| Diddler Cup Racing Series | ||
|---|---|---|
| Current season, competition or edition: 2019 Diddler Cup Racing Series | ||
| ||
| Sport | Stock Car Racing | |
| Game(s) Used | NASCAR Racing 2003, PC | |
| Inaugural Season | 2017
| |
| Participants | 28 (2017-21: 32) | |
| Last Champion(s) | Paul Walker | |
The Diddler Cup Racing Series is a stock car racing series that debuted on IRM on June 11, 2017. It is named for its current sponsor, L. Smith Diddler, owner and founder of the Diddler's Family Restaurant chain.
The series and all races are simulated using NASCAR Racing 2003 for the PC. Races will be broadcast live with some pre-produced aspects. Special thanks to RJ (Blinky) and Seth (NTQ) for help in setup.
Format
In the first ever season, 32 drivers and cars entered the championship series. The season comprised of 20 races on different race tracks, including road courses, speedways, short tracks, and unconventional tracks such as figure-8 tracks. All 32 drivers would qualify and compete in the race itself. Drivers would earn points based on how they finished, with 5 bonus points awarded to any driver that successfully led a lap during a race. The driver with the highest point total after 20 races was declared the series champion.
2018: The Playoffs
Beginning in 2018, the series format was changed, adopting a "playoff" structure similar to the current NASCAR Cup series. The season would comprise of 22 races, split into two sections. The first 14 races will run under the similar "points series" system as the inaugural season. After Race 14, all race winners qualify for the final 8-race playoffs, along with the drivers with the highest point totals, creating a field of 16.
The races in the playoffs will take place at 8 of the 14 same tracks from the first part of the season, with drivers eliminated from championship contention at different points along the way. After 3 races, the field will be cut from 16 to 12. After the next 2 races, the field will be cut from 12 to 8, and again, from 8 to 4 after the following 2 races. This leaves 4 drivers in contention at the final race of the season, with the driver scoring the best finish in that final race crowned the champion.
At each round of the playoffs, the drivers in contention will have their points adjusted.
- First Round (Round of 16): 4,000 pts
- Second Round (Round of 12): 6,000 pts
- Semifinal Round (Round of 8): 8,000 pts
- Championship Round: 10,000 pts
In addition, drivers in contention will be awarded additional "playoff points" based on their performance that season. Playoff points are totaled for all races up to that point, including playoff races.
- Race win: 15 PPs
- Top 5 finish: 5 PPs for 2nd place, 4 PPs for 3rd, 3 PPs for 4th, 2 PPs for 5th
- Lap led in race: 1 PP
- Most laps led in race: 2 PPs
- Ranking in regular season points: 15 PPs for 1st place, 10 PPs for 2nd place, 8 PPs down to 1 PP for 3rd through 10th place
At the start of the Championship Round, no playoff points will be awarded, and all four drivers will have point totals reset to 10,000.
2019 Series Expansion
With the 2019 series, the total number of races expands again from 22 to 25. The regular season is now made up of 15 races, and playoff qualification goes to the driver with the most regular season points, followed by all drivers who won a race. If additional playoff spots are still open, the drivers with the next highest point totals qualify.
The playoff format remains the same, with four rounds, but expands from 8 to 10 races. Each of the first three rounds will be 3 races, with the Championship Round remaining one single race.
Battle for Fifth
Starting with the playoff structure in 2018, as playoff drivers are eliminated, their points are reset to the start of the playoffs (4000 points + playoff points) and the points won for all races are added back. This allows the 12 eliminated drivers to battle one another for fifth place throughout the 10 playoff races on a level playing field.
Race Delay Rule
In the event of a race delay (because let's face it, we're really testing our limits with this game and the game MAY crash), a contingency plan was devised on the fly during Race #4, the We Put A Bat In Everyone's Car 500, and was the first race where this was applied.
2017
In the event of a race delay, the field is frozen and recorded at the time of the delay. The leader is declared the winner of the first segment of the race, and the remaining laps (or potentially fewer laps) would be run as if it was a separate race. If another delay happens, this will continue.
The segment winners will then race against one another in a shootout to determine the winner of the race. The remaining cars will fill out the top spots in the order they finish. The remaining cars will have their finishing position determined by a weighted average of the positions at the end of each segment.
2018
In 2018, a new race delay rule was put into effect. Once a race has completed 50% of its scheduled laps, the race becomes official. Any circumstance that cuts a race short beyond this halfway point will freeze the field at the completion of the most recent lap, and the race results will be official.
If a race is stopped before the halfway point is reached, the race will be restarted with a shorter number of laps roughly the same as the number remaining at the time of the stoppage. Restarting order will be according to qualifying, including the ability of any cars retiring from the race to re-enter. Lap points earned from the race prior to stoppage will carry over into the restart.
Past champions
| Year | Driver | No. | Sponsor | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Jean-Paul Henry | 40 | Ludger Beer Bombs | Chevrolet |
| 2018 | Joe-Jon Winchester | 47 | Just Guns | Ford |
| 2019/21 | Paul Walker | 00 | Nihilist Arby's | Ford |
Drivers
See also: List of Diddler Cup drivers
See also: List of Diddler Cup teams
Tracks
See also: List of Diddler Cup race tracks
Series records
These records are updated through the conclusion of the 2019/21 season.
- Most championships: 1 – (tied) – Jean-Paul Henry, Paul Walker, Joe-Jon Winchester
- Manufacturer with most total championships: 2 - Ford
- Most career wins: 8 – Joe-Jon Winchester
- Most career poles: 7 - (tied) – Richard Blood, Giaccomo Giaccomo
- Most total career last place finishes: 6 – Kevin Boughner-Pillman
- Most career top 10's: 32 – Jean-Paul Henry
- Most career starts without a win: 47 – (tied) - Nikolai the Soviet Driving Bear, Doug Pork
- Most wins in a season: 4 – Joe-Jon Winchester (2019/21)
- Most poles in a season: 5 - Paul Walker (2019/21)
- Most top 10's in a season: 13 – Bucky Dewshine (2019/21)