Another Great Wednesday Night “Under The Lights” Event

Another beautiful California evening and more great food, snacks, desserts, and hydration products. Dean made some great chicken soup and bread to complement the house bread, and we had a very tasty dinner before racing commenced.

Dean hangs a perfectly good Viper on the wall.

Once again, our stellar 2025 Promoter of the Year, Dean Donaldson, invited two more new drivers into the fold, and last Saturday’s new driver, Mark Wialbut, returned for his second visit to the raceway. A very solid group of slotheads and plenty of competition.

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Dustin Jolley 200 118 2093.197
2 Jeff Seltzer 106 62 1154.160
3 Max Dunn 103 49 999.582
4 Bev Seltzer 104 44 1035.450
5 Tara DelaGarza 89 38 1002.428
6 Mark Wialbut 98 35 1058.522
Expert
1 Steve Stewart 194 127 2105.784
2 Dean Donaldson 197 111 2093.983

Yeah, yeah, Home Cook’n is always at or near the top of the Expert leaderboard, big surprise (His tracks!). That said, those days are numbered, as you can see from the Race 1 summary below.

In fact, Sportsman driver Dustin Jolley placed second overall in this event, which he does quite frequently. He’s either going to earn an Expert upgrade or request one soon.

Race 1: Viper V-SPEC F1/Indy 1.7 (i) Lexan Eric Lane Set

Wow!  While we probably could have run four lanes with good corner marshal coverage, we opted for segment sit-outs to man the keyboard and went with all six lanes for racing.

Again, with newer drivers in the mix, it’s a good idea to go with a top-level magnet car as they get up to speed with slot car racing. It’s cool to compare early lap times to later ones. Talk about getting up to speed quickly.

The big story in this very hotly contested race was Jeff Seltzer, who, with the exception of just one of the eight segments, held onto 3rd place until the very last segment. In fact, if you take the Experts out of the equation, Jeff finished 2nd overall. Jeff put on a clinic on mastering refueling, cutting fast laps, and achieving consistent top 3 segment finishes.

Our newest drivers, Tara DelaGarza and Max Dunn, both had impressive moments in the race and posted some nice best laps. Tara clicked off a 5.539 lap in the blue lane, while Max had a 5.368 also in the Blue lane. I think they had fun, and both clearly got faster as the race went on. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 119 87 1000.273
2 Dustin Jolley 119 78 975.064
3 Dean Donaldson 111 71 987.044
4 Jeff Seltzer 106 62 1154.160
5 Max Dunn 103 49 999.582
6 Bev Seltzer 104 44 1035.450
7 Tara DelaGarza 89 38 1002.428
8 Mark Wialbut 98 35 1058.522
Race 2: Fray T-Jets (i)

This race was way fun, but a but we lost over half the field before the start. No, it wasn’t because of the car choice; it just got late, and it was time for some to go home.

The Fray T-Jet is definitely not an ideal platform for new drivers or the typical hobbyist. The Fray T-Jet is based on the oldest H.O. scale slot car platform out there.  Fray enthusiasts have transformed this 1960s toy chassis into a very sophisticated, high-performance car. The best way I know to describe this platform is to call it a “hyper-tuned Swiss Watch.”

The best part about this race was that both Dustin and Dean absolutely loved racing these things. Dean, who previously had declared the Viper V-SPEC L4 platform as the only thing worth racing, has recently discovered the challenge and thrill of racing cars that you have to actually drive every inch of every lap.

The big story of this one was that these cars hadn’t seen track time in a long time and were not well prepared to race. Consequently, they were not well matched, with the White lane car markedly better than the Green lane car, and the Orange lane car almost impossible to stay on the same lap as the Green car by the time the last segment rolled.

If you have time, the detailed results pretty much tell the story. The Orange lane car’s tires were nearly worn out at the start. By the time the race was over, the tires were toast. Surprisingly, each driver won their White lane segments, and Dean “Magnet Man” won the race! I think he’s finally realizing that there is a whole lot more to slot car racing than “stuck” magnet cars. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Dean Donaldson 86 40 1106.939
2 Dustin Jolley 81 40 1118.133
3 Steve Stewart 75 40 1105.511

Thank you all for supporting our cool weeknight program! These events have been tremendously successful. A special thanks to Dean for his amazing advocacy and promotion of slot car racing in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

This Saturday is still open for a Junior/Parents Team event and/or regular Sportsman racing. I’ll shoot out an invite ASAP.

Okay, shut up and drive!

Saturday “Big Kids” Race Day

What a fantastic day and night for slot car action. Beautiful weather, a great make-up of cars, fuel racing, two new drivers, competitive racing, and some very tasty grub and treats.

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 432 236 3756.741
2 Dean Donaldson 414 193 3796.966
3 Joe Vargas 378 165 3808.923
4 Dustin Jolley 177 74 1447.689
5 Mark Wialbut 185 66 2205.114
6 Rye Jolley 146 42 1601.420
Race 1: Jag Hobbies PR-5 GT F1 Hardbody (i)

New driver, Mark Wialbut, got thrown into the fire after just an hour or so of practice. Mark hasn’t raced slot cars in many years, but he had a smile a mile wide during and after the race. Joe Vargas returned to the raceway after a fairly long layoff; his last visit was in October 2025.

The results don’t really tell the story here. This IROC set is fast and stuck, much like a Viper L4 car. Of course, our 2025 Sportsman Champ, Dean Donaldson, pressured Home Cook’n from the first green to the last checkers. Dean loves magnet cars, and it appears the PR-5 “GT” chassis suits his driving style well.

The leaderboard never changed in this one, but there sure were some battles going on. Joe edged out Mark for the final podium spot. No surprise there, since Joe’s average placing after six appearances is a nice 3.4. Again, Mark Wialbut was all smiles, and by the end of his first race in over 40-years, he was posting very respectable lap times. I suspect he’ll return with his beautiful wife again soon.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 80 64 617.241
2 Dean Donaldson 80 52 632.205
3 Joe Vargas 63 44 636.245
4 Mark Wialbut 46 28 672.606
Race2: MegaG+ 1.7 Modified

Dean and Dustin came out swinging in this Modified race, swapping the race lead over the first three segments. While Home Cook’n was struggling with Dustin and Dean’s blazing pace, Joe Vargas was driving the wheels off his rig, chasing Home Cook’n. Home Cook’n finally recovered from the blistering early pace and got to the top of the leaderboard for Segment 4. After that, it was a battle between Dean and Dustin for the second podium spot.

Dustin brought his son, Rye, to this event. Rye has raced on his Dad’s home sectional track, but had never raced a Modified car or on a routed track. By the end of the race, Rye was cutting close to sub 6-sec laps.

The battle for 2nd between Dean and Dustin was hot and heavy, but Dustin managed to stay in 2nd through to the end, though both Dean and he had ample opportunity to steal the top spot from Home Cook’n. Dustin appears to be our next Expert addition, with a very good run and a lap record in the Modified class (5.745 in Yellow).  Mark Wialbut may not have finished on the podium in his first visit to the raceway, but he clicked off a new lap record in this class with a 4.959 lap in the Orange lane! By the end of the race, he was clearly getting back into his groove with near sub 6-sec lap times.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 173 79 1461.730
2 Dustin Jolley 177 74 1447.689
3 Dean Donaldson 170 64 1474.797
4 Joe Vargas 158 51 1467.177
5 Rye Jolley 146 42 1601.420
6 Mark Wialbut 139 38 1532.508
Race 3:  Viper V-SPEC F1/Indy 1.7 (i) Lexan Eric Lane Set

Well, after some great racing and a wonderful BBQ pork loin ribs dinner (Thanks, Mrs Stewart!), we still had a few drivers interested in racing more. Of course, Dean lobbied for Vipers, so we dragged out Eric Lane’s very cool set of F1/Indy Lexan cars.

Joe was up against two Experts deadset on not letting the other one beat them, not an ideal position to be in, but he stayed focused and got as many laps as he could. Going into the final Segment, Dean and Home Cook’n were tied in points at 29. Of course, Joe was thinking it might be an opportunity to be the spoiler, since he was finishing in the Orange lane. In the end, Home Cook’n pulled off the win with a little help from the Green lane. Dean came up short due to ill-timed crashes, but he had the fastest laps of the race (4.741 in White) and the fastest median lap time. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 89 45 570.659
2 Dean Donaldson 83 42 569.004
3 Joe Vargas 74 33 568.684
Race 4: OS3 TFX Box Stock Dash Aston Martin (i)

Believe it or not, Joe and I overruled Dean’s preference for more magnet car action, and we pulled out this way cool set of TFX cars for the final race of the night. Dean was not pleased with our choice, but he begrudingly hung in there and hooked up to give them a try.

By his second rotation, Dean had changed his tune, made some adjustments, and acknowledged that the TFX is a fun and challenging platform to race. Joe and I both already knew that, and Joe’s 2nd place podium spot shows he’s not only a good magnet car driver, but he’s also a very versatile low-downforce driver.

Maybe there is hope for Dean. I know he didn’t like the result here, but he definitely enjoyed racing the TFX. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 90 48 1107.111
2 Joe Vargas 83 37 1136.817
3 Dean Donaldson 81 35 1120.960

A big thanks to all participants for supporting our racing program and making Saturday another way fun event!

Okay, stay tuned for an invite for another “Under the Lights” this coming Wednesday. We’re on our own for food this time, so potluck or just winging it with snacks will be the fare for this one.

Oops, almost forgot about Mark’s incredibly tasty margaritas, amazing!

Okay, shut up and drive!

A Kid’s Race It Is!

Just two teams showed up, comprised mostly of junior drivers. Team Maddox arrived first with 2025 Junior Champ, Abe Maddox, and relative newcomer and Junior driver, August Feinstein. August had visited the raceway just four times prior to Saturday’s racing, but was very excited about having a slot on Team Maddox and about doing more racing.

Team Johnson brought their two star Junior drivers, Madeline and Matthew, and their newborn “development” driver, Luke Johnson.  Luke wanted to race, but team racing requires an even number of drivers on each team. He’ll be back!

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Abe Maddox 115 75 748.889
2 August Feinstein 114 69 737.333
3 Madeline Johnson 102 49 768.971
4 Matthew Johnson 93 43 751.298
Race 1: Viper V-SPEC F1/Indy 1.7 (i) Lexan Eric Lane Set

These kids love Vipers, so we ran Eric’s awesome set for race 1. August Feinstein came off the line blazing in the first segment, winning by two laps over our Junior Champ, Abe Maddox.

Abe didn’t dig that very much and won the last three segments convincingly. In spite of the heated battles between August and Abe, Team Johnson’s Madeline Johnson bagged a very nice 2nd place in segment 2 with the fastest lap of the segment in the Orange lane. Our youngest Junior driver, Matthew Johnson, followed that up in the next segment with a very nice 3rd place finish in the Green lane.

August fought hard throughout the race, holding onto 2nd place, just 4 laps behind Abe at the finish. Team Johnson did extremely well considering they’ve been busy tending to their new little brother and haven’t been racing much since last August. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Abe Maddox 78 61 524.582
2 August Feinstein 74 53 533.670
3 Madeline Johnson 66 38 547.958
4 Matthew Johnson 66 36 533.345

 

Race 2: Dash IROC

We decided to mix it up a bit and do a Dash race instead of a full rotation race for the last one. We reversed the lane choices to make it a little more competitive. Matthew got to pick his lane first, Madeline second, and August third choice, which placed Abe in the toughest lane for the final race.

August Feinstein put the hammer down and won the 40 lap race by three laps. Abe bagged second with some very nice driving in the more difficult Blue lane. In the process, Abe clicked off the fastest lap of race with a 4.397. Team Johnson’s, Madeline Johnson, had the next fastest lap of the race with a 5.820, and she was just one lap behind Junior Champ, Abe Maddox at the checkers for the final podium spot.

Track: SR3 Road Course Fast Esses (Chicane)
Date: Jan-24-2026 16:30
Class:
Descr: superdash
Driver Lane Avg
Lap		 Fast
Lap		 Median
Lap		 Laps
August Feinstein White 8858 5881 7454 40 1
Abe Maddox Blue 9575 4397 7208 37 2
Madeline Johnson Orange 9942 5820 9683 36 3
Matthew Johnson Green 12839 6201 11716 27 4

Since we’ve never run this new Jag PR-5 GT set in a Dash race, we have some new lap records to report. Each of the four drivers in Race 2 set lap records in their lanes!

      • August Feinstein, 5.881 in the White lane
      • Matthew Johnson, 6.201 in the Green lane
      • Madeline Johnson, 5.820 in the Orange lane
      • Abe Maddox, 4.397 in the Blue lane

Thanks to all the teams that showed up and made this event a fun day for the kids. They’re the future of slot car racing, and the future looks bright!

 

 

Race Report: Wednesday Night Under The Lights, Jan 14, 2026

Carnage in the Viper-built Super 7 IROC race.

It looks like the “Promoter of the Year” competition is heating up for 2026. We had two new drivers visit Stewart Raceway for this “Under the Lights” event on SR3.

First, a warm welcome to Phil Rogers and Ramsey Wright. Phil is a local resident who lives just a few miles away near Full-Speed and Seltzer Racing Teams. Ramsey is a college friend of Team Jolley’s, Dustin Jolley. Both new drivers seemed to have a great time, and we look forward to their return to Stewart Raceway for more slot car action soon. Phil hadn’t raced slot cars since the 70’s. Ramsey has been a slot-car enthusiast since he first discovered them, but had never raced on a routed track.

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 245 142 2032.795
2 Dean Donaldson 239 120 1991.125
1 Dustin Jolley 236 119 1977.112
2 Jeff Seltzer 231 98 2052.440
3 Bev Seltzer 206 85 2055.125
4 Ramsey Wright 202 85 2005.230
5 Phil Rogers 71 28 710.348

Dustin and Ramsey arrived too late to get much practice in, but after a very nice dinner of pan pizza, salad, and cheese bread, we got down to business with racing.

Race 1: Jag Hobbies PR-5 GT F1 Hardbody (IROC)

We again used this new House IROC set of PR-5 GT chassis’ with AFX/Racemasters F1 hardbodies to kick off the night. With seven drivers, we had nearly enough participants to run a normal race without excessive interruptions from track-call button(s).

We actually had eight people in the paddock, so the Race Director decided to cut the lanes down to four, leaving three drivers free to corner marshal, and Kathy available to handle track calls on the keyboard. SR3 typically requires four corner marshals to pull off a fluid and timely raceday.

Unfortunately, one team in the paddock vehemently opposed this prescription, sparking controversy. Once all that got settled, and the opposition team finally gave up insisting we run all six lanes with individual driver track-call buttons, we got underway with four lanes, 25-lap segments, and a 30-lap fuel allocation.

These cars are pretty quick (4.960) on SR3, but not quite as “stuck” as a Viper F1 Lexan (4.657). Still, a good platform for new drivers to get up to speed on routed tracks quickly. Dustin Jolley led this race from the second segment all the way to the final segment. Of course, the newly upgraded Expert driver, Dean Donaldson, was having none of that and took over the second-place position from Bev Seltzer at the end of segment three, holding on to second until the final segment, just one point behind the race leader Dustin Jolley.

Newcomer, Ramsey Wright advanced from 4th to 3rd going into the final segment, but was done with his rotation with 42 points. Dustin Jolley was also done with his rotation, leading with 56 points, and Dean Donaldson, in second, had finished his rotation with 55 points. Home Cook’n was in 4th overall going into the final segment with 48 points. Was the leaderboard about to get shuffled?

Team Seltzer came out of the gate in the last segment blazing. Jeff Seltzer had put the hammer down and completed every lap with very consistent times, finishing 2nd in the segment and securing the third podium spot. Bev Seltzer was on fire in this one also, clearly getting back in her groove. Bev completed all 25 laps, had the fastest median lap time, and won the segment handily. When the two Experts were removed from the leaderboard, Jeff finished the race in 2nd and Bev in 3rd. Very sold driving by Team Seltzer!  Dustin Jolley’s 56 points were just enough to put him in 2nd overall and 1st in the Sportsman class. Great driving!  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 100 59 725.646
2 Dustin Jolley 97 56 673.951
3 Dean Donaldson 95 55 656.617
4 Bev Seltzer 89 45 714.937
5 Jeff Seltzer 96 44 746.281
6 Ramsey Wright 83 42 668.954
7 Phil Rogers 71 28 710.348
Race 2: Viper Super 7 NASCAR Eric Lane Set (i)

We lost Phil Rodgers after the first race, which I’m sure felt like being thrown into a pit of Vipers. Phil actually did pretty well, considering he’s been away from slot car racing for quite a spell.  We hope he enjoyed the experience and returns to racing with us again soon.

Phil’s departure changed the marshaling situation, so we went back to six lanes and track calls for crashes. This extends the runtime considerably, which shortens the number of races possible.

This IROC set is a lot like running a Viper V-SPEC L4 hardbody car, but with a little less speed and handling, mostly because stock Tyco 440-X2 NASCAR hardbodies are used.

This one seemed like three races going on at once. The two Experts, Dean Donaldson and Home Cook’n, duked it out the entire race, swapping the race lead nearly every segment. Sportsman drivers, Dustin Jolley and Jeff Seltzer, battled for the third podium spot the whole race, and Bev Seltzer and Ramsey had a heated battle going for 4th overall in the last few segments.

New driver, Ramsey Wright, had a good groove going, battling Dustin for third until the fourth segment, when Jeff Seltzer made his move in the Green lane to drop Ramsey (Blue lane) down to fifth place, and fighting off a hard-charging Bev Seltzer, who was just one lap down on him going into the final segment.

In the end, Home Cook’n won the Expert battle by just one lap, Dustin won the Sportsman battle by four laps, and Ramsey bagged the final Sportsman podium by just two laps ahead of Bev Seltzer.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 145 83 1307.149
2 Dean Donaldson 144 65 1334.508
3 Dustin Jolley 139 63 1303.161
4 Jeff Seltzer 135 54 1306.159
5 Ramsey Wright 119 43 1336.276
6 Bev Seltzer 117 40 1340.188

We lost Full-Speed Racing and Team Seltzer after Race 2, and it was pretty late in the evening. Dustin, Ramsey, and I played around with a few of Ramsey’s tricked-out cars, then called it a night around 1:00 AM.

A big thanks to everybody for contributing to another great night of “Under the Lights” racing!  The highlight of the night (for me) was seeing Ramsey come down the driveway with a handmade slot-car box. I have one of those that I made in woodshop during my high school days in the mid-seventies. That was cool!

Still way too early to post seasonal points, but I predict that Dustin Jolley will be the next Sportsman driver to advance to the Expert ranks.

If you're the Sportsman points leader for 5 consecutive raceday events, you advance to Expert.

Due to the NFL Playoffs, no Saturday track action this week. Kathy’s and my Mom’s favorite teams are both playing Saturday. Hopefully, we can get another “Under the Lights” event in the books this coming week, and maybe even a Saturday event; we’ll see.  Have a great weekend!

2026 Season Kicks Off With A Friday Night “Under The Lights” Event

3-ohm Mayhem in the PR-5 GT IROC race.

We were shooting for a doubleheader (Friday night and Saturday), but we couldn’t field enough teams for Saturday. Probably a good thing, since Friday night’s event went well past 1:00 AM.

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 312 178 3420.310
2 Dustin Jolley 303 157 3494.790
3 Dean Donaldson 274 131 3578.762
4 Mike Langell 262 98 3506.202
Race 1: Jag Hobbies PR-5 GT F1/Indy Hardbody (IROC)

The latest fleet addition to Stewart Raceway, these cars are very nearly as fast as a Viper V-SPEC L4 car, and they’re out of the box. I think with a paper Modified body, they’ll be as fast, or faster. Put some aftermarket silicon tires on them, and look out!

The new IROC set debuts on SR2’s straight road course in a 30-lap fuel race with no marshals and the Track Call FOB.

Dustin came off the starting line blazing in this one after only a few minutes of warm-up. Dustin won two segments, Home Cook’n won two. Dustin took the overall win with some superb driving and some good fortune in the final segment. Mike Langell (pronounced “Looungell”), had a significant first segment, besting Home Cook’n by 3 laps!

Going into the final segment, Home Cook’n had a very slim lead of just one point on Team Jolley, who managed a very nice 2nd place finish in the tricky Red lane in Segment 3. Home Cook’n managed to get a nice gap on everybody early on, but racing is never over until the checkers fly. In the last few laps, Home Cook’n got tangled up in a crash, and Dustin managed to get through the carnage and pulled ahead for the win. Never give up!  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Dustin Jolley 114 58 1743.112
2 Steve Stewart 113 56 1728.365
3 Mike Langell 97 42 1751.195
4 Dean Donaldson 88 32 1767.821
Race 2: Mega G+ 1.7 Corvette C8 (IROC)

Back to SR3’s Fast Esses road course… New Expert driver, Dean Donaldson, had a terrific run in this one with a 1st and two 2nd place segment finishes. Dean prefers Vipers, but this result shows that he’s more than capable of driving the “less-stuck” cars as well.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 99 58 862.716
2 Dean Donaldson 96 53 859.096
3 Dustin Jolley 94 49 855.746
4 Mike Langell 86 28 864.304
Race 3: Jag Hobbies PR-5 GT F1 Hardbody (IROC)

Yep, we ran this awesome IROC set again on SR3. This time, Kathy handled the Race Director chores and flagged the race. This race was pretty competitive in the first segment, but not all that close in the end. Team Jolly and Team Full-Speed (Donaldson) remained very close throughout the battle, with Dustin placing 2nd in three segments and Dean placing 3rd in three. Team Langell had clearly over-hydrated before or during the final race and would finish well off the pace, though he did have a few blazing laps to his credit.  He’s on target for “2026 Best Young Driver.”  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 100 64 829.229
2 Dustin Jolley 95 50 895.932
3 Dean Donaldson 90 46 951.845
4 Mike Langell 79 28 890.703

It’s a bit too early in the season to post points standings (See overall results above). However, Team Jolly obviously earned his 2025 Rookie of the Year honors, and Team Full-Speed continues to improve his driving skills.

So, how did the new Jag Hobbies PR-5 GT platform do? On SR2’s straight road course, Home Cook’n clicked off a 3.464 in the Blue lane. With Eric Lane’s Viper V-SPEC L4 F1/Indy set, Jordan Walker clicked off a 3.119 lap in the Blue lane back in July of 2024. On SR3, the fastest lap for Eric’s way cool Viper set is a 4.526 in the White lane. Dustin clicked off a blazing 3.695 lap Friday night in the Blue lane with the PR-5 GT. This is the fastest lap I know of on SR3!

We’re not going to be able to pull off an “Under The Lights” event this coming week, but Saturday or Saturday night are possibilities. Stay tuned for invites.

Okay, shut up and drive!