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 23 points before incident deductions.

Your weekly score is made up of:
10 Match Points + Up to 13 Bonus Points

Match Points

Your scheduled head-to-head matchup is worth 10 points.

Matchup Win: +10 Points
Matchup Loss: 0 Points

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

During a scheduled bye week, your franchise automatically receives the 10 Match Points because there is no scheduled opponent. You are still expected to race and remain eligible to earn Bonus Points.

BONUS POINTS

Race Win: +3
Clean Race (0x): +3
Stage 1: +1 if ahead of your matchup
Stage 2: +1 if ahead of your matchup
Stage 3: +1 if ahead of your matchup
Stage 4: +1 if ahead of your matchup
Pole: +1
Most Laps Led: +1
Top 5: +1

That’s a possible 13 Bonus Points.

MAXIMUM WEEKLY SCORE

Match Win: 10
Maximum Bonuses: 13
Maximum Before Incident Deductions: 23

Incident deductions are applied after Match Points and Bonus Points are calculated and may reduce the final weekly score.

INCIDENT DEDUCTIONS

Every individual 4x incident recorded by iRacing results in a -1 point deduction from the driver’s weekly total.

The penalty is flat and does not escalate.

1 individual 4x = -1 Point

Each 4x is always worth exactly -1 point.

Only 4x incidents trigger this scoring deduction. 4x penalties are given by iRacing, and cannot be reviewed or overturned.

Bye Weeks

ARFL follows the scheduled bye weeks during the regular season, but a bye week does not mean you don’t race.

A franchise on a bye automatically receives 10 Match Points because it does not have a scheduled opponent.

The driver still competes in the weekly race and can earn up to 10 additional Bonus Points.

This keeps all 32 franchises participating whenever possible instead of reducing the field when franchises have scheduled byes.

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.