses (per NASCAR's rules) there will also be a limit of 3 consecutive races in which the past champions provisional may be used before the driver is required to run a minimum of 1 race.
NOTE:
All provisionals will be tracked in the forums.
Provisional usage will be monitored and if a driver appears to be abusing the provisional system privilege, that driver may, upon administrator discretion, loose eligibility.
SECTION XI- SERIES AND/OR SEASON TIE BREAKING RULE
In the case two or more drivers finish the season in a tie, the number of wins during the season is used to break the tie. Successive tie breakers are the number of second-place finishes, third-place finishes and so on until the tie is broken.
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This league reserves the right to remove any individual driver and/or group of drivers at any time for any reason. DMRL is not responsible for participant's failure to understand the rules within. DMRL reserves the right to alter and/or change the rules at any time to create a better simulated racing experience, to include but not be limited to revision of rules, changes in service, and financial concerns.
DMRL RULE BOOK COPYRIGHT: The preceding document to include any attachments contains information that may be confidential, privileged, or non-public information, Any use, dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of DMRL Rules or content by members or non-members is not authorized. Copyrights to ideas, graphics, and/ or thoughts, plans, information that is written within belongs to Driven Mavericks Racing League and is not to be copied, redistributed, or reproduced in any form or fashion.
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