Category: Race Results

Race Report: 2024 Summer 50/50 Series, Round 1

The first round of the Summer 50/50 Series is in the books…

The cookbooks, that is. It was a blisteringly hot day, and the heat and beach traffic tolled the paddock and drivers.

In Round 1, we ran on both SR2 and SR3. The first two races were on SR3’s “Fast Esses” course, and the second two races were on SR2’s “Straight” Road Course.

Short Story and Points Standings After Round 1
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 434 233 2754.266
2 Aaron Castro 415 203 2698.972
3 George Peters 408 194 2696.241
4 Jordan Walker 302 133 2894.16
5 Jerry Pearson 229 106 1710.905
6 Kevin Webster 174 89 996.869
7 Eric Lane 209 76 1794.119

Only the top three completed the entire program of four races. Between the heat, late arrivals primarily due to beach traffic, and other drama, this round took its toll on the field.

Race 1: MegaG+ 1.7 “Modifieds”

We started off with our paper-bodied MG+ 1.7 Modified cars to get things rolling. Jerry Pearson was on fire in this race, with three second-place segments and one first-place segment. Nice driving, Jerry!  Aaron Castro clicked off some blistering laps trying to overtake Jerry in the race’s final laps, tying Jerry on points and laps, but ended up with a slightly longer total runtime. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 118 58 907.571
2 Jerry Pearson 117 55 870.327
3 Aaron Castro 117 55 887.849
4 George Peters 105 42 874.183
5 Eric Lane 107 36 950.126
6 Jordan Walker 98 36 890.816
Race 2: Viper Super7 RTR NASCAR IROC Set

Again, Eric Lane graciously donated another 6-car IROC set to the program. This time, they were Viper-built Super 7 chassis with Tyco NASCAR hardbodies. These cars were close to full-punch at 15v (L10 traction mags) but often lost bodies when they came out of the slot. We’ll need to better secure the bodies and remove some of the stock glass.

George Peters was the fastest with these cars, setting the lap record at 5.203 in the Blue Lane. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 119 58 840.501
2 Aaron Castro 117 55 815.666
3 Jerry Pearson 112 51 840.578
4 George Peters 114 50 849.277
5 Eric Lane 102 40 843.993
6 Jordan Walker 93 28 859.448
Race 3: Viper V-SPEC SPEC STOCK Lexan

After a couple of teams abandoned due to the heat, we moved things indoors and ran the last two races on SR2, in a much cooler environment.

As always, this race was a barn burner. Jordan Walker didn’t make the podium, but he set new lap records for this class and track on every lane, clocking a 2.982 lap in the Blue lane.

It was a heated battle between George Peters and Home Cook’n for the top podium spot. George would tie on points but came up 3-laps short. Newly upgraded Expert driver Kevin Webster would get his first podium as an Expert in Round 1, nice!!  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 97 53 524.294
2 George Peters 94 53 495.044
3 Kevin Webster 92 45 522.821
4 Aaron Castro 89 43 520.999
5 Jordan Walker 88 41 501.967
Race 4: Viper V-SPEC BOX STOCK Lexan (i) “Fast Lane” Set

To keep things fast and furious, we ran Eric’s previous contribution to the program, a set of Vipers with F1/Indy clip-on Lexan bodies from HCSlots. They are very nice cars, and the first time we’ve run them on SR2.

Before abandoning Round 1, Jordan Walker would click off the fastest lap and establish the SR2 Straight Road Course track record for this platform of 3.119 in the Blue lane. When Jordan’s on, he’s the fastest in the bunch.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 100 64 481.9
2 Aaron Castro 92 50 474.458
3 George Peters 95 49 477.737
4 Kevin Webster 82 44 474.048
5 Jordan Walker 23 28 641.929

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the video recording set up properly on either track, so we don’t have anything to share there.

Many of us were affected by the refueling bug on SR2. I’ll try to find time to film the issue and see if I can get help from the SlotTrak folks to resolve it. It only seems to occur when doing track calls without marshals. If we can’t fix it, we won’t do fuel races on SR2.

Round 2 is currently slated for July 20th; stay tuned for details. For sure, focus on your MG+ Modified and Viper V-SPEC SPEC STOCK cars. The other two “official” races will be IROC.

Thank you all for bearing the heat, traffic, and chaos of Round 1; it was hectic and grueling at times but a fun day of racing. Oh, and thanks to Eric “Fast”  Lane for all he does to make our program more fun!

Okay, shut up and drive!

 

Race Report: 2024 Open Wheel Series, Round 5 Finale

Aaron Castro’s Viper V-SPEC with a Lola T800 Indy Body

We weren’t sure we were racing until the last team and driver arrived in the paddock. We ended up with roughly 11 drivers, and three racing teams entered in Round 5.

Team Maddox fielded two drivers under their ace driver, Abe Maddox’s, name. Team Johnson fielded two drivers under their ace driver, Madeline Johnson’s name. Team Forza fielded two drivers racing individually, Olga Rossetta and Aaron Castro. GP Designs fielded two individual drivers, Jordan Walker and George Peters. Webster Motorsports and Stewart Raceway contested Round 5 with one driver each.

Round 1 was hectic and chaotic as four junior drivers competed against four experts and two Sportsman drivers. The numbers below don’t tell the whole story since the juniors only completed one race on the day. Madeline and Abe did exceptionally well, and Abe even won a Race 1 segment against three Expert drivers.

Short Story

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart* 415 201 2717.036
2 Aaron Castro* 412 198 2755.511
3 George Peters* 391 169 2779.946
4 Jordan Walker* 356 134 2724.92
5 Kevin Webster 349 128 2799.694
6 Olga Rossetta 328 107 2805.608
7 Abe Maddoxj 141 50 1292.387
8 Madeline Johnsonj 133 41 1315.998

* Expert driver, J Junior Driver

Race 1: Super G+ F1/Indy Lexan (IROC)

The first race was a crash fest but also amazingly competitive. The compelling thing was that Team Johnson bagged 3rd and 4th segment wins, with Madeline constantly holding 3rd place during her segments. Abe Maddox would win a segment and follow that up with a 3rd-place segment finish. In Abe’s fantastic segment six win, he also posted the fastest and best average times for that segment. Abe and Madeline are amazing! Detailed Results

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 177 87 1250.797
2 Aaron Castro 175 78 1293.026
3 George Peters 161 68 1296.303
4 Kevin Webster 152 56 1302.96
5 Abe Maddox 141 50 1292.387
6 Jordan Walker 139 45 1262.127
7 Madeline Johnson 133 41 1315.998
8 Olga Rossetta 133 39 1306.807

Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 Modifieds (Paper Bodies)

Team Maddox and Team Johnson decided to call it a day after their spectacular results in Race 1. It was a long race against some very stiff competition, but they persevered and represented very well.

Aaron Castro would dominate Race 2 with three segment wins, the fastest lap time, and the fastest median lap time. The lead changed a few times, and George Peters held the lead through segments 4 and 5. In the end, Aaron Castro won his final rotation in segment six and the race over Home Cook’n by one lap and three points. Jordan Walker bagged the final podium spot with one segment win and one second-place segment finish.  Detailed Results

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Aaron Castro 120 61 753.887
2 Steve Stewart 119 58 771.257
3 Jordan Walker 113 49 770.582
4 George Peters 114 46 748.634
5 Olga Rossetta 102 36 782.328
6 Kevin Webster 97 32 776.931

Race 3: Viper V-SPEC “SPEC STOCK” Lexan

As always, the V-SPEC class was a scorcher. So much so that Olga Rossetta handed over driving responsibility to teammate Aaron Castro for the final segment of this super-heated race. Aaron Castro dominated the race from beginning to end, leading the race from the gun to the checkered flag. Besides Jordan Walker and Kevin Webster bagging some top segment finishes through segments 2 and 3, the only real battle was between George Peters and Home Cook’n. George would hold onto the second podium spot through segments 4 and 5 with a 15-point lead over Home Cook’n.  Yours truly needed a win in the final segment to garner enough points to bag the second podium spot. George was done with his rotation, but Home Cook’n had Jordan Walker, Kevin Webster, and Aaron Castro (driving for Olga Rossetta) to contend with. Not an easy feat to pull off, especially in the final segment. The good news was that he had a full tank of gas; the bad news was that he was up against three drivers who could easily relegate him to a second or third-place finish, robbing him of the 16 points he needed to knock George off the second podium spot.

In the end, Aaron Castro laid down some blistering lap times, both for the best lap and the best median lap. Crashes would be the deciding factor, and only Jordan Walker could pressure Home Cook’n to the end. Jordan would come up just short but in second place, just two laps down. Home Cook’n bagged the 16 points needed, besting George by just one point. It just doesn’t get more competitive!  Detailed Results

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Aaron Castro 117 59 708.598
2 Steve Stewart 119 56 694.982
3 George Peters 116 55 735.009
4 Jordan Walker 104 40 692.211
5 Kevin Webster 100 40 719.803
6 Olga Rossetta 93 32 716.473

Final Series Standings

Webster Motorsports proves again that persistence pays off. Kevin raced in all five Open Wheel Series events, amassing an unbeatable amount of points. Both Eric Lane and Jerry Pearson were always knocking on the door but missed too many races to mount a serious threat to Kevin’s points lead.

Abe Maddox also missed a race or two but managed an impressive fourth-place finish in the final standings and some very impressive wins throughout the series. Abe’s Mom, Shaylin, rounded out the top five with excellent driving throughout the series.

The big story is the number of female drivers competing in this crazy fast racing series. Thank you all for participating in the racing and making it all much more fun!

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
Sportsman
1 Kevin Webster 1983 685 15626.61
2 Eric Lane 1047 345 5316.846
3 Jerry Pearson 889 306 6106.648
4 Abe Maddox* 470 152 3146.146
5 Shaylin Maddox 369 123 1877.628
6 Olga Rossetta 328 107 2805.608
7 Madeline Johnson* 133 41 1315.998
8 Martha Elderon 102 36 775.14
9 Pam Ebert 77 32 695.404
Expert
1 Steve Stewart 2466 1130 16194.72
2 Aaron Castro 2434 1055 16191.52
3 George Peters 2372 964 16384.04
4 Jordan Walker 940 282 5178.93

* Junior Driver

This is Kevin’s second or third Sportsman series win, which should be good news for Sportsman and Junior drivers since Kevin will now advance to the Expert ranks. Congratulations, Kevin!

Just what Home Cook’n needs: another hotdog Expert driver to contend with. This series was highly competitive at all skill levels. Home Cookn’s home-court advantage dwindled with each event. Aaron Castro missed taking the overall Expert win in this final round by just three points! And, of course, George Peters, with an average race placing of 2.3, makes Home Cookn’s race days pretty stressful.

Once again, yours truly spaced and didn’t get a video of Race 1, which is very disappointing since there were some very impressive crashes and wins in that race. Very sorry! I did capture the other two races and will post those soon.

Next weekend will be an open track day and some fun racing if there is enough interest. If anybody has any ideas on our next racing series format, please let me know. Since they are the most competitive, I’m big on sticking with the MegaG+ “Modified” and the Viper V-SPEC “Spec Stock” platforms. I’m also hoping to have SR2 retrofitted with independent power control at the driver stations so we can run a race or two on that track in the next series.

Okay, shut up and drive!

Race Report: 2024 Open Wheel Series, Round 4

Wow! Another barn burner race day in this super-fast open-wheel series. We opened the day with slower and loose MG+ Whelen/SK Modifieds, which are way more fun on an oval course. However, in the spirit of open-wheel competition, we ran them on the road course anyway. Happy Easter!

Short Story

This was another example of the highly competitive nature of the cars we’re running these days. I spaced and forgot to set the longer fuel fill times for Expert drivers in this round, but the results show that the racing was very competitive.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart* 477 235 4447.139
2 Aaron Castro* 467 212 4389.815
3 George Peters* 458 194 4603.055
4 Kevin Webster 404 142 4416.555
5 Jerry Pearson1 319 110 3413.512

* Expert (1 Jerry Pearson completed three races, not four.)

Race 1:  MegaG 1.7 Whelen/SK Modifieds IROC

Home Cook’n, Aaron Castro, George Peters

Okay, it may not be the best choice to start the day, considering the lineup for the following three races, but it was pretty intense once everybody made some controller adjustments and settled into the race. Aaron Castro jumped into the lead early, winning the first segment by 3 seconds over Home Cook’n. Aaron would go on to win two segments and led the race after segment four but completed his rotation with 117 laps. Home Cook’n needed to finish the final segment second or better to steal the top podium spot, which he did with a perfect 30 laps and the win. George Peters fought hard for the second podium spot but came up short by six points. The big story in this one was Sportsman driver, Jerry Pearson, who was driving these very loose and unpredictable cars exceptionally well for a guy who prefers much more downforce. Jerry ended up with two third-place segment finishes and bested his Sportsman rival, Kevin Webster, by two laps and four points. Detailed Results

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 120 61 1594.322
2 Aaron Castro 117 56 1646.073
3 George Peters 112 50 1694.095
4 Jerry Pearson 105 36 1635.197
5 Kevin Webster 103 32 1594.884

Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 “Modified”

Aaron Castro, Home Cook’n, George Peters

This race was the fastest MG+ “Modified” race ever. Aaron Castro would crush his previous race lap record of 5.146 in the Orange lane, clicking off a blistering 5.026 in the White lane, winning segment two by five laps! Aaron would win the following two segments, but the lead had already changed three times going into segment four. Aaron held the lead by six points and three laps into the final segment. George Peters would be the spoiler in the last segment by taking the win and the points second place finisher, Home Cook’n needed to overtake Aaron Castro for the overall win. Aaron and Home Cook’n tied in points, but Aaron edged out the win with just one more lap over Home Cook’n. Not to be outdone by the Expert drivers, Kevin Webster and Jerry Pearson both notched second-place segment finishes in this one. Blistering pace! Detailed Results

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Aaron Castro 118 55 729.94
2 Steve Stewart 117 55 833.805
3 George Peters 112 49 834.142
4 Jerry Pearson 105 38 751.684
5 Kevin Webster 105 38 761.6

Race 3: MegaG+ 1.7 “Lites” AFX Alpha Romeo F1 Team Cars IROC

Home Cook’n, Aaron Castro, George Peters

Could be the first and last time these limited edition AFX cars see IROC action anywhere. Aaron bought a set, and Home Cook’n bought a set, so we decided to run them in our open-wheel series. Aaron’s set was in the White and Green lanes, and Home Cookn’s set was in the Orange and Blue lanes. Aaron blasted out front early, winning the first segment and holding onto the race lead through segment three. Kevin Webster held on to second place after the first two. In the end, Home Cook’n seemed to fair the best with these totally “Box Stock” cars, winning the race by six seconds and five laps. Sportsman driver Kevin Webster would finish fourth but tied in points with 3rd place finisher George Peters. Detailed Results

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 120 64 952.757
2 Aaron Castro 115 47 958.644
3 George Peters 116 44 1001.05
4 Kevin Webster 106 44 980.686
5 Jerry Pearson 109 36 1026.631

Race 4: Viper V-SPEC “SPEC STOCK” F1/Indy Lexan

Home Cook’n, Aaron Castro, George Peters

Yet another barn burner Viper V-SPEC main event. Once again, Aaron Castro jumped into the lead, winning the first segment and clicking off a new lap record of 4.251 in the Orange lane in the process. Home Cook’n would take over the lead after segment two, but Aaron would come roaring back, winning segment three with a roughly 8-second better runtime and leading the race into the final segment. Aaron and Home Cook’n were separated by just one point going into the final segment with Aaron ahead by one point but down two laps. George Peters would once again prove the spoiler by winning the final segment by two seconds over Home Cook’n, but this time, Aaron would lose one lap and come up short by just one point, finishing third in the segment and second overall.  It doesn’t get much closer than that! Detailed Results

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 120 55 1066.255
2 Aaron Castro 117 54 1055.158
3 George Peters 118 51 1073.768
4 Kevin Webster 90 28 1079.385

Points Standings After Round 4

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart* 2044 932 13106.43
2 Aaron Castro* 2024 868 13046.08
3 George Peters* 1997 800 13254.27
4 Kevin Webster 1450 491 11777.35
5 Jerry Pearson 1229 400 7263.654
6 Eric Lane 1077 347 5300.734
7 Jordan Walker* 590 140 2405.214
8 Shaylin Maddox 176 88 1428.228
9 Pam Ebert 154 64 1390.808
10 Abe Maddox 148 64 1337.006
11 Martha Elderon 102 36 775.14 
NOTE: This is a best out of four series. If you're behind because you missed a round, the series points winners will be determined by their best four rounds points totals, not all five.

Race 5: Tyco 440X2 Narrow F1/Indy “Box Stock” IROC

While we usually do a bunch of racing after the official racing is over, we only did one “unofficial” race after Round 4 wrapped up. This was a four-car rotation using Webster Motorsports prepared cars, which were very fun to drive and soothing after the blistering pace of the Viper V-SPEC cars in race 4.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 120 64 1225.128
2 Aaron Castro 115 52 1251.755
3 Kevin Webster 105 44 1264.05

I can’t remember which race it was right now, but we had a strange finish in a segment where the leader thought they had a lap on a pursuing driver and stopped to get fuel before the next segment. When the pursuing driver went through the pits, he won the race. These could have been perfectly legitimate results, but we definitely need to review the tapes.

Speaking of tapes, we got all the “official” and “unofficial” action on tape this time. I’ll process that video ASAP, post the individual races on Rumble, and update this post with links.

I have no idea how the final points standings will play out since they’re still very close in both the Expert and Sportsman ranks. The final standings will be based on your total points from your best four of the five rounds.

Stay tuned for a post on the video action for Round 4 and the schedule for the rest of the series.

Okay, shut up and drive!

Race Report: 2024 Open Wheel Series, Round 3

2024 Open Wheel SeriesWow! What an amazingly competitive day of racing. Round 3 was not only blistering fast; it was one of the most competitive race days we’ve had at Stewart Raceway in quite a while.

We’ve made a few changes in our racing formats using fuel allocation parameters that seem to be helping level the playing field between Sportsman and Expert drivers, who race together but are scored separately.

The key ingredient for this seems to be a slight change in fuel delivery during pit stops. All drivers are allocated the same fuel at the start of each race, but Sportsman drivers enjoy a slightly faster fuel refill time than Expert drivers: six-second tank refills for Sportsman drivers and eight seconds for Expert drivers.

This small change seems to pay big dividends to the Sportsman ranks, making the racing much more competitive and changing fuel races’ overall dynamics and excitement.

Short Story

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 471 227 3127.513
2 Aaron Castro 467 216 3141.732
3 George Peters 461 204 3114.904
4 Eric Lane 419 163 2923.108
5 Kevin Webster 396 133 3108.326
6 Jerry Pearson 230 102 1536.13
7 Martha Elderon 102 36 775.14

It was a very competitive race day! Jerry and Martha had to depart after Race 2. All others completed all four official races.

Race 1: MegaG+ 1.7 Modified (IROC)

Our latest and increasingly popular car class. It is a perfect warmup for the subsequent individual Modified class. Again, an extremely competitive race, with nearly all drivers winning at least one segment. Second through fourth were only separated by one lap at the finish, and the top three finishers were separated by just one point.  While Sportsman driver Kevin Webster jumped out front, winning the first segment, Sportsman Jerry Pearson won the next three and remained in the lead until segment 5 when Expert Aaron Castro took over the lead through segments 5 and 6.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 118 55 755.518
2 Aaron Castro 115 54 788.33
3 George Peters 114 53 759.984
4 Jerry Pearson 113 47 792.398
5 Kevin Webster 105 43 762.624
6 Eric Lane 103 41 757.853
7 Martha Elderon 102 36 775.14

Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 Modified

Not actual podium, Race Director spaced–again!

After 120 laps with an IROC version of the same car, everybody was well-prepared for this barnburner race. Jerry Pearson dominated this race with one segment win and three second-place finishes. Jerry led the race from Segment 2 through to the finish, besting a hard-charging Expert, Aaron Castro, by just two points and grabbing the top podium spot, great driving, Jerry!

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Jerry Pearson 117 55 743.732
2 Aaron Castro 119 53 780.164
3 Steve Stewart 116 52 788.384
4 George Peters 117 50 747.699
5 Eric Lane 110 44 744.725
6 Kevin Webster 96 28 770.995

Race 3: Viper V-SPEC F1/Indy 1.7 Lexan (IROC) c/o Eric Lane

Another great IROC set to prepare for the day’s finale, the Viper V-SPEC “Spec Stock” class. Sportsman driver Eric “Fast” Lane graciously donated these cars to Stewart Raceway. How many tracks have you visited that have Viper V-SPEC IROC sets?  This mainly was a fast and furious battle between the three Experts, but Eric Lane put in a great effort in Segment 1, placing second to Home Cook’n just one lap down and very close on total run time–Nice driving, Eric!  Aaron Castro would win two segments but came up short of Home Cook’n despite a perfect 30 laps in the final segment.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 120 61 934.366
2 Aaron Castro 116 56 926.674
3 George Peters 112 46 950.901
4 Eric Lane 102 38 760.075
5 Kevin Webster 100 34 913.266

Race 4: Viper V-SPEC “SPEC STOCK” Lexan

Pinned Lexan F1/Indy bodies.

It is always an adrenaline-pumping race, but this one was really hot! Aaron Castro blasted into the lead from the get-go, winning the first segment just ahead of George Peters but on the same lap. Aaron would hold the race lead until the final segment, but George was clicking off high-speed lap times, vying for his first race win of the day. George was clicking off faster and faster laps but missed besting Home Cook’n at the finish of the last segment. George was just .381 seconds off the race winner’s segment run time and short just four points–great effort, George!

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 117 59 649.245
2 George Peters 118 55 656.32
3 Aaron Castro 117 53 646.564
4 Eric Lane 104 40 660.455
5 Kevin Webster 95 28 661.441

Speaking of lap times, George set new lap records on three lanes during this race, and Aaron set another. George’s fastest time of the race was 4.270 seconds in Lane 4 (Orange). Aaron clicked off a 4.409-second lap in Lane 5 (Blue). Blistering pace!

We did one fun race after the official races were over, running Eric’s MegaG+ 1.7 (Scooby Doo) Vans IROC set–way fun cars, thanks Eric!

Official Series Standings After Round 3:

With two more Rounds to go, Kevin Webster and Eric Lane are in a heated contest for Sportsman honors, with just two points separating the two drivers after Round 3.

In the Expert ranks, it’s not as close, but certainly still up for grabs between the top three points earners.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Kevin Webster 1046 349 7360.796
2 Eric Lane 1077 347 5300.734
3 Jerry Pearson 910 290 3850.142
4 Shaylin Maddox 176 88 1428.228
5 Pam Ebert 154 64 1390.808
6 Abe Maddox 148 64 1337.006
7 Martha Elderon 102 36 775.14
1 Steve Stewart* 1567 697 8659.291
2 Aaron Castro* 1557 656 8656.26
3 George Peters* 1539 606 8651.218
4 Jordan Walker* 590 140 2405.214

*Expert

Okay, Round 3 of this incredibly competitive and exciting series is in the books. Stay tuned for a post on other lap records broken in Round 3. Drivers continue to get faster and faster on SR3.

Round 4 is tentatively slated for March 30th.

Race Report: 2024 Open Wheel Series, Round 2

The series continued to Round 2 on Saturday, February 24 on the SR3 oval course. We had a great showing by nine drivers throughout the day with some very competitive racing, as always.

In the spirit of “open-wheel” racing, we tried to run all open-wheel livery in each official race. However, we didn’t get one of the two IROC sets completed in time so had to substitute the venerable Maximum Leeway late-model sportsman cars for race 1. We did four races in all. Below is the short story but there is a whole lot more to it than the numbers below show.

All races were run with 45-lap heats (segments) and a fuel allocation of 62 laps. In addition, to try to make things even more competitive, Expert drivers were handicapped with a longer fuel refill time than Sportsman drivers, initially set two seconds longer but lowered to one second after the first couple of races.

Overall Short Story

Place Name Laps Points Adjust1 Total Time
1 Steve Stewart* 706 231   2285.962
2 Aaron Castro* 695 215   2302.982
3 Eric Lane 628 182   2393.738
4 George Peters* 685 149 61 2270.22
5 Jordan Walker* 584 148   2454.01
7 Jerry Pearson 340 94   1157.006
6 Kevin Webster 483 81 53 1685.595
8 Shaylin Maddox 281 79   1163.514
9 Abe Maddox 255 70   1185.256

* Expert Driver
1 Points lost from a rules infraction

Race 1: Viper Jets with Maximum Leeway Late-model Sportsman Bodies (IROC) (12v)

We started with the fast but loose Viper Jets. Just as much speed and power as a regular V-SPEC Viper but with brass weights instead of traction magnets. As might be expected, most of the Expert drivers came out on top in this one. Sportsman drivers, Eric Lane and Jerry Pearson drove these cars very well and were not too far off the pace considering the experts have far more track time with these cars than they do.  Detailed Results

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart* 173 59 649.321
2 George Peters* 177 58 680.100
3 Aaron Castro* 178 55 689.752
4 Eric Lane 155 40 707.989
5 Jerry Pearson 161 38 706.243
6 Jordan Walker* 138 32 691.378

Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 “Modified” (20v)

Jerry Pearson, Home Cook’n, Eric Lane

Our latest and one of the most competitive classes we run. These cars use the popular Racemasters MegaG+ long-wheelbase chassis with a super-light photopaper body. This creates a much better handling platform and because they are pretty much out-of-the-box chassis’, the racing is extremely close.

Not sure if it had anything to do with the longer fuel stops for Expert drivers or what but Sportsman drivers, Jerry Pearson and Eric Lane put on a show in this one, besting the usual suspects quite convincingly with Jerry tying in points with Home Cook’n but besting him by one lap to take the top podium spot. That’s close racing! Both Jerry and Eric won two segments each. Way to go, Jerry and Eric!  Detailed Results

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Jerry Pearson 179 56 450.763
2 Steve Stewart 178 56 485.505
3 Eric Lane 174 52 480.824
4 Aaron Castro 167 51 462.639
5 George Peters 171 44 458.157
6 Jordan Walker 157 38 511.229
7 Kevin Webster 147 32 490.550

Race 3: MegaG 1.7 “Whelen/SK Modifieds” (IROC) (15v)

Aaron Castro, Home Cook’n, Eric Lane

These cars are another challenging platform with a powerful inline motor, they pack a lot of power but have no traction magnets and run hard-compound (B) Super tires in the rear. Very drifty and difficult to drive.

As usual, expert driver, Aaron Castro dominated this race, winning four segments! The bigger story, however, was Sportsman driver, Eric “Fast” Lane bagging the final podium spot. Eric drove these cars exceptionally well bagging three second-place segment finishes and one third-place. Nice driving, Eric!

Our lone Junior driver, Abe Maddox, bagged two second-place segment finishes while his awesome Mom, Shaylin Maddox also bagged two second-place segment finishes. Very impressive driving by Team Maddox adapting to these difficult-to-master cars.  Detailed Results

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Aaron Castro 180 64 744.708
2 Steve Stewart 177 58 748.214
3 Eric Lane 153 50 794.221
4 Kevin Webster 159 49 792.067
5 George Peters 162 47 744.761
6 Abe Maddox 139 38 779.530
7 Shaylin Maddox 136 38 750.750
8 Jordan Walker 125 32 823.799

Race 4: Viper V-SPEC “SPEC STOCK” F1/Indy Lexan (15v)

Home Cook’n, Jordan Walker, Aaron Castro

As always, the V-SPEC class was another barn burner race with literally every driver posting impressive segment finishes. Shaylin Maddox, started her Race 4 rotation in the white lane and posted a perfect 45 laps, the segment win, and the fastest lap of the day at 1.654 seconds–a new SR3 oval course lap record! Way to go, Shaylin!

Unofficial Race Results

Yes, the final race was without a doubt the most intense and hotly contested race but not without some additional drama.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 175 61 387.202
2 Steve Stewart 178 58 402.922
3 Kevin Webster 177 53 402.978
4 Jordan Walker 164 46 427.604
5 Aaron Castro 170 45 405.883
6 Shaylin Maddox 145 41 412.764
7 Eric Lane 146 40 410.704
8 Abe Maddox 116 32 405.726

In the end, expert driver George Peters dominated this one. George took the checkered flag after winning three segments and placing second in another.

However, during the race, several drivers noticed that Jordan Walker’s car seemed exceptionally faster than any other car. The Race Director decided during the race that there would be a technical inspection of all cars entered post-race.

Each car was tested on the house VRP Dynometer and VRP Magnet Downforce Meter. To our surprise, Jordan’s car was well within the typical RPM and downforce ranges for this type of car. However, during the remaining testing and inspection, a balanced and trued armature (Hot Stock) was discovered in race winner George Peter’s car. In addition, when testing Kevin Webster’s car on the downforce meter, his car measured well over double the typical downforce of a Viper “SPEC STOCK” platform.

The “SPEC STOCK” rules we employ at Stewart Raceway do not permit hot stock armatures and Kevin’s downforce readings were well beyond the “SPEC STOCK” rules maximum for this car. Consequently, both drivers were disqualified and lost all points earned in Race 4.  Detailed Results

Race 4 Official Results
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 178 58 402.922
2 Jordan Walker 164 46 427.604
3 Aaron Castro 170 45 405.883
4 Shaylin Maddox 145 41 412.764
5 Eric Lane 146 40 410.704
6 Abe Maddox 116 32 405.726
7 George Peters 175 0 387.202
8 Kevin Webster 177 0 402.978

I’m sure George’s rule infraction was simply an oversight. I’ve raced with George since I got back into slot car racing way back in 2017 and he’s always been very competitive and compliant with all racing rules. I’m sure George either mistakenly chose that particular car or just didn’t notice it had a hot stock armature installed.

As for Kevin’s infraction, I’ve also been racing with Kevin for nearly the same amount of time and he too has always complied with all house and racing rules. I suspect Kevin may have also made a mistake in choosing that particular car for this race.

This type of incident is not uncommon in slot car racing and very often the reason these things happen has much less to do with willful disregard for rules, but usually unintentional or careless selection of cars and/or parts.

Whatever the case may be, all this reinforces the importance of regular technical inspections at official races to help influence drivers and builders to be more diligent in preparing their cars for racing.

2024 Open Wheel Series Points Standings after Round 2

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Kevin Webster 834 229 5302.031
2 Eric Lane 628 182 2393.738
3 Shaylin Maddox 369 123 1877.628
4 Abe Maddox 329 102 1853.759
5 Jerry Pearson 340 94 1157.006
6 Pam Ebert 77 32 695.404
1 Steve Stewart* 1103 467 5903.035
2 Aaron Castro* 1088 429 5904.457
3 George Peters* 1062 336 5886.131
4 Jordan Walker* 584 148 2454.01

* Expert driver

Okay, Round 2 is in the books and the series points just got a bit more interesting after Round 2. Stay tuned for details on next week’s open track day and potential dates for Round 3.

Thank you all for making the trek to Stewart Raceway!  

Okay, shut up and drive!