Your mirrors will tell you all you need to know about your surroundings. We suggest you keep the rollbars turned off by pressing the N key. This appears to have no effect on frame rate, but can dramatically improve your ability to tell when a car has pulled alongside you. You must pay close attention to the mirror and heed the low line when a driver pulls alongside you.

Your F2 key toggled shows you your relative position to other drivers on the track. If the other driver shows up RED, he is lapping you. If the other driver shows up GREEN, you are lapping him. If the other driver shows up WHITE, you are on the same lap. And you will show up yellow on your screen. We feel that this is the most important of the radio buttons because you can check your distance, and relative positioning on the track.

Use your autochat to send messages that will tell others of your intentions. Examples:
Tim Wortman...Pitting
#90 (Bailey) Exiting Pit Lane. Stay RIGHT - ->$
Steve Wilson...Damaged..Pass low
< - - Pass #90 (Bailey) LEFT <- -$
Kevin Inglin...Drafting with you

Always use your ID or car# in these messages, and remember not to make them longer than the available space, or they will not completely show up on the screen. We ask that there be no excessive chatter during the race. Too much chatter gets real confusing. Save the chat for official messages! You may also use private chat from car to car on the track by starting your message with "/#xx", where xx is the car number you intend to send the message to. This message will not be displayed to the other drivers.

NO ABUSIVE CHATTER SHALL BE TOLERATED. Should you get spun, or hit, or just don't like the way someone drives, DO NOT AIR IT DURING THE RACE OR IN POST RACE CHAT. Get in touch with that individual through E-mail, or inform your League Administrators.

Each race pace lap speed shall be posted in the info section of the drivers meeting. You are expected to run this speed. Example: Pace speed is 80mph, we expect you to run 80mph, not 70mph, and not 90mph. Failure to hold a steady pace speed will cause a ripple effect through the field. Do not allow a gap of more than 2-3 car lengths to open up between you and the next car under yellow. NO TIRE WARMING! Any incidents under yellow or pace laps will be subject to penalties. Leader is not to exceed the pace speed until the green is displayed, or this will be considered jumping the start, and penalties will be issued.

There will be no passing allowed on starts and restarts with the exception of lapped cars on restarts. You may pass lapped cars on restarts. Use your F2 toggled to see whether the driver(s) in front of you are lapped or not.

On the start of the race you are allowed to pass the driver you are beside on the pace lap, but not any driver in front of you. If everyone follows this rule correctly we should get better starts.

Since you can not pass anyone ahead of the S/F line this should keep those 3 wide in turn #1 incidents from occurring. We ask that NO ONE GO THREE WIDE ON THE START. Should you go 3 wide, and cause an incident, this may be termed as over-aggressive driving, and penalties may be issued.

1. STARTS: The front row (both drivers) will start the race WHEN THE GREEN FLAG FLIES! It's not too tough to do. The leader (and all other drivers) stays at pace speed until the green flag is displayed. NO TIMING THE PACE CAR and getting a jump on the rest of the field. This should make our starts a bit smoother, as even cars in the back of the pack will now know that if the green is waving, it's ok to pick up the throttle. This goes for the start of the race and all restarts as well. Penalties will be accessed for those who ignore or abuse this rule.
2. RESTARTS: The first car behind the pace car will start the restart as the green flag is displayed. Everyone behind this car shall go with the car in front of them as the green flag is displayed. On restarts you may not pass anyone in front of you prior to the S/F line, unless they are a lap, or more down to you. Once again the driver following the pace car is to keep pace with the pace car, and is not to slow just prior to the pace car dropping off the racing surface. Absolutely no one is to lag back, and get a running start!

This is VERY important....if you are a lap or more down coming to a restart, you must follow this procedure to get into the lower lane of traffic. As the leader comes by the s/f line getting the 1 to go signal, you will hear your spotter say "you're not on the lead lap ... stay on the inside lane". You MUST NOT pass anyone before YOU cross the s/f line. After that point, you can take your spot on the bottom of the track and move ahead to the front of the field. If you pass cars prior to crossing the s/f line, even though you've heard your spotter say to move to the lower lane, you will get a black flag.

Double file restarts, while adding a degree of realism to the game, can also cause serious problems for us on the track. This is the time of the race where your best judgement must come into play. For instance, if we are nearing the end of the race, and it's clear that you're not going to get your lap back, please heed the racing line to the lead lap cars. The last thing you should do as a lapped car is play a major part in who wins the race in the latter stages. By the same token, in the same situation, other lapped cars behind you should not take advantage of you until you can safely race for position. Failure of the drivers to use their head in these types of situations may lead to a more clear definition of what is allowed under these circumstances by the administrators.

Yes, it is possible for two human drivers to run side by side for many laps without incident. Each driver must know what is expected of him. The INSIDE driver must not drift up into the outside driver while in the turn, and must not drift out to the wall when exiting the turn. The OUTSIDE driver must take a higher line through the turn leaving a racing lane open for the inside driver, and must not come down, or pinch off the inside driver. Mirrors are real helpful in these situations.

If a car shows up in your left side mirror, he is somewhere alongside you. You MUST at that point allow this car the lower line entering the turn. Since it's extremely hard to judge just how far alongside another car may be, we do not use any scenario that "the other cars front bumper must be at least to the drivers door". Plain and simple....if the car gets alongside, you give him the line.

BLOCKING will cause accidents! At most oval tracks, the "racing line" is considered to be out by the wall down the straights. Consistently running a lower line down the straights in an attempt to keep a faster car from passing is considered blocking. While we will tolerate a certain amount of blocking in the last few laps of a race to protect your position, repeated and blatant blocking under normal racing conditions is not allowed, and will be dealt with through penalties. As an addendum to this rule, we will now allow drivers at Talladega and Daytona to run the lower line down the straights. This is only at these 2 circuits.

Check your pit stall location during the final warm-up session. On some tracks there is a front stretch, and back stretch pit lanes.

1. PIT ROAD DRIVING: All cars must proceed in single file down pit road using the outer most lane. You may not attempt to pass any car or cars in front of you or in any way better your position in the single file line proceeding down pit road. You may pass on the outside cars that have moved to the inner lane and are slowing to enter their respective pit stall. Once you are close to your own pit, move to the inner most lane to slow and prepare to stop in your pit stall. When exiting your pit stall, move to the outer most lane as quickly and safely as possible. This will leave the inner most lane for those exiting their pit stalls, and help avoid any pit road incidents.
2. ENTERING PITS: Use your autochat to let everyone know your intentions of entering the pits. Do not fake pit stops! If you move from the racing surface onto the apron, you are required to enter pit lane. Move down to the lowest lane or apron where available, enter pit road in the outer most lane, as you near your pit stall, make the move to enter from the inner most lane only several stalls ahead of yours. If someone is already pitting be careful, they may be ready to exit as you make your move to enter your stall. Leave them the inner most lane to exit their stall, then enter your stall. It is your responsibility to not run over others when entering pits, or your stall.
3. EXITING PITS: When your crew has finished working on your car, exit your pit stall in the inner most lane. As soon as you can move to the outer most lane, please do so. You may race leaving pit road but you must be careful not to cause an incident. Use your autochat to inform others that you are exiting pits. Wait until you are almost at the exit to pit road before sending your message. As you exit, you must remain on the apron until your game spotter tells you you can safely merge. Use your F2 toggled to help you when getting back into traffic. See your weekly driver's meeting for specifics on the BLEND LINE that may superceed the spotter. NO INCIDENTS EXITING PIT ROAD SHALL BE TOLERATED.

Those of you that are on the track. It is your responsibility to watch out for those pitting, and especially those exiting pits.
NO INCIDENTS EXITING PIT ROAD SHALL BE TOLERATED

Caution laps use the same speed as the pace lap. When you take the yellow begin to slow down, but don't stop especially those of you in the front of the pack. The pace car is usually half way down the backstretch, so you have plenty of time, and room to slow on the backstretch. Those of you running near the rear of the pack, be very aware that some drivers may be going very slow just past the S/F line. IN THIS CASE SHOULD YOU RECEIVE A STAY BEHIND CAR #??, DO NOT STOP FOR THIS GUY, LET HIM CATCH BACK UP TO YOU. Too many incidents occur when someone stops while waiting for someone to catch up with them. Guys behind this all begin to apply their brakes, then we have a chain reaction accident. TO ALL, be very careful, and alert on the caution laps.

Stagger yourselves while running caution laps. This will keep you from ramming the guy in front of you if he slows for some reason. When we get the one to go message, you may then tighten up the field, getting ready for green. Use the tow truck if your car is very badly damaged! Be sure you do not stop and wait for cars entering the pits. If you decide to stay on the track, and the driver in front of you heads for the pits, do not slow and wait for him to enter the pit lane. Proceed ahead, and you will not get a black flag for it. Also, do not "fake" entering pit road. If you drop from the racing surface headed towards the pits, you must enter.

We will again use the LUCKY DOG rule for ALL THREE Divisions in 2008. The intent of this rule is to replicate the LUCKY DOG Rule used by NASCAR. Under this rule, lapped cars can no longer race the leader back to the start finish line in order to get a lap back. When the yellow comes out the field is frozen. All drivers including lapped cars, are expected to lift a little and safely make their way back to the start/finish line without incident or passing other drivers on the track. Drivers that are MUCH slower than you (20 mph+), will be OK to pass. Drivers that have wheel damage, but are trying to get back shall be OK to pass. If you are in the process of making a pass, and the yellow comes out, it will be up to you, and the other driver to get back safely. You are not to attempt a pass on another driver that is running the same speed as you, after the yellow comes out. Also, the leader is not to attempt a pass to put a car a lap down after the yellow comes out. If you are in the pits when the caution comes out you should exit pit road and blend into the field at the accepted blend zone for the track. You may not pass cars after the blend zone in order to beat the pace car to the s/f line to avoid going a lap down. You cannot be the LUCKY DOG if you are the cause the caution creating the LUCKY DOG opportunity.

The LUCKY DOG is the first driver shown in the Standings List (F2) that is not on the lead lap when the bulk of the field has crossed the s/f line. This driver is responsible for sending a chat claiming the LUCKY DOG, we suggest a simple "LD" chat. The LUCKY DOG should pit on the first lap the pits are open, with the lead lap cars, and get the car serviced as desired. The LUCKY DOG will receive a penalty from the game that sends them to the End of the Longest Line on the restart for having entered pit road early. On the restart, after the race goes green, the Admin for the race will issue a Lap Back command which will put the LUCKY DOG on the lead lap. The LUCKY DOG rule does not apply for cautions which come out with 10 laps or fewer remaining in the event.

NOTE: It is OK for ALL cars to race back to the yellow if there are 10 or less laps remaining in the event.

On restarts with 10 Laps or less to go, all lapped cars MUST run through the pits on the second lap that the pits are open. This will ensure that all lead lap cars are at the front of the field on the restart. Lapped cars are not required to get service in the pits or to stop in their pit stall. Please pay attention because it's possible that the official at the end of pit road might hold you till the lead lap cars have passed.

Should you find yourself damaged so badly that your can't circle around to the pits quickly, and safely, PLEASE use the tow truck. To use the tow truck, you must come to a complete stop, then press CTRL+T. You may also hit escape and then choose call tow truck.

Severe warping can cause chaos in the race. Unfortunately, right now there's not much we can do about it. So for the time being, when cars around you begin to warp badly, we ask that you remain calm. Don't make any sudden moves, and don't try any risky passes until things clear up. If your connection is so bad that many drivers are complaining, we would hope this driver would park until things clear up, or as a last resort, retire from the event.

Strikes will be given to those that drive in a negligent manner. During our races there will be a share of accidents, which are nothing more than accidents. Accidents do happen. Sometimes we just have to suck it up, and continue even if our car is badly damaged. Some examples of incidents that MAY receive a strike are:

1. Pace or yellow flag lap incidents
2. Negligent pit road incidents
3. Incidents from exiting pit road
4. Jumping the start, or restarts
5. Abusive chatter (cussing, and blaming others), during the race, or in post race chat
6. Special rules added to the drivers meeting that are relevant to the event of that week (certain tracks have danger zones that will be posted in the drivers meeting that may become a strike potential zone)

If you receive a STRIKE what happens?

1. First STRIKE: You will be placed at the bottom of the final standings, receive a DQ for that race, and credit for 0 laps, and will be placed on a 10 race probationary period (see "earning a strike back" below).
2. Second STRIKE: You will be placed at the bottom of the final standings, receive a DQ for the race, credit for 0 laps, and will be given a 2 race penalty along with "probation" (see "earning a strike back" below).
3. Third STRIKE: Expulsion from the series (hit the road jack).

Can you earn back a STRIKE?

Yes. And now even your first strike can be removed from your record under certain conditions. After receiving your first strike with the series, you will be placed on a 10 race "probation". If during those 10 races you do nothing to be considered for a second strike, the 1st strike will be removed from your record. Upon receiving a 2nd strike, you will be placed on a new "probation". Your probation period will span the next 5 races. If during those 5 races you do nothing to be considered for a third strike, the 2nd strike will be removed from your record. We don't expect to have to hand out alot of strikes period. Any driver who cannot run the 5 race probation period cleanly, after already receiving 2 previous strikes, doesn't belong in this series.

STRIKES are left at the discretion of the league directors, and you are expected to abide by their ruling when made. All drivers will be made aware of any STRIKES handed out. See section G-30 below for instructions on how to file a protest.

For STRIKES to be enforced, league directors must have a replay of the incident in question. Do not send a replay and request the penalty if the action does not fit the above criteria. Replays should include about 30 seconds before and after the incident, totaling about 1 min in length. The file should be zipped and sent to your league directors via email. Replays MUST be sent within 3 days of the event.

Our goal is not to punish competitors for the rare mistake! But, if we have a driver that causes trouble time after time, we will need to take steps to preserve the integrity of the league.

The PASSWORD for the series will be changed from time to time. If you are still an active driver, you will be notified via email of any password change. DO NOT release the series password to any other driver.

New members will be admitted when we can accommodate them. New drivers will be informed 1 week ahead of being admitted to the series. After the new driver runs five races with the league, all league members will vote to keep or reject the driver based solely upon how he performed in his debut races. Voting will be done via private email. For a driver to be accepted, he must receive a positive response from at least 75% of the current drivers.

The scoring sytem for each division will mimic the scoring system of it's NASCAR® counterpart division. In addition, there will be bonus points given out for

1. Leading A single lap (5 points)
2. leading the MOST laps (5 points)

In addition, team, rookie and mfg standings will be tracked.

In all cases of ties, ties will be broken by using the greatest number of first place finishes in events counting toward that position. If a tie still exists, the greatest number of second-place, third-place, fourth-place finishes (etc.) will be used until the tie is broken.

NEW FOR 2008 The N.A.S.S. Steering Committee has decided that the play-off styled "Chase For The Cup", while perhaps interesting for some in real-life cup racing, does not succeed in meeting the same goals in the Sim-Racing environment. As a matter of fact, it does just the opposite by excluding drivers from year end excitement. Therefore, the play-off styled "Chase For The Cup" will NOT BE USED in 2008. Additionally, the 2008 schedule will be formatted into two 'split seasons' in all three Divisions. The beginning of the 'spring season' will start with the February races at Daytona - the beginning of the 'fall season' will be at the 'half-way point' at the end of June / beginning of July. We will crown a Spring and Fall champion this year. If you are out of the running for the championship during our spring season, you will have another chance to start over again in July. Depending on what our numbers are during the spring season, we could look to promote some of the deserving Thunder drivers for the fall season.

League results will be available to you each week after the race at the N.A.S.S. Online web site by clicking on "results". You may also access the schedule page by clicking that option from the main menu.

We encourage drivers to give us feedback on what we're doing right and wrong. Give us ideas on how we can improve the way things are done, tell us what is missing. We may not always act on your suggestions, but please feel free to tell us.

We offer a mailing list that reaches all drivers in your division. Rules apply to this list, such as no binary attachments (except car files) without approval of the directors. League administrator will supply you with a listing of current email addresses for all members of N.A.S.S. Online. Please use this info to contact individual drivers instead of using the mailing list - but remember, these may, in some cases, be personal or even work e-mail addresses; these addresses are supplied with the understanding that you should NOT share these addresses with anyone outside of the N.A.S.S. community. Also, the utmost care in propor "netiquette" should be observed when sending messages to these addresses.

You will be requested to fill out a driver info sheet listing details about yourself. We need names and email addresses in order to keep good records for the series. If we don't have a valid info sheet on you, you won't be scored or get email about the series (which may include future passwords).

The following penalties may be imposed for the indicated infractions. Please note, these are general guidelines only. Special circumstances may be taken into account by the league directors, and penalties either increased or decreased without prior notice. All infractions will be interpreted in the fairest manner possible by the directors. We also stress that filing a protest is not mandatory. If you feel you have worked the problem out with another driver, a protest is not needed. We recommend trying to work the problem out yourself first, unless you feel that serious negligence was involved.

1. Failure to observe blend line entering/exiting pits - Minus 40 points for each occurrence.
2. Failure to observe blend line entering/exiting pits causing an incident - Strike.
3. Jumping start/restart - Minus 40 points for each occurrence.
4. Jumping start/restart causing incident - Strike.
5. Contact while under the control of the pace car where directors feel that negligence was involved - First occurrence: DQ from event. Second occurrence: strike.
6. Abusive chatter - First occurrence: 1 race suspension. Second occurrence: strike.
7. Foul language - First occurrence: minus 50 points. Second occurrence: 1 race suspension. Third occurrence: strike.
8. Illegal pass racing back to yellow - Minus 25 points for each occurrence.
9. Illegal pass racing back to yellow with contact - First occurrence: 1 race suspension. Second occurrence: strike.
10. Contact while limping back to pits with wheel damage - First occurrence: minus 50 points. Second occurrence: 1 race suspension. Third occurrence: strike.
11. Contact while pulling back into racing line after spin - First occurrence: 1 race suspension. Second occurrence: strike.
12. Taking revenge on another driver (this one must be pretty blatant) - First occurrence: strike with apology letter to league. Second occurrence: dismissal from series.
13. Over-aggressive driving, as determined by league directors - First occurrence: warning plus 25 pt penalty. Second occurrence: 1 race suspension. Third occurrence: strike.
14. Contact on pit road - Handled on a case by case basis.
15. Blocking - If its blatant and repeated, will issue penalties accordingly.
16. Running below the apron line at Talladega or Daytona, either in turns or on straights in an effort to better your position - minus 25 points per instance.
17. Contact racing back to yellow - Any car, lapped or not, causing contact racing back to yellow where the directors feel that negligence was involved may suffer the following penalties: First occurrence: DQ from event. Second occurrence: strike plus 1 race suspension.
18. Returning to a race after the 3 boot limit is exceeded, causing damage to another car - First occurrence: 1 race suspension. Second occurrence: strike.
19. Other situations not listed above where the directors feel that severe negligence was involved will be handled on a case by case basis and penalties issued accordingly.

We understand that from time to time all drivers may miss an event or two. We realize that Sim-Racing MUST take a 'back seat' to real-life necessities - therefore, we do offer the availability of 'Provisional Points' as well as 'race run' points.
The provisional system has changed as follows for the '08 season:

1. All drivers given a provisional will be granted 50 points.
2. Each driver can use a TOTAL of 3 provisionals during each split season.

The 'race run' system has changed as follows for the '08 season:

1. Each driver must take the green flag and complete at least one lap for the race to be scored as a 'race run'.
2. Those drivers will simply be scored normally for the position finished in the field.
3. If you show up for practice and qualifying, and then exit the track, you will be charged a provisional (if you are out of provisionals, you will be receive zero points.)

An inherent problem with racing via the internet is booting from an event. If the directors feel a sufficient number of drivers are lost due to boots during or prior to qualifying, and those drivers are unable to return to the race, a restart may be issued. The number of lost drivers required to issue a restart will be left at the discretion of the directors. Also, if more than 50% of the drivers who started the event are lost before completion of the race due to booting, and are unable to return, a re-run will be issued, and you will be notified of the re-scheduled date for the race.

It is stipulated that you must use an unaltered version of the Nascar Racing 2003 software. No third party track updates, nor any patches other than those put forth by the manufacturer and approved by N.A.S.S. Online administrators for league use. Failure to heed this rule WILL lead to your dismissal from the series.

Team points will be tracked for all drivers who officially signup through the online website (excludes Cup division). The following rules will be in effect for all teams:

1. 2 drivers are required per team, and 2 drivers are the max.
2. Team drivers may use different chassis selections if they choose.
3. No single car teams. If your teammate quits during the season, you may continue being scored by yourself only under these circumstances.
4. You must notify league administrators of any team changes in writing before you can be properly scored.

Mfg points will be tracked for all drivers (excludes Cup division) throughout the season. You are required to select a mfg chassis (one of 5) at the start of the season, and no changes are allowed beyond that point.

However, because the administration cannot verify which chassis a driver uses from week to week, you will now be allowed to change this on a weekly basis if you so desire. This will not affect your mfg points, as you will only be scored by your selection at the start of the season.

An inherent problem with racing via the internet is "booting" from an event. This occurs when you lose connection to the race server. If the directors feel a sufficient number of drivers are lost due to boots during or prior to qualifying, a restart may be issued. The number of lost drivers required to issue a restart will be left at the discretion of the directors. Also, if more than 50% of the drivers who started the event are lost before completion of the race due to booting, a re-run may be issued, and you will be notified of the re-scheduled date for the race.

We are also very concerned about drivers who may boot multiple times from an event. If you feel you are in the process of booting (all cars disappear for an extended period of time), we strongly suggest you slow and pull your car to the apron of the track. Sometimes a car that is in the process of booting can still have contact with other cars on the track, and you need to minimize the possibility of damaging others. And although N2003 allows you to re-connect several times to a race, we are instituting a "3 boot limit". This means that you may re-connect up to 2 times to a race (rule in force for race session only), and after that it's best for everyone is you park the car.

If you feel that serious league rules have been violated, you have the option of filing a formal protest. Although this is not required, NASS encourages all drivers to first make an attempt to resolve an issue with your fellow driver through direct email first. If this fails, you may file a protest.

For a protest to be enforced, league directors must have a replay of the incident in question. Do not send a replay requesting a penalty if the action does not fit the proper criteria. Replays should include about 30 seconds before and after the incident, totaling about 1 min in length. The file should be zipped and sent to your league director via email. Replays MUST be sent within 3 days of the event, no exceptions. Your protest will be evaluated by your league director and/or sent to the NASS steering committee for further review. A timely decision will be made regarding the protest, and you will be informed of the outcome.