Section One: The Season Schedule
1.1: Published Schedule
Staff publish the season schedule before the season starts. Each race on the schedule has a race number, a name, a track, a date and a start time. The schedule on the site is the official schedule.
1.2: Race Night
Races are run on the race nights and start times shown on the schedule. All times are Eastern Time (ET). The Commissioner's Office may set a standard race night and start time for each series and division.
1.3: Changes to the Schedule
Only staff may move, add or cancel a race. A schedule change is posted on the site and the forum as soon as possible, and no later than 24 hours before the race except in an emergency.
1.4: Tracks
Each race is held at the track shown on the schedule. Drivers should know the track and the race settings before race night.
Section Two: Race Weekend Procedure
2.1: The Lobby
Staff or the Duty Commissioner create and host the private race lobby. Drivers join with the invite and must race under the console account on their APL profile.
2.2: Race Settings
Staff publish a race settings sheet. It covers the race length, damage, fuel and tire wear, caution settings, assists and any other setting that affects the race. No driver may change a setting. A race that starts with wrong settings is stopped and restarted before the first lap is finished.
2.3: Qualifying and Starting Order
Qualifying decides the starting order. The driver who qualifies first starts on the pole and earns the pole bonus (Article IV, Section Seven). Staff record the starting order before the race starts.
2.4: Pre-Race Check
Before the green flag, the Duty Commissioner checks that settings are correct and the drivers on the entry list are present. Drivers should confirm in lobby chat that they are ready.
2.5: Pausing
The race is not paused for any single driver. Only the host or the Duty Commissioner may call for a stop, and only for a league-wide problem.
2.6: After the Race
Drivers stay in the lobby until the final results screen is shown and a screenshot is taken. Staff may ask drivers to submit their own screenshot as a backup.
2.7: Admin Authority Under Caution
While a caution is out, every driver must listen to the Admin (the Duty Commissioner or the staff member running the race) and follow the instructions for track position and pit availability. Instructions are given by voice or lobby text. The Admin's instruction applies even when the game would allow something else. A driver who does not understand an instruction asks in lobby chat and holds position until it is answered.
2.8: Live Admin Commands
The Admin runs a caution with short live commands. Drivers follow them in order and do not act before the command is given. The standard commands are:
- "Caution is out, freeze the field." Every driver holds position and holds the order shown by the game. No one passes, gains a position or advances
- "Lapped cars advance." Eligible lapped cars move up under 2.9. Lead-lap cars stay where they are
- "Pits are open." Drivers who choose to pit may enter pit road under the pit rules in Article IV, Section Three (3.7)
- "Pits are closed." Pit road may not be used until the Admin opens it
- "Prepare to restart." Drivers form the restart order shown by the game and hold it until the green flag
The Admin may use other plain commands that fit the situation. A command stays in effect until the Admin gives the next one.
2.9: Lap Recovery Under Caution
When the Admin calls "Lapped cars advance," lap recovery works like this:
- A driver who is one lap down gets the lap back. The driver must hold position and may not pass any car while getting it
- A driver who is two or more laps down may make up only one lap, and stays one or more laps down after that
- A driver may not advance, pass or take extra laps under caution beyond what this section allows
A driver who sneaks forward, passes under caution or takes an extra lap breaks this section. That is a caution exploit (Article IV, Section Three, 3.6) and is penalized under Article IV, 4.6.
2.10: Race Communication
Every driver, and the staff who run the race, must be able to hear each other during a race. This protects fair play, because drivers on Xbox, PS5 and PC all need to receive the same instructions at the same time.
2.11: The Official Race Channel
- In-game chat first. If the game offers in-game chat that every driver can use in a league race, in-game chat is the official race channel for all drivers
- Discord party chat otherwise. If the game does not offer in-game chat, or it does not work for every driver, Discord party chat is the official race channel for all drivers. Discord handles the number of drivers in a race and works for drivers on Xbox, PS5 and PC
- Staff post the official channel for each race on the race settings sheet (2.2). Staff may use Discord alongside in-game chat as a backup, so every driver can still be reached if one channel fails
2.12: Staff in the Race
The Commissioner, the Duty Commissioner or a staff member who is in the race gives instructions through the official race channel. Drivers must listen to them. Instructions for cautions, restarts, pit availability and lap recovery (2.7–2.9) are given in this channel, and a driver may not claim to have missed one because the driver was not in the channel.
2.13: Driver Responsibilities in the Channel
- Join the official race channel by the join deadline (3.1)
- Keep the channel clear while a caution is out and while the Admin is giving commands. Only the Admin and the driver being asked a question speak
- Do not mute, leave or ignore the channel during a race, except for a real technical problem. A driver who cannot hear the channel tells staff before the race, and follows lobby text instructions
- Follow the conduct rules in Article IV, 5.6. Abuse, harassment and targeted insults in race chat are conduct violations
Not being able to join the channel is a driver's responsibility to report before the race. It is not a reason to change a result, unless staff confirm that the channel failed for the whole field.
Section Three: Join Deadline and Late Drivers
3.1: Join Deadline
A driver must be in the lobby 10 minutes before the scheduled green flag. This leaves time to confirm settings and the starting order.
3.2: Late Drivers
- A driver who joins after the deadline, and before the green flag, may still race
- The race does not wait for a late driver. The Duty Commissioner may hold the start for up to 10 minutes past the scheduled green flag when a confirmed problem affects several drivers
- A driver who has not joined the lobby by the green flag is a No-Show
3.3: Telling Staff in Advance
A driver who cannot race must tell staff before the race. A driver who tells staff early is still recorded as not racing, but it is not treated as a No-Show if staff accept the reason.
3.4: No Forfeits in Racing
The NRL has no forfeits. A driver who does not race scores no points and earns no payout. Whether a driver is penalized depends on the reason, as set out in Article IV.
Section Four: Disconnects, Restarts and Quitting
4.1: A Driver Disconnects During the Race
The race continues. The driver's result is recorded as Disconnected unless staff change it. A disconnected driver may rejoin if the game allows it, but the race is not stopped or restarted for one driver.
4.2: Reporting a Disconnect
A driver who is disconnected must tell staff right after the race. A report that comes with proof, such as a screenshot of a network error or a console message, helps staff classify the DNF.
4.3: How Staff Classify a Disconnect
Staff classify every DNF into one of three types (Article IV, Section Seven). A Disconnected result starts as a Suspicious DNF. Staff change it to a Clean DNF when the evidence shows a real technical problem, such as a server drop, a console crash or a power or network outage that the driver could not control. Staff record a note for every change.
4.4: Quitting a Race
A driver who leaves a race on purpose, or stops racing and does not return, has quit. Quitting is treated as a Suspicious DNF at the least. Staff may add discipline under Article IV for repeated or unsportsmanlike quits, including a quit to avoid a bad finish.
4.5: Lobby or Server Failure Before or Near the Start
If the lobby or server fails before the green flag, or in the first lap of the race, the Duty Commissioner restarts the race. All drivers must return to the lobby within 10 minutes after the restart is called. A driver who does not return in time is a No-Show.
4.6: Lobby or Server Failure Later in the Race
If the lobby or server fails for everyone after the first lap, staff decide whether the race counts. Staff may use the last complete scoring order, rerun the race, or cancel it. The decision is posted with the reason.
4.7: Repeat Disconnects
A driver with repeated disconnects is reviewed by staff. Repeated or suspicious disconnects can be treated as a manipulation of the results, which is a violation under Article IV.
Section Five: Postponed, Cancelled and Rerun Races
5.1: Postponement
Staff may postpone a race for a league-wide problem, such as a game server outage or a major holiday. A postponed race is rescheduled on the next available night, and the new date is posted.
5.2: Cancellation
Staff may cancel a race that cannot be run or finished. A cancelled race does not count toward points, payouts, prestige or records, and staff decide whether to replace it.
5.3: Rerun
Staff may order a race to be rerun when it was invalidated by a severe glitch, wrong race settings or a major lobby problem that cannot be fixed afterward. Reruns follow the same rules as any other race.
Section Six: Results and Championship Points
6.1: Official Results
Staff enter the results from the final results screen screenshot, using OCR and a manual check. The results on the site are official once staff mark the race as Completed.
6.2: Championship Points
Drivers earn championship points by finishing position, using the points table that staff publish on the site. The race winner earns 5 bonus points. Team points are the points earned by the team's drivers.
6.3: Driver Status in Results
Each result is recorded with a status: Running, Crash, Engine, DNF, DNS (did not start) or Disconnected. Crash, Engine and DNF results count as DNFs in the season standings. A Disconnected result is classified by staff as a DNF for prestige (Section Four and Article IV, Section Seven).
6.4: Standings
Standings rank drivers and teams by championship points. The site standings are the official record.
6.5: Tiebreakers
- Most wins
- Most top-5 finishes
- Most top-10 finishes
- Best finish in the most recent race where the tied drivers both raced
- Fewest DNFs and rule infractions during the season
- A ruling by the Commissioner's Office, if still tied
Section Seven: Payouts
7.1: Race Purse
Each race has a purse that pays money by finishing position. Staff set the payout structure for each race before it is run, and the structure is shown on the Race Payouts page.
7.2: Team Cut
The team receives 15% of each driver's race earnings. The driver keeps the other 85%. The team cut is paid automatically when staff process the race.
7.3: Who Is Paid
Only drivers who raced and are classified in the results are paid. A driver who is a No-Show is not paid. Payouts are adjusted when staff correct a result.
7.4: Earnings Records
Race, season and career earnings are recorded for each driver and each team and shown on the site.