1. Eligibility
All members may join the Cup Series. You must fill out an application for the series if you want to participate in the races via RPM found at the MNRL website. Please click on the 'New Driver' under the Registration tab at on the top bar. If you do sign on to the Cup Series you are expected to know and abide by the rules of the series. During the race you are not expected to complain about the rules, if you didn't think the rules were something you could 'live with' you should not have wasted ours or your time signing up for the series in the first place.
2. Points
The Cup Series will use the standard NASCAR Series points system.
3. The penalties points system
We will not publicly post these penalties since both drivers will be notified, and will need to send in replays. The reason for this is that our intention is to run a smooth and good running series. We are not out to embarrass someone. There is no need to put this information in public.
4. Teams
None.
5. Car Number Selection
Cup Series drivers may use any vehicle number they wish as long as it is not being used by another driver in that series and that car come with the NSS 2009 Mod (See exception that follows). The number 3 has been retired in the Cup Series in memory of Dale Earnhardt Sr.
6. Attendance If you can't make a race, you have 2 options available
1.You may have a substitute driver.
2. You may ask for last place points.
6a. Substitute Driver
-You may ask any MNRL driver to Sub for you.
-You may have a Sub in up to TWO races during a season. While not everyone can make every race, their points finish should be mainly their work, not the work of a sub.
-You are responsible for the behavior of your Sub! If a Sub proves to be a menace or steps out of line in any way, YOUR points are up for penalty!!! In addition, a trouble causing sub will not be allowed to sub again.6b. Last Place Points
-At any time BEFORE the start of a race, you may request last place points.
-To do so, simply request last place points in the Subs/LPP thread. To avoid my forgetting that you ask, please post them there so there is no doubt as to when or if you asked.
- If you sub for someone else and you also run in that series you may not get LPP for yourself.
-You must ask BEFORE a race for one simple reason. If you don't care enough to ask, then it can't be that important to you. There is no automatic 100 points given for missing a race.
Unexcused Absence = No notification at all to the MNRL Administration.
Last place points will be the number of drivers who show up for the race plus 10 spots. Therefore if 20 drivers show for the race the driver requesting LPP's will receive points for 30th place.6c. Eligibility for 'The Chase'
-You must have attended get LPP's or had a substitute attend for you 18 of the 26 regular season races to be eligible for 'The Chase'. Any driver(s) who does not meet this requirement will be placed behind drivers who have met this requirement in the standings so that those who have attended the required number of races will be able to participate in 'The Chase"
7. Settings ,Setups and the use of the 'ESC' key
This series used 'Open' setups with 'Auto Clutch' , 'Auto Shifting' , 'Open view' with other aids set to "Low" The 'ESC' key is 'BAD' in rFactor, don't use during the race or qualifying the use of the 'ESC' key in the real world version of a driver unbuckling from his seat and leaving his car somewhere on the track.
All series will be locked with a password that each driver will receive in an email prior to the race. It is the responsibility of each driver to remember the password.
8. Cautions Caused and Accidents Under Yellow
If you spin off the track, do not merge back onto the racing surface until all traffic has passed. If you spin on track stay where you are until traffic has passed. The NSS 2009 Mod handles all yellow situations and will tell you whom you are to stay behind. By hitting the 'Tab' key you will see the drivers names and ping. The driver you should stay behind will show up in the color 'Yellow'. If you should be involved in an incident during the yellow the NSS 2009 Mod will 'adjust' your position in the field accordingly.
8a. After race Celebrations and wrecking
We ask every driver to please take a 'cool down lap' after the race. Due to the way the scoring is done by the game at times when the winner crosses the line the race doe not end until the last car involved in the race crosses the start/finish line. Every driver involved should take this 'cool down lap' and the drivers involved in the race should go to the pits and if the winner of the race wishes to act like he or she has not 'been there before' may do so. But be aware that if drivers do not heed this warning and something does go wrong the games Official Standings WILL NOT be changed so act foolish at your own risk.
9. Protests and Penalties
A member may protest an accident or the behavior of another member at the conclusion of the race. They may send in a protest up to 48 hours after the race is completed. The protesting member must submit a clipped replay of the incident to the MNRL administration. Upon receipt of the protest, the MNRL Administrators will review the incident and levy any penalties deemed necessary. Members may file unlimited protests per season.
Penalties will result in point deductions, depending on the severity and nature of the infraction. If a member accrues multiple penalties, he/she may be subjected to suspension.
A replay must accompany the protest or the protest will not be reviewed by the administration. In special circumstances, where the member cannot retrieve the replay, the member then must supply enough information for the administration to review.
10. Chatting
The rules governing chat will depend on what session the race is in.
Practice Session:
Chat as much as you want.
Qualifying Session:
Absolutely no chatting allowed. Any congratulatory remarks (such as GL, NL, congrats, etc.) should be made after the Warm-Up session begins. Any chatting before the Warm-Up session begins will be considered a violation.
Warm-Up Session:
Chat as much as you want.
Race Session:
During green flag runs the use of chat should be limited to Auto Chat only, with the exception of relaying important race related information that the Auto Chat does not cover (Example: "I lost 3rd gear, Wreck in turn 2."). ONLY RACE RELATED INFORMATION SHOULD BE RELAYED TO THE ADMIN, ABSOLUTELY NO CHATTING WITH THE ADMIN DURING GREEN FLAG RUNS.
During Yellow flag runs, members will be allowed to chat, but this chat can not involve accusations against another driver who a driver may believe may have done something that may have bought out the yellow. If a driver feels he has been done wrong this is not the place to 'vent' please see rule 9. If a driver feels he must do this the Admin will send you 'packing' to the lobby and you may find you are talking to yourself. The chat rules also apply to members who use Mohawk, Team Speak or Ventrillo. Members will not be allowed to use Mohawk, Team Speak or Ventrillo during the Qualifying Session and they may not be allowed to use Mohawk, Team Speak or Ventrillo during green flag runs, unless it is race related.
If a member is found to break this rule, the Admin will send the member to the back of the field on the first caution of the race.
11. Lucky Dog
When a caution comes out, the NSS 2009 Mod will 'lock the field' and the 'Lucky Dog' will be given manually by the Admin to the first driver 1 lap down. If the Admin deems you were the driver who caused the yellow the next driver a lap down will receive it. The 'Lucky Dog' recipient will be asked to pit, stopping if you choose or you could just drive through so that you will be placed back at the end of the longest line. This prevents other drivers from getting getting a black flag after you get your lap back from the Admin. Anyone stopping after the 'Lucky Dog' is given to the driver who is to receive it and has passed through the pits already will need to line up for the start behind him. Once the race reaches the 10 or less laps to go the 'Lucky Dog' will no longer be in effect and the lapped drivers should refer to Rule 14a.
12. Racing Back To The Start/Finish Line
This is not allowed and the NSS 2009 Mod 'Locks the field'. Follow the instructions given to you by the Mod.
13. Pace and Caution Laps
All drivers must pace in a stagger formation and maintain the pace car pace speed. All members must be within .1 to .2 seconds interval behind the car in front of them at all times. To see your distance in time between you and the others on the track, press the F2 key and then press the spacebar on your keyboard. The screen will then show the distance between you and the car in front of you. It is requested that you stagger your vehicle under yellow. Odd position cars down low, even position cars up high. This will help prevent unnecessary contact in the event someone is not paying attention. The Mod will tell you to 'close up' if it finds you are lagging behind the car in front of you.
14. Restarts
The leader restarts the race and should maintain pace speed coming to the flag on a restart, rapid acceleration and deceleration is not allow as this could cause an accordion effect through the field and would be penalized. Beware that starting off too fast could cause you to pass the pace car and would result in a black flag which would need to be served and it will not be cleared by the Admin. All cars or trucks must maintain a distance of no more than 1 car or truck length GAP to the car or truck in front of them. As with the standard rules in NASCAR passing to the right on a restart is allowed so be sure to guard your right side on a restart. Passing to the right is NOT allow on the initial start of the race.
14a. Under 10 Lap Rule
On any restart with less than 10 laps to go in the CUP Series, ALL LAPPED CARS are to stay in the same order and pass through the pits so that they are behind the lead lap cars. Stopping in the pits at that time are on option. The NSS 2009 Mod will use standard NASCAR restart procedure for under 10 restart (all lap cars behind the lead lap cars). Follow the instructions given to you be the NSS 2009 Mod pay attention or you may receive a black flag if you are not in your assigned position. The Green , White Checker rules will apply.14b. Restarting a Race in the Cup Series
During a Cup Series race the practice, qualifying round and Warm-Up Session will never be restarted. Unless a problem occurs out of the Admin's control, where they would have to restart the server.
The Race Session will be restarted a maximum of 2 times, to ensure the entire field is on the track and ready to race.
The Race Session will NOT be restarted for cars that do not start or strip a gear before the green flag drops.
Once the green flag drops, the race will ONLY be restarted ONCE if the caution flag flies before the completion of Lap 2 by the tail end of the field.
Members who "fall through" right before the race session starts, will not have the server restarted for them nor will they receive their laps back from the Admin (Unless they become the Lucky Dog, then they will receive one lap back). The member may choose to join the server and they will be allowed to race. But the lapped cars rule will be in affect for them.
15. Lapped Traffic
Because some of the MNRL races are fairly long, some members may be lapped by the field.
When the leader catches a member who is still on the lead lap, but is in jeopardy of going 1 lap down, that member is allowed to race the leader to stay on the lead lap, unless the lapped car is damaged and is considerably slower than the leader.
When the leader catches a member who is already 1 or more laps down, the lapped car is required to move to the high side of the track and yield the low line to ALL cars on the lead lap. Lapped cars may also go to the low-side on straight-aways, or use the apron to give room to the lead lap.
Members one or more laps down must not block the lead lap cars. It is up to the passing car to make a clean safe pass. If a lapped car does block a lead lap car, then the lapped car will receive a black flag from the Admin.
In the event the lapped car CANNOT move to the high-side for the leader, due to traffic, the lapped member will be required to move to the high-side as soon as safely possible.
A Lapped car DOES NOT have to move for lead lap cars, if the lap car is racing for position. Lead lap cars must not "make a hole" simply because they are faster. Lead lap cars are required to wait for the lapped cars to finish battling for their position. Once the lapped cars are lined up, then they are required to move to the high-side for all lead lap cars.
If a caution comes out with 10 or less laps to go, all lapped cars must do a drive thru the pits. They MUST stop BEFORE the pit exit line and allow all lead lap cars to pass them. No lap cars are allowed to pass each other while doing the drive thru the pits. This will ensure that all lead cars are in front of the lapped cars at the start. If you are a lapped car, DO NOT stop right in front of someone. ALSO WATCH F2 AND BE AWARE! Let people lapping you pass by holding your line and speed, and gently easing off the gas on a straight and pulling low off the line. DO NOT SLOW DRASTICALLY!
16. Blocking
Blocking is not allowed at any time during the race, with the exception of 5 or less laps to go. If a member is caught blocking, the will be warned by the Admin that they are blocking. If the blocking continues, then the Admin will give a black flag to the member. Blocking shall be defined as anytime you run an abnormal line in order to block a pass or make a sudden line change in order to block another car from passing. Low lining will be considered a form of blocking and you will receive a black flag for doing it.
17. Flaming
Flaming is absolutely not tolerated. A member who is flaming will first receive a Black Flag from the Admin. If the Flaming persists, then the Admin will eject the member.
Flaming is defined as any racial slur, insult, abuse, swearing at or harassment of another driver or Admin. This also applies to "WTF", "WTH", and even "TY" when used in a negative way.
18. Intentional or Malicious Incidents
Incidents that are deemed intentional or malicious will be subject penalty and can result in immediate removal from the league.
19. Warping
We all understand that warping is a part of online racing and that a driver, who is warping badly, really can't do anything to prevent the warp from happening.
However, The MNRL is tasked with providing the entire league with a relatively hazard free racing environment. Therefore, the following procedures will be followed when dealing with warp issues.
During the Practice Session:
If other members and/or the race Admin notice a car that is warping excessively, that member may be asked to skip the qualifying round and start in the back of the field, in order to ensure a clean start.
During the Race Session:
If other members and/or the race Admin notice a car that is warping excessively, the following situations will apply:
A) If it is during a caution period, the member of the warping car may be asked to pass through the pits when the field is given the "1 lap to go" signal.
B) If it is during green flag racing, the member of the warping car may be asked to reduce speed and proceed as safely as possible to the apron of the track, maintaining a safe speed along the apron until that car regains a stable connection.
C) In extreme circumstances, the member of the warping car may be asked to park his/her car and sit out the rest of the race. This would only be done if the problem persists and after all other options are exhausted.
20. Burnouts
While waiting for the start of the race, members are NOT allowed to burn their tires. This creates a smoke screen that impairs the vision of cars behind you, causing the potential for accidents before the race even starts. Any member who does a burnout before the race will receive a Black Flag from the Admin.
If an accident occurs due to the burnout, the member will still receive a Black Flag when the race restarts.
21. Apron Passing
Two tires must remain within the painted lines (white or yellow on a Marked Course) at all times. Course cutting is possible both inside and outside those lines and neither is allowed.
22. Server Handles
In order to avoid confusion, MNRL requires that all drivers login in to races with a handle that represents their real name.
23. In Conclusion
We are all here to have a good time. In order to get respect you must also give respect. Please keep in mind that the ages of our drivers range from 13 years old to ...well really old male and female so please act accordingly, if you would not want your child to read something on screen or be treated in a bad matter please keep it in mind before you act in a matter unfit and just treat everyone as you yourself would like to be treated.
Thank You,
The Administration of The MNRL