Race Report: Saturday Night Under The Lights, November 22-23, 2025

Wow! Another fantastic night under the lights. Dean prepared an amazingly delicious beef bourguignon that everybody raved about. Joe brought a fantastic chocolate cream pie (which I sadly had to share), Mike brought a couple of packages of frozen wild pig sausage that he and his Dad took recently. Mike also brought some brownies that disappeared quicker than a Viper overshooting Turn 1. Dustin brought a very cool IROC set of Porsche 935s.

It was just a blur at 600mph…

 

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 347 225 3260.446
2 Mike Langell 323 146 3334.943
3 Dustin Jolley 243 121 2344.601
4 Dean Donaldson 230 118 2056.539
5 Jeff Seltzer 213 84 2035.342
6 Joe Clarke 212 79 2054.991
7 Kathy Stewart 77 28 1284.974

Expert Driver

Race 1: Tyco 440-X2 Narrow Lexan (i)

Kind of a hodge-podge set, but the racing was great. Jeff Seltzer came off the line ready to rumble after a five-month layoff from Stewart Raceway. Jeff handily won the first segment, not with the fastest lap times, but with a steady pace, a perfect 20-lap segment, and the win. Jeff looked to be poised for a podium visit.

Dean Donaldson (Full Speed Racing), however, had other plans. Dean wasn’t having a great race going into segment 4, sitting last on the leaderboard and 14 points behind 3rd place, Jeff Seltzer. Dean’s chances for a podium looked pretty slim. Dean’s situation changed dramatically in Segment 4 in the White lane. Dean would run a perfect 20-lap segment, set the fastest median lap time, and win by a whole lap. Dean repeated in the final segment, with another perfect 20-lap segment, set the fastest lap of the segment in the Green lane, and stole the third spot on the podium from a hard-charging Jeff Seltzer. Talk about comebacks!

While the Comeback Kid was working his magic, Mike Langell was masterfully running his own race for a podium spot, placing no worse than 3rd in each of his rotations. Mike ended up 2nd overall with steady but fast driving. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 97 71 959.929
2 Mike Langell 93 57 959.929
3 Dean Donaldson 91 55 959.929
4 Jeff Seltzer 87 49 959.929
5 Joe Clarke 83 33 959.929
Race 2: Viper V-SPEC F1/Indy 1.7 (i) Lexan Eric Lane Set

Going from fast to faster, we opted for the venerable Viper V-SPEC L4 “Eric Lane” way-fast-and-fun IROC set for Race 2. Our newest driver, Dustin Jolley, made his fourth appearance at Stewart Raceway for this special Saturday edition of our Under The Lights series.

Other than the first segment, this one didn’t have many lead changes; it pretty much finished the way it started, from 1st through 4th.  Though the gaps in the battle for the podium spots were very narrow, the real battle was between Jeff Seltzer and Joe Clarke for 5th and 6th place. Both drivers had pretty good segment results, with Jeff bagging a 4th-place finish in segment 4, and Joe finishing 3rd in segment 5 and 2nd in the final segment. Joe also set the second fastest lap for the segment with a 5.097 in the Green lane.

Other drama in this one was Dean Donaldson and Dustin Jolley tied in laps, and Dean just two points down going into the final segment. To make it even more dramatic, both drivers would be in the gutter lanes: Dean in Yellow and Dustin in Red. Unfortunately for Dean, the Yellow lane hairpins bit him hard, and he would lose 7 laps. He would finish in 6th-place to Dustin’s 3rd-place, putting him well out of contention for the Sportsman win, but a nice podium finish and the second fastest lap of the race in the Blue lane to cap off his night. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 150 90 1071.076
2 Dustin Jolley 144 71 1091.028
3 Dean Donaldson 139 63 1096.610
4 Mike Langell 135 43 1099.802
5 Joe Clarke 129 46 1095.062
6 Jeff Seltzer 126 35 1075.413
Race 3: Tyco 440-X2 Wide-Pan Porche 935 Hardbody (i)

Dustin Jolley pulled out a set of Tyco 440-x2 widepan cars with Porsche 935 “Whale Tail” hardbodies for the final race of the night. These cars were amazingly smooth, very comparable in performance, and a hoot to drive.

Dustin set the fastest lap of this race with a 7.129 in the White lane. Dustin was on a mission in this one, with three Sportsman segment wins and the fastest lap.  Young gun Mike Langell came out swinging with a Sportsman win in the first segment and a blistering pace in the final segment. Mike was 3 laps down but just 2 points behind going into the final segment and seemed to find his groove in the Orange lane, setting the fastest median lap time of the race.

Unfortunately, Dustin drove the wheels off his car in the White lane with a perfect 25 laps, very nearly winning the segment, but a crash in the final corners of the last lap of the race dashed an otherwise great run in just his fourth appearance.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 100 64 1229.441
2 Dustin Jolley 99 50 1253.573
3 Mike Langell 95 46 1275.212
4 Kathy Stewart 77 28 1284.974

No need to tally points for this series since Dean has that in the bag already. I’ll post the final standings in December, and we’ll celebrate Dean’s departure from the Sportsman ranks to an Expert driver.

Thank you to all of you who attended our first Saturday night event, it was way fun, great food, and hydration products. The next Under The Lights event is this Wednesday. It could be a light turnout due to the Holiday, we’ll see.

Stay tuned for limited video coverage. Had some technical issues on that…again!

Okay, shut up and drive!

Race Report: Wednesday Night Under The Lights, November 12-13, 2025

New drivers, new track records, and new curfew!

Weeknight racing seems to be outpacing Saturdays these days. We had six local drivers show up for this one. Full Speed Racing sponsored the event and provided locally caught, fresh, cracked crab, a delicious, homemade (and spicy) pasta dish, and all the fixings for eating fresh crab. Team Langell brought in apple/berry pie from Summit Store, and the house kitchen provided brownie bites. Of course, plenty of good wine, beer, and spirits were also available to keep the drivers hydrated.

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 228 164 2127.358
2 Dean Donaldson 218 141 2093.944
3 Mike Langell 202 133 2098.865
4 Joey Vierra 136 102 2145.284
5 Tom Langell 133 93 2385.587
6 Mick Dudas 94 63 2116.387
Race 1: Tyco 440-X2 Narrow Lexan (IROC)

We ran this rag-tag set of old Tyco 440-X2 Narrow cars in this one. Not the best call with two new drivers in the mix, but we managed to complete the 20-lap fuel race without too much delay. Mike Langell came out swinging in this one, winning the first and third segments. New driver Joey Vierra, had a great opening race, winning the fourth segment in the white lane with the fastest lap, and bagging a 2nd place finish in the final segment, just one lap down from the leader.

The big story was Mike Langell’s 3rd-place and final podium position. In only his second visit to Stewart Raceway, Mike is enjoying the racing and is poised for a race win very soon.  (Details)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 116 80 1193.942
2 Dean Donaldson 109 66 1160.528
3 Mike Langell 102 61 1165.449
4 Joey Vierra 101 59 1211.868
5 Tom Langell 99 52 1452.171
6 Mick Dudas 79 30 1182.971

Expert

Race 2: Viper V-SPEC F1/Indy 1.7 Lexan Eric Lane Set (IROC)

We started this final race just before midnight, and attrition hit some drivers hard after only two segments. Joey Vierra, Tom Langell, and Mick Dudas called it a night and abandoned the race. Joey was actually in 3rd place at the end of two segments, but he’d had enough fun for the night and departed the paddock with Mick and Tom.

Instead of just bagging the race and ending there, Dean, Mike, and Home Cook’n soldiered on and completed the race. With field thinned down to just three drivers, things got even more heated with Mike Langell winning the third segment in the blue lane with the fastest median lap and a perfect score of 20 laps. Home Cook’n won segments four and five, and Dean Donaldson won the final segment with a perfect 20 laps score, and a new lap record for the Eric Lane Viper IROC set in the blue lane. (Details)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 112 84 933.416
2 Dean Donaldson 109 75 933.416
3 Mike Langell 100 72 933.416
4 Joey Vierra 35 43 933.416
5 Tom Langell 34 41 933.416
6 Mick Dudas 15 33 933.416
New Lap Record!

In the second race, Full Speed Racing’s Dean Donaldson clicked off a 4.645 record lap in the Blue lane with Eric Lane’s awesome V-SPEC IROC set. Not an easy feat in the blue lane, but Dean was in a battle for both the win against Home Cook’n and the second podium spot against a hard-charging Mike Langell. Nice driving, Dean!

Needless to say, this event finished in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

Okay, we’ll see how RSVP’s shape up for Saturday. Stay tuned and keep it in the slot!

Race Report: Wednesday Night Under The Lights, October 8, 2025

Please welcome Dustin Jolley, our newest driver and slot car enthusiast out of Scotts Valley. Dustin has a 4-lane home sectional track and gets together regularly with a few friends and races Tyco 440-X2, MG+, and Vipers. Dustin did very well in his debut on SR3.

Also, a big welcome back to Tom Langell and Joe Clarke, both great drivers and way too fun to race with.

We only did two races on the night and, once again, no video or pics. 🙁

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve StewartEx 240 125 1918.234
2 Dean Donaldson 231 95 1950.328
3 Dustin Jolley 229 90 1987.657
4 Joe Clarke 134 38 1333.409
5 Tom Langell 136 37 1339.961
Race 1:

Don’t remember what we raced, but I think both races were house IROC sets. Dean took the Sportsman win, but Dustin was just one lap behind in the second spot. Joe and Tom duked it out the entire race, with Joe taking the final podium spot by just one point over Tom. Pretty competitive, I’d say.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve StewartEx 150 77 1260.435
2 Dean Donaldson 144 58 1267.585
3 Dustin Jolley 143 55 1302.034
4 Joe Clarke 134 38 1333.409
5 Tom Langell 136 37 1339.961
Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 Modified (IROC)

We lost Joe and Tom to the demands of real life, but Dean, Dustin, and I soldiered on for one more race. Dustin, again, was knocking on Dean’s doors, only one lap off the pace and just three points short of the Sportsman win. More great racing!  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 90 48 657.799
2 Dean Donaldson 87 37 682.743
3 Dustin Jolley 86 35 685.623

A way fun night, great food and hydration products, and some really good racing.

Under The Lights Season Standings

Yep, you gotta show up to be in the hunt for points. Given that there are only two months left in the 2025 season, I’d say Dean will be crowned the Sportsman champ for the 2025 “Under The Lights” season. Which means Dean is essentially an Expert-ranked driver now. Congrats, Dean!!

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 2409 2860 31724.980
2 Dean Donaldson 2335 2506 32099.450
3 Kathy Stewart 601 969 5669.916
4 Joe Clarke 500 842 4895.945
5 Frank Virgil 107 244 1075.160
6 Jeff Seltzer 613 217 12638.535
7 Tom Langell 242 189 2236.422
8 Mike Langell 105 188 883.814
9 Lisa Clarke 84 152 1191.066
10 Bill Shrum 101 144 929.429
11 Kevin Webster 229 97 1795.770
12 Dustin Jolley 229 90 1987.657
13 Ron Williams 205 74 3324.955
14 Bev Seltzer 98 28 1186.187

We’re hoping for another good turnout this coming Wednesday, October 22, 2025. Okay, shut up and drive!

2025 Summer 50/50 Series, Round 3: The British invade Stewart Raceway again!

At least we knew the invasion was coming. Yep, young British driver William Mansfield returned to Stewart Raceway for his second time on August 30. William and his Godfather, Dave Feber of Los Cumbres, both joined us for this round and completed two races, competing against all Experts.

Team Mansfield’s last visit to Stewart Raceway was back on August 17, 2024. The pair only completed one race, but Dave finished on the podium in 3rd and William in 4th.

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 236 680 1658.307
2 Jerry Pearson 230 624 1675.021
3 Steve Stewart 229 620 1641.110
4 Aaron Castro 228 548 1730.363
5 Kevin Webster 213 456 1768.994
6 William Mansfield 134 324 1281.680
7 Dave Feber 140 320 1130.964
Race 1:  MegaG+ 1.7 Modified (IROC)

Team Mansfield came out swinging in this one, with Dave Feber finishing just one lap down on Expert driver, George Peters, in 2nd place in the Orange lane. Dave had a fastest lap of 6.083, just seven tenths of a second off the pace of the segment winner and Expert driver, George Peters. Excellent driving for a guy recovering from cancer surgery and who hasn’t raced little cars for over a year.

Jerry Pearson (2nd), George Peters (1st), William Mansfield (3rd)

Team Mansfield’s young gun from the UK, William Mansfield, was all business in his first segment. William would end up two laps down on segment winner George Peters, but besting Home Cook’n for 2nd place in Segment 2. William drove consistently and just fast enough to fend off Home Cook’n — very nice driving!

William put the hammer down in Segment 3, besting Expert driver George Peters for 2nd place and putting down the fastest segment lap of 5.499 in the Green lane. Team Mansfield was on fire against a stacked field of Expert drivers!

In segment four, William continued his assertion that you don’t have to race often to make your mark in slot car racing. William was under severe pressure from Expert drivers, Jerry Pearson (Hairball Racing) and Kevin Webster (Webster Motorsports), both Expert drivers were on the same lap and charging hard for the win. In the end, William prevailed with the fastest average lap time (6.721) and the best runtime of the segment. Wow!

In segment five, William would struggle in the Blue lane and lose six laps to segment winner, Jerry Pearson, and finish 4th. William was done with his rotation but was still leading the race overall with 98 points and 71 total laps.

Jerry Pearson entered the sixth segment in 5th place but moved up to 3rd place overall by winning segment six with the fastest lap time of 6.489 in the Orange lane, just nipping 2nd place finisher Aaron Castro at the line.

Team Mansfield was still in the lead with 71 laps and 98 total points going into the final segment. Team Mansfield driver, Dave Feber was in the mix for his final rotation in the Green lane with 70 laps and 76 total points. Dave could easily help keep teammate William in podium contention with a good segment finish, which he did nicely.  In the end, Dave had a great run with a perfect lap score of 20 laps and a 3rd place segment finish. Jerry Pearson would struggle in the Blue lane and end up 4th in the final segment, but on the podium with a 2nd place overall finish–great driving!

George Peters secured the overall win with a blazing pace in the final segment, fastest average, fastest best lap, and fastest Median lap time. William Mansfield, in only his second appearance at Stewart Raceway, secured the final podium spot with 98 points and the second-fastest median lap time. Very impressive driving by the young gun from across the pond!  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 78 236 570.149
2 Jerry Pearson 76 208 592.965
3 William Mansfield* 71 196 644.351
4 Steve Stewart 75 180 578.793
5 Aaron Castro 76 176 591.888
6 Kevin Webster 74 168 646.649
7 Dave Feber* 70 152 574.632

* Indicates Sportsman driver

Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 Lites

These cars are a bit harder to drive due to less corner speed and a bit looser feel. The big story in this one was Hairball Racing’s Jerry Pearson. Jerry won three segments and was pretty much the fastest driver throughout the race. He didn’t win it, but he was in the hunt the whole way. George Peters drove an outstanding race, winning two segments, two second-place finishes, and a perfect lap score of 80, securing the win by three laps and six points through steady, yet aggressive driving.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 80 232 593.725
2 Jerry Pearson 77 220 566.583
3 Aaron Castro 76 196 650.949
4 Steve Stewart 74 196 576.012
5 Kevin Webster 71 176 597.686
6 Dave Feber* 70 168 556.332
7 William Mansfield* 63 128 637.329 
Jerry Pearson (2nd), George Peters (1st), Aaron Castro (3rd)
Race 3: Viper V-SPEC SPEC STOCK Lexan

Mansfield Racing departed the paddock before the final race of the day. So it was all Experts in the finale. As usual, this race was a barn burner.

Jerry Pearson (2nd), Home Cook'n (1st), George Peters (2nd)

The big story–again– was Hairball Racing’s Jerry Pearson. Jerry had only been able to bag 3rd place finishes up to the final segment, where he was sitting in 4th place, about 12 points short and 9 laps down. Jerry would pull off a massive upset in the Blue lane and win the final segment over Home Cook’n, putting himself on the podium for the third time!  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 80 244 486.305
2 George Peters 78 212 494.433
3 Jerry Pearson 77 196 515.473
4 Aaron Castro 76 176 487.526
5 Kevin Webster 68 112 524.659

Despite some drama during Race 2, both William and Dave had a fantastic time racing with us again, and we, of course, look forward to their return to Stewart Raceway.

2025 Summer 50/50 Series Final Points Standings.
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
Junior
1 Abe Maddox 178 376 1381.189
2 August Feinstein 71 164 637.325
3 Forrest Feinstein 70 152 605.196
Sportsman
1 Shaylin Maddox 182 376 1352.417
2 William Mansfield 134 324 1281.680
3 Dave Feber 140 320 1130.964
4 Dean Donaldson 268 312 2113.847
5 Eric Lane 216 296 1504.305
6 Fred Ebert 70 168 591.964
Expert
1 Steve Stewart 738 1448 5126.773
2 George Peters 471 1116 3092.169
3 Jerry Pearson 460 1028 3146.192
4 Aaron Castro 467 1004 3136.912
5 Kevin Webster 542 832 4612.461

Thank you all for participating in the series!

Okay, shut up and drive!

Friday Night Under The Lights, August 29, 2025: Just one race, but lots of fun!

Our clear 2025 Recruiter of the Year, Dean Donaldson, invited three first-time drivers to this event. We had a wonderful dinner with some outstanding wines before racing commenced with Eric “Fast” Lane’s cool set of IROC Viper V-SPEC L4 cars with Indy/F1 Lexan bodies.

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Dean Donaldson 118 232 874.781
2 Steve Stewart 119 224 836.280
3 Mike Langell 105 188 883.814
4 Tom Langell 106 152 896.461
5 Bill Shrum 101 144 929.429
Race 1: Viper V-SPEC F1/Indy 1.7 (i) Lexan Eric Lane Set

With Team Langell and everyone else in the paddock well-fed and hydrated, racing got underway in earnest around 8:00 p.m. Dean Donaldson (Full Speed Racing), no stranger to Viper V-SPEC racing, dominated the first segment with Tom Langell (Langell Racing) just one lap down in his first appearance at Stewart Raceway in the Blue lane. Tom posted some very nice laps on his way to a 3rd place segment win.

Home Cook'n (2nd), Dean Donaldson (1st), Mike Langell (3rd)

Team Langell drivers drove extremely well throughout the five segments of the race, with their youngest driver, Mike Langell, bagging 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place segment finishes and 3rd overall in the race. Mike also had the fastest lap in the final segment, 5.264 in the more difficult Blue lane.

All three Team Langell drivers were very competitive in their first-ever appearance at Stewart Raceway. Father-in-law Bill Shrum had some great lap times, with a fastest lap of 5.406 in the Orange lane during the second segment. Of course, we hope this great team returns soon for some more Friday Night Under The Lights racing action and friendly competition.

Details

Okay, shut up and drive!