About the League

What's So Great About This League?

Basic Operation:

Navigating the Site

- This is the entry form that you complete to join the league. After submitting it, I will put you on a waiting list if the league is full. When there is room for you, I will send you a welcome letter asking for information to be placed on your team page.

Official Rules - The rules & regulations for the league, where you are now!

The Teams - This lists all the drivers, locations, their team names, car #'s, and sponsors. Click on each team name to visit their member page.

The Teams - This lists all the different teams in Lucky Dog Racing, single and multi-car. It shows who is on each team, their car #'s, sponsors and primary team owners.

The Money Pit - This page is for those members participating in the money wagering competition. It lists the rules for entering the money pit, the different fees, the current payouts and the points for those members in the money pit competition.

Schedule & Results - This page displays the schedule for the current season. It will list the defending champion from the previous year and also the previous year's league winner. You can click on the link of each race to view the results from last year. After a race has been completed, the link will be changed over to this year's results.

Drivers/Salaries - This page lists all the available drivers and current salaries for the season. For those drivers that run a few races a year, please look at the race entry list each week to see who will be attempting that week's race.

View Team Picks - After the deadline has passed, you may view everyone's picks for the race here.

Weekly Pick Form - This is the form that you use to submit your picks each week. You will receive an automatic confirmation after you submit them. Remember to write your name and correct e-mail address each time.

League Standings - This shows the standings for the league. It shows how many starts, wins, 2nd place, 3rd place, top 5's top 10's and provisionals each member has. Also you can click on each members name and it will show you their driver picks stats. These stats show how each of your 5 picks did each week, your finish, points and bonus points. It also shows your picks average so you can see how well you are doing throughout the season.

Cup series rookie points - This page tracks the points for the Cup series rookie of the year.

Track info & stats - This page lists information about each track that the Cup series races at including every driver that has won there during the modern era. It also lists the track averages for each current member of Lucky Dog Racing's Cup series.

League Stats & Records - This ranks all the different stats within the league. The default ranking is based on total average points earned each week, but you can click on the different stats to show their rankings. This page also shows different league records and all time winners at the bottom.

Message Board - This is the message board for the league. Members can post whatever they like. Sometimes the President will post important messages too. It is encouraged that you visit the board often and communicate with other members there.

Chat Room This is the chatroom for the league. You can meet with other members there to chat. In the future, league meetings will be held there.

League Birthdays - This lists the birthdays of all team members so you know who to shout out a happy birthday to next.

Links This page contains links to various NASCAR related sites. You can have your own site listed here if you care to trade links.

Archives This page houses the league's race results, stats and standings and information from past years.

All Star Race - This shows information for the year's all star race held every year for the Nextel All Star Challenge. The rules for picking drivers differ from a normal race so please make sure to read there. It also shows which drivers are eligble for that year's race and also which league members are currently eligible. It will also show the results from past all star races as well.

Cup Series Garage & Museum - This page shows all of the paint schemes for the Cup series members, both past and present.

Planning & Leadership Council - This page is all about the governing body of the league. It lists the 5 council members, their duties and any news about the latest changes that have been voted on.

All-time Winners - This page shows every member who has ever won a race in the Cup, Nationwide and Truck series.

Member Directory - This page page lists every person who has ever raced for Lucky Dog Racing in all series.

Lucky Dog Racing Charities - This page lists all the charities that Lucky Dog Racing supports including Victory Junction Gang which the league donates to several times during the year.

Race Photos page - This page features photos taken at races and other racing events that the president or other members donate to the league.

Membership Waiting Lists - This is the waiting list for each series including the very long Cup series one.

Cup Series Main Page - Will take you to the main page of the Cup series. The main page features the race results from the last race. Click the top of the rankings where it says race results to go the expanded version. The main page also shows the top 12 drivers in the league, latest news, and other feature columns.

Nationwide Series League - This will take you to the main page for the Nationwide Series League. It is a separate league that follows the Nationwide series schedule. At this time it is open to anyone with space permitting.

Truck Series League - This will take you to the main page for the Truck Series League. It is a separate league that follows the Craftsman Truck Series schedule. At this time it is open to anyone with space permitting.

Lucky Dog Racing Main Page - This will take you to the main page for the entire league. It features articles from each weekend's race and other news information.


LEAGUE OPERATION

Membership fees

A small yearly membership fee is required to be able to play in Lucky Dog Racing's Cup Series. To play for one year, the cost is $7.00. You can also buy a 2 year block with a discounted price of $10.00. If you returning for the previous year, all payments must be made before Feb. 1st to secure your spot for next year. If you join between Feb. 1st and the Daytona 500, your fee must be paid by the second race of the season. Any team that joins after the season has begun does not need to pay the membership fee. If a team is removed or leaves during the season or just prior to the season, there will be no refund of your membership fee or an additional moneys paid. If a member pays for a 2 year block, there will be no refund for the 2nd year if that member decides to leave on their own. If league management does not allow the member to return the following year for some reason, $3.00 will be refunded to them. Now that you've paid, on to getting started....


Multi-Car Teams

Beginning in 2008, Lucky Dog Racing members will have the option of playing with teammates in multi-car teams. They may also choose to run by themselves as single car teams.

Creating a team: If a member wishes to create a multi-car team, they will designate themselves as a team owner. An owner will pick the name for his team and recruits members. All team members will race under that name. That individual has the final say on all decisions regarding his team. Once another member joins the team, the initial leader may elect to give power of his team to another team member. This is truly up to the individual. Once a member gives up his power, he can not get it back unless the new team leader agrees to transfer it back.

Recruiting members: A team can only consist of a maximum of 4 members. Once a team has been established, the team owner may invite members who wish to be part of his team or draft others that are looking to join a team. All members that join a team are binded to a one year contract and are locked in after the first race together. During that time, members can not leave a team and join a new one unless they are released from their contract. A member can choose to run as a single car team but is prohibited from adding additional teammates in that time. The only way that a member can join or start a new multi-car team during the year is if the team owner releases that member from his contract. A team owner can either release or trade a member of his team with or without their consent. All members on a team must also run the same make of car.

Switching Team: A member can only switch to one multi-car team during the season. If a member starts the season on a multi-car team, they may elect to leave that team at some point during the season. If it is more than one race, they are still under contract by their former team's owner. If only one race is in the books, a member may leave that team and the bonus points would be adjusted. If they start the season as a single car team, they can join a team, and leave that team to race as a single car team again. They would be unable to join a new multi-car team that season. If a member starts the season on a multi-car team, they can leave and switch to another new multi-car team right away if released from their contract. If they choose to leave the team and race by themselves, they will be unable to join a new team that season.

Team Points: All members on a team receive positive or negative points that week (see more on team points below). If a member decides to leave a team, those remaining members will still receive the bonus points from the departed member unless they are released from their contract. That person that departed the team will only receive the bonus points that he earns in the race, not the bonus points from the members of their former team.

Team communications: It is encouraged that teammates communicate with one another to help give themselves pointers for each race. The more help each member receives, the overall better finish that all members will usually get. A separate catagory in the community forum has been designated for team talk. Members can post messages to one another, look for a new team, or try and recruit members. Team News will also be posted there.



HOW TO PLAY

Making picks each week

You must choose 5 Sprint Cup drivers each week.... no more, no less. Drivers are divided into four classes... A, B, C & D. The salary cap is $175,000, you can not go over that. See below for more about driver salaries. If you submit a lineup that goes over the cap, your picks will not be accepted. You will be notified that your picks are over the limit and need to change them. If this is the 2nd set of picks you are submitting for the week, the previous set will be used with no penalty assessed. If you submit only on set of picks and do not change them in time before the deadline, last week's set will be used with 1/2 the points deducted from the total.

Usually by Tuesday, a race entry list will be posted listing all drivers attempting to make the field for the upcoming race. The entry list is usually linked directly to NASCAR.com. Check it to see if the driver you want to pick is going to attempt the race. After the deadline has passed, the picks that each member made will be posted.


Driver salaries & classes

There are a total of 4 classes with different salary ranges. Salaries are based on owner's points. The top 35 drivers that are guaranteed to make a race will be listed in the top 3 classes. Class A consists of those drivers within the top 12. Class B consists of the next drivers within the top 25. Class C consists of the final 10 drivers. Class D are those drivers that must use speed during qualifying to make the race. Class D drivers will change each race since not all those drivers attempt every race. The salaries will change several times throughout the season, those are called salary re-alignments. The salaries will change based on the most current NASCAR standings. Some drivers may move to different classes. You will be required to change any of your drivers from the previous week if their new salaries go over the cap. To start the season, the salaries will be based on last year's owner standings. The Cup Champion will be 50k and the final driver in class a will be 39k. The B class drivers start at 34k and end at 22k. C class drivers range between 15-10k. D class drivers are all listed at 5k each. Drivers that are changing rides around will inherit the owner points of that car from the previous season. You may view a list of the drivers and their salaries on the driver list page.


Trading drivers

You can trade each week throughout the season if you want to. You may also keep your same drivers each week if you want to, unless the salaries change. All trades must be completed before the posted deadline for that weekend (Usually Thursday evening, 10:00pm EST). If you decide to change your pick during the week, you can do so at any time until the deadline.


Weekly submission form

Even if you choose not to trade drivers for the week, you must still submit the weekly submission form. On the form, just click where it says I'm not trading and submit the form. This is how the league will keep track of any lazy people who'll just leave the league without notifying the President. If you are selecting new drivers, click the 5 drivers that you wish to select. After that, you can write in the ranking of your drivers for the tiebreaker. Please note, the submission form will not be changed over for the next race until the race entry form is released. Some of the additional drivers from the previous race may not be attempting the next race, so be careful if you make your picks before the form is changed over!

The President will forward his picks to an appointed council member who will verify that the picks are correct and received on time.


Pick deadlines

The deadline for each race is the night before qualifying which is usually Thursday at 10:00pm EST unless otherwise noted. You may change any of your drivers up until the deadline. Once the deadline has passed, you may not change your picks under any circumstances. The only different circumstance is for the Daytona 500. You may submit your picks after qualifying for the Daytona 500, but not past the start of the Gatorade Duel. There are no extra points given to the pole sitter for the Daytona 500, however the two Duel winners will receive an extra 5 points each.


Lateness of picks and provisionals

If your picks are not received by the deadline, you will be considered late and will not be able to submit them afterwards. Your picks from the previous race will be used and you will be docked half the points that you earned in the race. If you are late 2 weeks in a row, you will lose all your points and be shown in the final position. You will be credited with 0 points unless a team who did hand their picks in gets a negative number. If they got -10 points, you would receive -11 points. If it happens three weeks in a row, you will automatically be removed from the league and another team will be called up from the Busch Series to replace you. The maximum amount of times a team can miss sending their picks in during the entire season is 5. After the 4th time of not sending picks in, a letter will be sent to the member warning that they will be removed from the league the next time they miss. At the start of the season, if a team misses the Shootout and Daytona 500, they could also be replaced since they will be considered as having left the league during the off-season. Exceptions could be taken into consideration though.

Also, if you are late sending in your picks, in the case of tiebreakers with another member, you will receive the lower seed. Carrying picks over will not be allowed for the All-Star Game since it uses a different format than the previous weeks. If picks are not handed in, you won't get any points for that race. Late picks will be considered provisionals and will be listed on the standings. If you know that you are going to be away the following week, you can submit your picks early for the next week or two. Just note which races you are submitting for. If you are going to be away for an extended period of time, please e-mail me and we can work something out. If a member is in a multi-car team, the team owner may select the picks for that member if they are unable to.


Drivers not making the field

Not every driver will race every race in the season. Some teams cut back and run only certain races. Sometimes a driver may get injured and can't race that weekend. Here are some special notes:

1. If your driver attempts to qualify for a race but is unable to make the field, you will be deducted 10 points.

2. If a driver that appears on the entry list gets sick, injured or by some other circumstance can not race that weekend, you will get the points of the substitute driver that will drive the same car. If the car is not run at all that weekend (highly unlikely) you won't receive any points. In any case, if it happens before the deadline, you have the option to trade your driver.

3. If a driver does not qualify for the field in his designated car, but gets into the race through a driver switch after qualifying, you will NOT receive the points for that driver. Members who selected the original driver of the car will get the substitute driver's points. Essentially you are choosing the car #'s, not the driver.

4. You must submit drivers that are actually attempting to make the race. If you submit your picks for the week, and one of the drivers is not on the race entry list, you will be docked 10 points for that driver if not changed prior to qualifying. If you decide to keep your picks from the previous week, please make sure that all your drivers are attempting to make the race to avoid the loss of any points.

Rainouts: If qualifying is canceled due to rain or some other cause, the 10 point penalty for a driver not making the field will be waived; however the 10 point penalty of a driver not appearing on the race entry list remains in effect.
Race entry list

Each week the race entry list will be linked to the site, usually by Tuesdays. The list usually linked directy to NASCAR.com. You should check this list every week to see exactly who is competing in the race. AS LONG AS A DRIVER APPEARS ON THE LIST, HE IS ATTEMPTING TO MAKE THE RACE. If one of your drivers is nowhere to be found on the entry list, he is not attempting to make the race and you will be docked 10 points.


Scoring

Scoring in the league is done 2 different ways. There are race points and standings points. The points that you earn in a race are used to determine your ranking within the race. Those rankings will then be converted over to a points system that NASCAR uses. In NASCAR, the race winner receives 185 points, and goes down in different increments to 34 points for 43rd place. The league uses the same system. If you score 95 race points and are the race winner, you will receive 185 points. These points will be used in the standings for the league. Here is the scoring breakdown which is what NASCAR uses:

Finishing Spot Points 1 185 2 170 3 165 4 160 5 155 6 150 7 146 8 142 9 138 10 134 11 130 12 127 13 124 14 121 15 118 16 115 17 112 18 109 19 106 20 103 21 100 22 97 23 94 24 91 25 88 26 85 27 82 28 79 29 76 30 73 31 70 32 67 33 64 34 61 35 58 36 55 37 52 38 49 39 46 40 43 41 40 42 37 43 34 44 31 45 28 46 25 47 22 48 19 49 16 50 13 51 10 52 7 53 4 54 1

Listed below is the points breakdown that determines how you will be placed within the race

Weekly race points breakdown Result Points One of your drivers wins the race +100 One of your drivers finishes 2nd +90 One of your drivers finishes 3rd +80 One of your drivers finishes 4th +75 One of your drivers finishes 5th +70 One of your drivers finishes 6th +65 One of your drivers finishes 7th +60 One of your drivers finishes 8th +55 One of your drivers finishes 9th +50 One of your drivers finishes 10th +45 One of your drivers finishes 11th +30 One of your drivers finishes 12th +25 One of your drivers finishes 13th +20 One of your drivers finishes 14th +15 One of your drivers finishes 15th +10 Each of your drivers that places between positions 16-20 +5 Each of your drivers that places between positions 21-25 0 Each of your drivers that places between positions 26-34 -2 Each of your drivers that places between positions 35-43 -5 Each of your drivers that are unable to make the race but are on the race entry list. -10 Each of your drivers that aren't attempting to make the race (Not on the entry list). -10 Any one of your drivers that gets the pole +5 Any of your drivers that leads a lap +5 Any one of your drivers that leads the most laps +5

Team bonus points



After your placement in the race, you will receive team bonus points depending if you finish inside the top 10 or penalty points if you finish in the bottom 10. If you are in a multi-car team, all of your teammates bonus points will be added up and each member will receive the same score. If you are a single car team, only your bonus ponts will be added. These bonus points will be added to your standings points each week.

Listed below are the bonus or penalty points for each spot

WEEKLY TEAM BONUS POINTS BREAKDOWN Position Points 1st place +10 points 2nd place +9 points 3rd place +8 points 4th place +7 points 5th place +6 points 6th place +5 points 7th place +4 points 8th place +3 points 9th place +2 points 10th place +1 point 34th place -1 point 35th place -2 points 36th place -3 points 37th place -4 points 38th place -5 points 39th place -6 points 40th place -7 points 41st place -8 points 42nd place -9 points 43rd place -10 points

Race rankings & tiebreakers

After each race, the spot that each member finished in will be displayed. If two members finish with the same amount of points, the member that picked the highest finishing driver that the other member didn't pick will be ranked higher. If two members have the most amounts of points over everyone, the team with the highest finishing driver over the other one will be declared the week's winner. The other team will be ranked as second.

If two members have the exact same picks, the ranking method will take effect. The ranked order that you submit on the picks form will be used against one another. The member that has the highest finishing driver who is ranked 1st will get the higher spot. The 2nd ranked driver will be the next tiebreaker, and so on.

If two members have the same picks and same rankings, the member that is higher in standings will get the higher spot. If a team sends their picks in late, they will be awarded the lowest seed in a tiebreaker.

Chase for the Championship

Just like NASCAR, Lucky Dog Racing uses the Chase for the championship format. After the September Richmond race, only the top 12 drivers in the standings will be eligible. The points for the drivers will be adjusted to 5,000 each after that race. Also, each win that a chase driver earned during the regular season would be worth 10 points each. If you had 3 wins during the season, you would start the chase off with 5030 points. The chase drivers will be seeded by the amount of wins, top 5's and top 10's. The remaining drivers outside the chase will compete for the 13th place finish, and will receive the best of the rest award.

The Chaser Eraser

This is a separate picks contest only for the chase members. In addition to making your regular picks during the chase, you will have the option of playing in this contest. For the first race of the year, you will choose 3 Sprint Cup chase drivers. The highest finishing driver will give you points for their finishing position. If they win the race, they will get 43 points. The points will go down for there, with last place receiving just one point. The other two drivers that you choose will be eliminated, meaning you can not pick them in this contest for the rest of the chase. From the 2nd to the 10th race you will choose 2 drivers... the higher one will give you points while the lower one will be eliminated. If a member picks a driver that has already been eliminated during the chase for them, they will receive 0 points for that week. Eliminated drivers will be displayed on a separate page that the members will be able to check.
The winner of the contest will receive a special award on their page and receive a free year in the league.

Championship & awards

The player that scores the most points at the end of the season will be declared the Cup Series Champion. That member will get all the respect that goes with the title as well as receiving an award on their page. They will also receive a real trohpy that will be mailed to them.

The team that scores the most bonus points throughout the season will win the Cup Series team championship award. All members on the team will receive special awards on their pages.

At the end of the year, Awards will be given out to drivers for their achievements throughout the year. These awards will appear on their member pages.

The other drivers that qualified for the chase will also receive special awards on their pages. The highest driver that finishes outside the chase (in 13th place) will be given the "Best of the Rest Award". Special plaques will be given to the drivers that earned the most power points on the power gauge, earned the best race points and standings points average, earned the best average finish, and earned the best picks average. A driver must have had run more than 3/4 of the races in the year to qualify for any of the awards.

The Rookie of the year award will go to the team that has earned the most rookie points. To qualify for rookie of the year, a team can not have had run more than 10 races of the previous year. To view how scoring is done to determine rookie of the year, please visit the ROTY page.



Team pages, driver pages & cars

Each driver will have their own page dedicated to them. If possible I would like to include a picture of yourself, so please e-mail it to me. I'll also ask you other little odds and ends about yourself that I can add to the page to make it a little more interesting. Also, just for fun, pick a car number and a sponsor that you'd like to assign to yourself. I can design a car for your page, or you may design your own if you like. You will be the flagship driver of your team. Whatever points your associate drivers make (the drivers you pick), that determines your points in the standings. Driver Numbers have to be between 100-999. Nextel Cup drivers all have numbers under 100, so to not confuse anything, I prefer to keep our numbers different. Depending on what year you join, the first digit will be already set. Second year drivers will all start with 2, third year drivers will start with 3, etc. Before you pick a car number, please visit the drivers page to see what numbers are already chosen. Also, if at all possible, try to pick a sponsor that is not already chosen by another member. A member can only change their paint scheme once during the season and will only be done during the off-season. If you feel the need to change your car, please email me what you would like me to do and I will try to the best of my ability. Your driver page will also be used to display any trophies or awards that you earn, show your stats and highlights from previous seasons.

Multi-car teams will also have their own pages that will have information on their drivers, stats and awards earned.


Race errors or changes

Occasionally there may be an error in the race results. The President is only human after all! It is stressed that you check each week that the correct drivers are posted that you picked! Do this when the pickes are posted after the deadline has passed. You should have the e-mail that was sent to you to after you submitted your picks. This is your proof for what you have picked. Send it to me if you see something wrong with your picks. Please make sure you send it to the ldemian@comcast.net address! Sometimes I may reply to you after I receive your picks from my work address, but I'm not there on the weekends!

You should also check the results after the race has been completed. Make sure your drivers were scored correctly. E-mail me ASAP if you see a mistake. There will be a 2 week grace period that any errors from a completed race can be fixed!! After 2 weeks, the results are frozen and can not be changed.

If NASCAR ever does make a change to the official results of a race, including taking a win away from a driver, the league results will also be changed after it is official. Normally NASCAR will not take a win away, but if it ever happens in the future, the league race points will be changed to match the official results.


Community forum policy

All members have the option to read and post messages in the community forum. A member must first register a name before they can do so. Freedom of speech is always allowed on the board, however constant harassment against a member is not. Smack talk is allowed, however taking constant personal shots at a member is discouraged. If a member feels that they are being unfairly treated by another member, they have the right to bring this to the League President. This includes public posts and private messages. The President monitors the board as he sees fit. Firstly, a verbal warning will be emailed to the member to stop the personal harassment. If it continues, a suspension anywhere from a week to a month from the board will be instituted along with a month long probationary period. During the period, if the member continues the harassment against the individual, a long term suspension will be instituted. This ban could last anywhere from a month to the rest of the season depending on the severity on the harassment. A member WILL NOT be kicked out of the league for any behavior on the boards.


League dismissal & re-entry prohibition

The league will only dismiss a member for two reasons. If a member does not submit their picks for 3 weeks in a row they will automatically be removed from the league. If a member misses a total of 5 weeks of not submitting picks they will also be removed. A member may be allowed back into the league the following year if space permits and they can provide a suitable explanation. If they are allowed back in and it repeats again, they will permantly be banned from the league. A member may also be removed from the league if they are found to be guilty of any detrimental actions that affect the league. This would include attempted sabotage of a league member's picks or trying to co-erce other members to leave the league. These actions will be discussed and voted on by the Lucky Dog Planning & Leadership Council to determine the fate of that member's status in the league. The President also has the right to deny anyone entry into the league or to re-sign the following year for whatever reason he sees fit. Only once a member is accepted into the league after the start of the season will he have the rights and privileges that all members share.


Member rights

Once a member is accepted into the league for the season, they have the rights and privileges of all Lucky Dog Racing members.

1. All members have the right to submit picks each week for whatever league they are in.

2. All members in the Cup Series have the right to their own driver page of the same selected format the league operator designs. They have the right to display any information about themselves there and have the right to change it anytime. Any information can be displayed except vulgar or otherwise offensive remarks and/or images.

3. All members over the age of 18 have the right to partake in playing in the optional money pit segments, and All-Star cash challenge race. A member must be 18 or over since it is a form of gambling.

4. All members have the right to partake on the message board and are allowed to have their own screen name.

5. All members have the right to freedom of speech as long as it is not considered personal harassment to another individual. Members have the right to share their ideas or changes to the league.

6. All members have the right to bring a change, idea or concern to the President or any council member. That member has the right for that issue to be voted on by the council.

7. Members have the right to remain in the league without being forced out for any reason except for not submitting picks or for attempts to sabotage the league. Freedom of speech is allowed except when it is used to sway members away from the league. A member may not submit picks under another person's name in an attempt to sabotage their picks for the week.

8. All members have the right to play in a fun and safe environment. If a member is harassed by another player, they have the right to inform the President and appropriate actions will be instituted.


Rule changes

The president has the right to change or amend any rule during the season. Most likely any change that occurs will happen before a race and will not affect the outcome of the previous one. Any rule change will be voted on by the league council and then posted on the site or e-mailed to all members. Most major rule changes will usually take place during the off-season.