1. RacingUnlimited (RU). RU is ArmChairSportsClub.com's fantasy sports activity consisting of a several different contests based on the NASCAR Sprint Cup racing series. The person solely responsible for RU conduct, content, and decision-making is the "Governor” (Gov) who can be reached at racingunlimired@cox.net. A five-member Rules Committee established by the Gov is charged with maintaining these League Rules.
2. Dues. RU dues are $50 per “team” and are paid on a one-time full-season basis. Dues must be remitted within one week of the start of the season to: ArmChairSportsClub, PO Box 6416, Virginia Beach, VA. Dues are non-refundable.
3. Participants. Participants, called “Racers,” will have a fantasy team consisting of actual NASCAR drivers. Teams typically consist of five drivers and will be assigned to one of RU’s “regular” leagues (usually ten to twenty teams per division). Participants can pay additional dues to have more than one team. Division assignments are made by the Gov prior to the first race of the season. For participants with multiple teams, assignments are made such that teams are spread across as many divisions as is possible.
4. Winning. Teams compete against all others within the same division. The team of drivers with the highest total of driver points within a division wins a cash prize for the race. Teams have the potential of winning every week there is a regular Cup race.
5. Weekly Contest and Roster Submission Deadline. Using the "Roster Entry" form, a Racer selects drivers and assigns them to his/her team for each regular Cup race. The deadline for submitting a weekly race roster is 9 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on the day of the race. Rosters submitted after the deadline are rejected. Racers who do not submit a new race roster will simply have his/her previous race roster “rolled over.” A Racer is considered to be submitting an entire new roster the moment he/she logs into the Roster Entry form, even if he/she does not change any drivers. Unless a Racer decides to compete with less than full roster, submitted rosters should have all available slots filled.
6. Master List and a Racer’s Responsibility. Actual NASCAR drivers are assigned to a RU master list posted on the website. Not every NASCAR driver will appear on this list and only those drivers who are on this list are eligible for RU team selection. Due to time constraints, the master list cannot be updated during the short period between race qualification and the deadline for submitting rosters. The result is that a (new) driver may qualify for a race but cannot be selected by a Racer until a subsequent race. It is the responsibility of the Racers to obtain qualifying information on their own and to ensure rosters contain qualified drivers (Did Not Qualify -- DNQ -- drivers earn 0 points).
7. Driver Salary Values and Salary Cap. Each driver on the master list is assigned a salary value which is tied to performance and which is adjusted from week to week. When Racers select drivers for their race rosters, they must abide by the salary cap established for the race. Rosters which exceed (bust) the salary cap are rejected.
8. Salary Cap Exception and No Salary Banking. All new roster submissions must abide by the salary cap. If a Racer elects to roll over his/her roster from one race to next, the roster is exempted from the salary cap. However, this exemption expires the first time the Racer elects to submit a new roster and rosters cannot be “cashed in” to create a salary surplus.
9. Driver-Based League. RacingUnlimited is a “driver-based” league (not car-based). A driver on a Racer’s roster earns only those drivers points as assigned by NASCAR and as posted on NASCAR.com. Though Racers will select drivers from the master list, which indicates initial race car/driver assignments, if the driver shifts to another car and still earns NASCAR driver points, the Racer earns those points as well. Since NASCAR only awards points to drivers who start the race and who complete at least one lap, drivers who enter a car mid-race do not earn points, even if they drive the majority of the laps and/or finish the race.
10. Driver Penalties. NASCAR occasionally assesses penalties for infractions which can result in a reduction of driver points. Some of these penalty assessments are not made until days or weeks following the race. When this occurs, all rosters with the penalized drivers during the race when the penalty was assigned will have their race point totals retroactively reduced by the same amount (but by no more than what the driver earned for the race). It is possible that a penalty assignment might result in a change in the official results and standings.
11. Confirmation Emails and Contesting Lineups/Results. After submitting his/her roster, a Racer will receive a confirmation email which should be retained (Note: Confirmation emails are only received for the weekly contest, not special contests). Prior to the start of a race, the Gov will post a consolidated lineups sheet for each division. Following the race, the Gov will post the unofficial results. If a Racer believes the lineups and/or unofficial results are incorrect, he/she must email the Gov within 24 hours of the posting. Before taking any action, the Gov will check his records and may request the Racer forward his/her confirmation email to him. When the official results and standings are posted (usually a day or two after the race), no further contesting is permitted.
12. Technical Difficulties. Occasional technical difficulties arise which are beyond the Gov’s control. If a Racer does not receive a confirmation email (weekly contest only), it is highly likely the Gov did not receive the roster submission and the Racer should resubmit. If technical problems prevent use of the Roster Entry form, Racers should first attempt to use the Roster Entry form at a later time (but still prior to the deadline). If technical problems persist, Racers should submit rosters to the Governor via a basic email to racingunlimited@cox.net prior to the 9:00 AM ET deadline.
13. Special Contests. From time to time, RU will conduct special contests which will have separate rules. Some of these contests will be open to all league Racers at no additional fee. Some of these contests may require Racers to qualify for entry and may involve an additional fee. These special contests will be announced on the main racing website.
14. Prizes. As was mentioned, the weekly race contest will have a weekly cash prize for the winner in each division. The special contests will have cash prizes and/or credits which can be used to defray future league dues. Final determination of cash prize/credit amounts are contingent on paid dues.