Affinity Racing Fantasy League (ARFL)
Official Competition Rules
2026 Season

League Overview

The Affinity Racing Fantasy League (ARFL) is a season-long fantasy racing league built around the structure of professional football. Thirty-two franchises compete in weekly head-to-head matchups while racing together in the same iRacing event. Your weekly objective is simple: finish ahead of your scheduled opponent.

League Structure

32 Franchises
32 Primary Drivers
AFC & NFC Conferences
Eight Divisions
One Preseason Game
15-Week Regular Season
NFL-style Playoffs
ARFL Championship at Daytona

Season Format

Preseason: Week 0
Regular Season: Weeks 1–15
Wild Card Round: Week 16
Divisional Round: Week 17
Conference Championships: Week 18
ARFL Championship: Daytona

Driver Hub

All weekly league activity is managed through the Driver Hub on the ARFL website.

Confirm or decline race participation
View upcoming matchup
View standings
View schedule
Access franchise information
Read league announcements

Weekly Race Sign-In

Race sign-in for the following week’s event opens immediately when the green flag drops for the current race. This gives every franchise owner nearly a full week to confirm availability.

Example: When the Week 1 race begins, Week 2 sign-in becomes available.

Sign-In Deadline

Race sign-in closes at 7:00 PM Eastern Time on race day.

Select ‘Racing’ if you will compete.
Select ‘Not Racing’ if you are unavailable.
If no response is received by 7:00 PM ET, your franchise is considered unavailable for that week’s event.

Free Agent Pool

Drivers who are not selected during the ARFL Draft become members of the Free Agent Pool.

If a franchise has not confirmed participation by the sign-in deadline, an available Free Agent may be assigned to represent that franchise for that race.

Assignments are for one race only.
The franchise’s official result is based on the Free Agent’s finish.
The primary driver automatically regains the franchise by signing in for the following week.

Weekly Scoring

Each ARFL event offers a maximum of 35 points before incident deductions.

Your weekly score is made up of performance throughout the race, your head-to-head matchup, and race results.

Scoring Breakdown

Finish the Race: +3
Matchup Win: +7
Quarter 1 Win: +3
Quarter 2 Win: +3
Quarter 3 Win: +3
Quarter 4 Win: +3
Race Win: +7
Top 5 Finish: +3
Clean Race (0x): +3

Matchup Scoring

Your scheduled head-to-head matchup is worth 7 points.

Matchup Win: +7 Points
Matchup Loss: 0 Points

To win your matchup, simply finish ahead of your scheduled opponent.

A driver who finishes the race also earns 3 points, regardless of whether they win or lose their matchup.

During a scheduled bye week, your franchise automatically receives the 7 Matchup Win Points because there is no scheduled opponent. You must still race and finish to earn the additional 3 Finish Points and remain eligible for all other scoring opportunities.

Quarter Scoring

The race is divided into four scoring quarters.

At the end of each quarter, the driver who is ahead of their scheduled opponent earns:

Quarter Win: +3 Points

Each quarter is scored independently, allowing drivers to continue earning points throughout the race even if they ultimately lose the matchup.

A maximum of 12 points can be earned from the four quarters.

Bonus Performance Scoring

Additional points are available for overall race performance:

Race Win: +7
Top 5 Finish: +3
Clean Race (0x): +3

Maximum Weekly Score

Finish the Race: 3
Matchup Win: 7
Four Quarter Wins: 12 (3pts each)
Race Win: 7
Top 5 Finish: 3
Clean Race: 3

Maximum Before Incident Deductions: 35 Points

Incident Deductions

Each individual 6x incident recorded during the race results in a -1 point deduction from the driver’s weekly score.

Each individual 6x = -1 Point

Incident deductions are applied after all scoring has been calculated, but are shown in scorebug.

A driver’s final weekly score can never fall below 0.

Cautions

2 or more involved in an incident, or a vehicle blocking the track, will result in an admin thrown caution.

If the caution comes out within 5 laps of the stage break, THAT CAUTION WILL END THE STAGE.

Bye Weeks

Every ARFL franchise has a scheduled bye week, but drivers still race during their bye.

A bye week simply means the franchise has no head-to-head opponent that week.

Because there is no opponent, the franchise automatically receives the 7 points normally awarded for a matchup win.

The driver still competes in the race and can earn additional points for:

Finishing the race: +3
Winning each quarter: +3
Race win: +7
Top 5 finish: +3
Clean race: +3

That means a driver on a bye can still earn up to 28 points before incident deductions.

Season points are important. Even without a matchup opponent, every point earned still counts toward the standings and can affect where you finish the season.

A bye week removes the opponent — not the race.

Viewer Redemptions

ARFL broadcasts allow viewers to directly interact with the competition through Twitch.

Viewers may redeem a PENALTY FLAG using Twitch Channel Points or Bits and select the driver they want to penalize in Twitch chat.

A Penalty Flag may result in:

• Black Flag
• End of Longest Line (EOL)

Current Channel Point and Bit redemption amounts will be displayed on Twitch.

Challenge

Drivers have a defense against viewer-issued Penalty Flags.

When targeted by a Penalty Flag, a driver may redeem a CHALLENGE using Twitch Channel Points or Bits.

A successful Challenge acts as a safety and cancels the viewer-issued penalty before it is served.

Penalty Flag Issued → Driver Challenges → Penalty Cancelled

Current Channel Point and Bit redemption amounts for Challenges will be displayed on Twitch.

Race Control administers all Penalty Flags and Challenges and retains final authority over their application.

Playoffs

The top teams from each conference advance to the playoffs after Week 15.

Week 16: Wild Card Round
Week 17: Divisional Round
Week 18: Conference Championships
Daytona: ARFL Super Bowl

Sportsmanship

Drivers are expected to compete respectfully, follow Race Control instructions, and uphold the integrity of the league. Decisions made by league officials are final.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I race during my bye week?

Yes. You receive an automatic weekly win while still competing for Performance Points and season statistics.

What happens if I forget to sign in?

If you have not confirmed participation by 7:00 PM ET on race day, a Free Agent may be assigned to your franchise.

Can Free Agents join every week?

Yes. Any undrafted driver may be assigned to fill open franchises throughout the season.

Do Free Agents take my team?

No. Free Agent assignments last only for that race.

Does winning the race guarantee a weekly win?

No. Your weekly result depends only on finishing ahead of your scheduled opponent.