Another Epic Wednesday Night “Under the Lights” Event On Both Tracks

A big welcome to our newest driver, Scott Arfsten! Scott is a former Granite Bay resident relocating back to the Santa Cruz Mountains after many years. Scott is another natural and Rookie of the Year candidate, for sure.

Thanks to all participants who brought stuff to share and enjoy. Dean took care of the main course, which was delicious Chicken Tortilla Soup. And Joe Clarke was the Superstar late-comer, bringing a delicious chocolate cream pie—my favorite!!

Going all AI with this one. Trying to streamline the Race Report process a bit. Probably Something the next-gen Race Management Systems will support better, I hope…

AI Generated Summary: A classic Stewart Raceway oval battle — points-heavy format rewards segment excellence over pure volume, especially with four-lane rotations and Outs. Scott and Max punched above expectations in the mix.

Short Story

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 274 84 1600.381
2 Dean Donaldson 269 76 1572.602
3 Dustin Jolley 272 71 1485.535
4 Jeff Seltzer 250 58 1636.648
5 Joe Clarke 115 50 757.304
6 Max Dunn 144 14 775.240
7 Scott Arfsten 135 14 782.019

Here’s a clean summary and analysis of the race results for this slot car (or similar scale racing) event: 
Name
Laps
Points
RunTime (sec)
Avg Laps (s/lap)
1
Steve Stewart
274
84
1600.381
≈5.841
2
Dean Donaldson
269
76
1572.602
≈5.845
3
Dustin Jolley
272
71
1485.535
≈5.462
4
Jeff Seltzer
250
58
1636.648
≈6.547
5
Joe Clarke
115
50
757.304
≈6.585
6
Max Dunn
144
14
775.240
≈5.384
7
Scott Arfsten
135
14
782.019
≈5.793
Key  AI observations:
    • Winner: Steve Stewart takes 1st with the highest laps (274) and points (84), despite not having the fastest average lap time.
    • Laps leader: Steve Stewart (274), closely followed by Dustin Jolley (272).
    • Fastest average pace (lowest seconds per lap, among those with solid laps): Max Dunn (5.384 s/lap) edges out Dustin Jolley (5.462 s/lap). These drivers were clearly quick but may have had fewer total laps due to fewer segments run, deslotting, or shorter participation.
    • Efficiency / points per lap: Steve Stewart leads at ≈0.307 pts/lap, followed by Dean Donaldson (≈0.282) and Dustin Jolley (≈0.261). Lower placers like Max Dunn and Scott Arfsten have much lower points efficiency (~0.097), likely because they ran in fewer heats/segments or scored lower per segment.
    • Time vs. laps: Dustin Jolley completed nearly as many laps as the winner but in much less total time → strong indicator of consistent speed. Steve Stewart and Dean Donaldson have similar avg lap times (~5.84 s), suggesting close racing at the front.

This format is typical for endurance-style or segmented slot car racing (e.g., multiple heats or lanes, total laps across segments determine much of the outcome, with points possibly awarded per heat or segment and then totaled).Pace highlights:

    • Dustin Jolley and Max Dunn posted the quickest consistent laps.
    • The top 3 were very close in raw speed, but the winner maximized total distance (laps).

Congrats to Steve Stewart on the win! If this is part of a series or you have more context (e.g., number of segments/heats, points breakdown per heat, or track details), I can dig deeper into the performance metrics.

Race 1: TFX Austin Martin (i) (o)
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 77 16 374.396
2 Dustin Jolley 78 14 368.292
3 Dean Donaldson 77 13 353.192
4 Scott Arfsten 68 9 394.731
5 Max Dunn 70 7 371.788
6 Jeff Seltzer 67 7 379.875
Key AI Observations:
      • Dustin Jolley completed the most laps (78), but finished 2nd overall.
      • Steve Stewart won with 77 laps but earned the highest points (16).
      • Dean Donaldson had the lowest total time among the top 3 (353.192 seconds for 77 laps), suggesting he was the fastest on average.
      • Lower places have fewer laps and lower points, as expected.

Calculated Average Lap TimesLower average lap time = faster pace (more consistent speed, fewer issues).

      • Dean Donaldson: 353.192 s / 77 laps ≈ 4.586 seconds per lap (fastest average)
      • Dustin Jolley: 368.292 s / 78 laps ≈ 4.722 s/lap
      • Steve Stewart: 374.396 s / 77 laps ≈ 4.863 s/lap
      • Max Dunn: 371.788 s / 70 laps ≈ 5.311 s/lap
      • Jeff Seltzer: 379.875 s / 67 laps ≈ 5.669 s/lap
      • Scott Arfsten: 394.731 s / 68 laps ≈ 5.805 s/lap (slowest average)

Dean Donaldson clearly had the quickest pace, but fewer total laps than Dustin Jolley kept him from 1st or 2nd.  

      • Dustin led in raw laps (78) but got 14 points → perhaps lost a close tiebreaker to Steve (who may have had a slightly better “section” or bonus).
      • Dean’s superior speed (lowest avg lap time) didn’t overcome having one fewer lap than Steve.
      • The points don’t strictly follow lap order, suggesting a system with bonuses (e.g., for consistency, fastest overall pace, or heat wins) or a specific club’s custom table.

Overall, Steve Stewart took the win through a combination of strong laps + whatever tiebreaker or bonus pushed him ahead of Dustin’s extra lap. Details

Race 2: Tyco Jets (i)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 80 18 437.207
2 Dustin Jolley 78 15 344.530
3 Jeff Seltzer 69 11 452.218
4 Dean Donaldson 76 10 428.032
5 Max Dunn 74 7 403.452
6 Scott Arfsten 67 5 387.288
Key AI Observations from Race 2:
Steve Stewart dominated again, winning with the highest laps (80) and earning the top points (18). His total time is higher, but that’s expected with more laps completed.
  • Dustin Jolley had an exceptionally fast run—his total time of 344.530 seconds for 78 laps is dramatically lower than others, indicating blistering pace (likely the fastest driver in this heat).
  • Jeff Seltzer moved up to 3rd despite only 69 laps, suggesting strong points possibly from consistency or bonuses.
  • Dean Donaldson slipped to 4th with 76 laps—solid but not enough to challenge the top two.
  • Lower finishers had fewer laps, as typical in these formats.

Calculated Average Lap Times (lower = faster pace)

      • Dustin Jolley: 344.530 s / 78 laps ≈ 4.417 seconds per lap (fastest by a wide margin—he was flying!)
      • Steve Stewart: 437.207 s / 80 laps ≈ 5.465 s/lap
      • Dean Donaldson: 428.032 s / 76 laps ≈ 5.632 s/lap
      • Max Dunn: 403.452 s / 74 laps ≈ 5.452 s/lap
      • Scott Arfsten: 387.288 s / 67 laps ≈ 5.780 s/lap
      • Jeff Seltzer: 452.218 s / 69 laps ≈ 6.554 s/lap (slowest average, but still podiumed—points may reward laps heavily)

Dustin clearly had the quickest car/handling in Race 2, but Steve’s extra 2 laps secured the win (common in fixed-time or multi-heat formats where total laps are king, with ties broken by other factors).

Comparing to Race 1 (for context)

      • Race 1 winner: Steve Stewart (77 laps, 16 pts)
      • Race 1 standout: Dean Donaldson had the fastest pace (~4.586 s/lap), but finished 3rd.
      • Race 2 shift: Dustin took the speed crown (~4.417 s/lap), but still 2nd; Steve remains consistent and victorious.
      • Points scales differ slightly between races (Race 1: 16-14-13-9-7-7; Race 2: 18-15-11-10-7-5), which is typical for club events—often adjusted based on field size, format (e.g., IROC, spec classes), or heat bonuses. At Stewart Raceway, points reward lap totals heavily, with possible add-ons for fastest laps, consistency, or lane performance.

Overall Impressions:

Steve Stewart continues his strong form as the club’s top driver (frequent wins, high laps). Dustin Jolley is showing serious speed and potential (noted as a rising talent/rookie-of-the-year type in recent seasons). Dean Donaldson remains quick but inconsistent in lap totals here.  Details

Race 3: MegaG+ 1.7 Corvette C8 (i)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Dean Donaldson 116 53 791.378
2 Steve Stewart 117 50 788.778
3 Joe Clarke 115 50 757.304
4 Dustin Jolley 116 42 772.713
5 Jeff Seltzer 114 40 804.555
Key AI Observations:
    • Dean Donaldson takes the overall win with 116 laps and the highest points (53), despite Steve Stewart edging him by 1 lap (117). This suggests a points system that heavily rewards consistency, segment wins, lane performance, or bonuses (e.g., for fastest segments, fewest deslots, or heat points accumulation) rather than pure lap totals.
    • Steve Stewart has the most laps (117) and a slightly lower total time (788.778 s vs. Dean’s 791.378 s), indicating he was very close in pace but perhaps lost ground in one or more segments.
    • Joe Clarke posts an impressive lowest total time (757.304 s for 115 laps), meaning the fastest average pace among the field—strong contender for “quickest driver” honors in this event.
    • Dustin Jolley (116 laps) and Jeff Seltzer (114 laps) round out the top 5, with solid but lower points—likely due to fewer segment wins or minor issues.

Calculated Average Lap Times (lower = faster pace)Using total time ÷ laps (approximate; actual varies with lane changes, marshaling time, etc.):

    • Joe Clarke: 757.304 s / 115 laps ≈ 6.585 seconds per lap (fastest average—blistering speed, likely dominated some segments)
    • Dean Donaldson: 791.378 s / 116 laps ≈ 6.822 s/lap
    • Dustin Jolley: 772.713 s / 116 laps ≈ 6.661 s/lap (very close to Joe, strong contender)
    • Steve Stewart: 788.778 s / 117 laps ≈ 6.742 s/lap
    • Jeff Seltzer: 804.555 s / 114 laps ≈ 7.057 s/lap (solid but a step behind the top pace)

The field ran roughly 6.6–7.1 s/lap averages, typical for “stuck” classes like Viper V-SPEC, Jag PR-5, or MegaG+ IROC cars on SR3 (routed track) or oval—faster than earlier “slippery” or T-Jet races (~4–5 s/lap in some prior events).

Likely Race Format & Scoring ContextFrom Stewart Raceway patterns (multi-segment races with 4–6 lanes, timed heats ~2–4 minutes each, drivers rotate lanes, total laps + segment points):

    • Points seem aggregated from segment finishes (e.g., 20–15–12–10–… per segment) plus possible bonuses.
    • Dean’s win despite 1 fewer lap than Steve points to segment dominance—he likely won more heats/segments, offsetting the lap deficit.
    • Ties in laps (e.g., Dean & Dustin at 116) broken by points/time.
    • This event had higher lap totals (115–117) than prior single races (70–80), suggesting more segments or a longer overall duration (possibly 45–60+ minutes total racing time).
    • Joe Clarke’s fast time/low laps relative to others hints at a strong run but perhaps one weaker segment.

Comparison to Prior Races (from your shared summaries)

    • Race 1 (earlier event): Steve won (77 laps/16 pts), Dean fastest pace but 3rd.
    • Race 2: Steve won again (80 laps/18 pts), Dustin fastest pace but 2nd.
    • This race (likely later in 2026 season): Dean Donaldson flips the script for the win—his progression from 2025 Rookie/Sportsman champ to Expert-level dominance continues (he advanced to Expert early 2026 after a stellar 2025 with 64 races, 6 wins, lap records).
    • Steve remains ultra-consistent (high laps/points across events), but Dean’s speed + strategy paid off here.
    • Dustin & Joe showing strong form; Jeff holding steady in top 5.

Dean Donaldson emerges as the star of this one—great comeback or peak performance after close battles in prior races. Steve’s extra lap wasn’t enough against Dean’s points haul. If this is from a specific event (e.g., a Saturday “Big Kids” race, oval day, or series points race in early 2026), or if you have the full race report/date/car class (Viper, MegaG, IROC?), cumulative series standings, or next race details, share for deeper breakdown! The stewartraceway.org site tracks these closely—always epic close finishes at this track.  Details

Okay, that’s it for another partially AI-generated report. Maybe in the next post, I’ll have AI take a crack at analyzing a SLotTrak detailed race report and see how that comes out.

Okay, shut up and drive!

A Beautiful Saturday On The SR3 Oval Super Speedway

An absolutely beautiful day in the mountains blessed a relatively small group of drivers on the huge SR3 oval, which made for some fierce competition, amazing crashes, interesting refueling tactics, and some drama.

We raced almost entirely with IROC sets, which clearly favored Home Cookin’, since most of this group had never driven any of the chosen cars. Pretty much all of the cars were “drift,” or otherwise low-downforce setups. Setting up what turned out to be a super-fun day on the oval and lots of racing!

With the exception of Race 7, all races were 20-lap segments with a 35-lap fuel allocation. Race 7 was the only high-downforce race, using Viper V-SPEC “SPECSTOCK” Lexan cars with 30-lap segments and again 35-lap fuel allocation.

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 590 105 2628.234
2 Dean Donaldson 562 85 2673.109
3 Dustin Jolley 577 83 2661.793
4 Kevin Webster 483 35 2762.813
Race 1: Fray T-jets Slip-on (IROC) (o)

Dustin Jolley clicked off the fastest lap in this one with a 3.461 in the Orange lane. Dustin didn’t win it, but his total runtime was nearly identical to Home Cookin’s time, and he won the final segment in the White lane.

Kevin Webster, 2023 Sportsman Points Champion, joined us after a long layoff and, while not having his best day on the oval, was jazzed to get back to racing. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 79 14 389.883
2 Dean Donaldson 78 13 396.947
3 Dustin Jolley 79 12 389.831
4 Kevin Webster 71 5 401.155
Race 2: OS3 TFX Austin Martin (IROC) (o)

Home Cookin’ clicked off the fastest lap with this cool set of 16-ohm OS3 TFX cars with a 3.186 in the Green lane. Dean Donaldson bagged the last podium spot and second-fastest lap of  3.256 in the White lane. (18v) Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 77 16 418.147
2 Dustin Jolley 79 14 425.497
3 Dean Donaldson 71 8 421.028
4 Kevin Webster 68 6 444.871
Race 3: MegaG 1.7 Whelen/SK Modifieds (IROC)

This one was quite the battle between all three podium finishers, with Dean Donaldson taking his first race win on the SR3 oval and two segment wins! The fastest lap was a 3.338 by Home Cookin’ in the Green lane. These cars have the rear traction magnets removed and run hard-compound Super Tires. (18v) Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Dean Donaldson 76 14 378.412
2 Steve Stewart 78 13 381.041
3 Dustin Jolley 77 11 396.755
4 Kevin Webster 65 6 401.303
Race 4: MG+ 1.5 Midgets (IROC)

Dustin Jolley bagged his first SR3 Oval win with these very difficult-to-drive “drift” cars without traction magnets. He also almost had the fastest lap of the race with a 4.060 in the Orange lane. Home Cookin’ narrowly edged him out with a 4.057 in the White lane.  (18v) Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Dustin Jolley 77 16 466.268
2 Dean Donaldson 75 12 493.520
3 Steve Stewart 76 11 477.562
4 Kevin Webster 65 5 499.186
Race 5: Retro-Viper Maximum Leeway (IROC)

Proving he’s finally made the transition from a ‘Magnet Car” bigot, to a full-fledged multi-dimensional slothead, Dean clicked off three of the fastest lane laps in this one! Two of those fast laps are official track records for this way cool “drift” car. The new lap record for this car on the oval is a 2.952 in the Blue lane! (15v) Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 80 18 385.268
2 Dean Donaldson 75 12 415.281
3 Dustin Jolley 73 10 403.432
4 Kevin Webster 57 4 419.897
Race 6: NAStruck Viper-Jets (IROC)

Dean Donaldson and Dustin Jolley were neck-and-neck in most of the day’s races, but this one was a barn-burner. Both drivers were tied in points going into the final segment, with Dustin having just a one-lap advantage. Dustin would edge out Dean for the second podium step by just two tenths of a second in the final segment. To his credit, Dean–again–set three of the four fastest laps of the race and a new SR3 Oval track record of 2.295 in the Blue lane. (15v) Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 80 20 276.085
2 Dustin Jolley 75 10 294.847
3 Dean Donaldson 74 9 286.525
4 Kevin Webster 68 5 292.477
Race 7: Viper V-SPEC SPEC STOCK Lexan (o)

This one was a bit of a head-scratcher with some controversy thrown in for good measure. Dean Donaldson absolutely dominated this race, taking three segment wins, three of the four fastest laps (his fastest was 1.777 in the White lane), and winning the overall race.  Dean had a perfect lap count of 30 in all but one segment (Green lane) and very nearly captured the SR3 Oval track record in the process (Shaylin Maddox has the fastest lap with this car at 1.654 in the White lane).

The head-scratcher part was that Home Cookin’ couldn’t figure out why he was two laps ahead of Dean in two segments and lost the wins. Turns out, Home Cookin’ miscalculated that he could refuel a bit before finishing those two segments. Not realizing that, due to the 1-second delay before fuel flows and the blistering sub-two-second average lap times, even the quickest pit visit would allow another driver less than two laps behind to cross the line first. Which is exactly what happened. Doh!

The controversial part was in the technical inspection after the blisteringly fast Viper V-SPEC race. While Dean is a very fast Viper pilot, his car seemed to be a bit faster than all the others; however,  the primary reason for the technical inspection was to check out Dustin’s new “Custom-built” Viper, which isn’t really in the spirit of “SPECSTOCK” rules.  I wanted to see just how different a “Blueprinted” build might be in terms of downforce and RPM. Dustin’s new car actually passed our technical inspection with flying colors. In fact, it was surprisingly average.

Dean’s car, on the other hand, was at the upper end of our typical numbers, but not extraordinary. However, the car did have an aftermarket crown gear, which is not in line with the spirit of the “SPECSTOCK” rules. These cars are supposed to be stock, out-of-the-box, V-SPEC L4 cars. With a couple of minor exceptions, the only mods allowed are different-sized rear silicon tires. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Dean Donaldson 113 17 281.396
2 Steve Stewart 120 13 300.248
3 Dustin Jolley 117 10 285.163
4 Kevin Webster 89 4 303.924

Wow! Seven races and some very competitive races they were. Expert driver Dean Donaldson and Sportsman driver Dustin Jolley demonstrated outstanding and very diverse driving skills with cars that were quite different and difficult to handle. Dean won two of the seven races in convincing fashion, while Dustin won one by two laps. Both drivers had a very good day on the SR3 oval.

This Wednesday night and Saturday are looking good right now for more slot car action at Stewart Raceway.

Okay, shut up and drive!

Thursday Night “Under the Lights.” Get’n Down To Business With Mostly “Stuck” Cars

“It was a crisp Thursday night in late February, and the garage lights buzzed to life over the big HO (1/64) slot car track. The black plastic lanes gleamed under the bright bulbs, casting sharp shadows on the colorful cars lined up at the start. Four lightning-fast racers were ready to battle:

Joe Clarke in his sleek silver Mustang, always smooth and precise.

Dean Donaldson piloting a bright red Camaro, aggressive and fearless on the turns.

Dustin Jolley behind the wheel of a blue-and-white Corvette, quick to recover from any mistake.

And Home Cook’n, the mysterious local legend in a matte-black Dodge Charger with glowing red pinstripes—no one knew his real name, but he cooked the competition every time he showed up.

The four friends plugged in their controllers, thumbs hovering. “Thursday night under the lights,” Joe said with a grin. “No mercy, boys.”The power pack hummed.

Green flag dropped!

The cars shot forward like rockets. Dean took an early lead, hugging the inside lane through the first chicane. His Camaro’s tires squealed (in imagination, anyway) as he powered out of the curve.

Joe Clarke stayed calm, drafting right behind, waiting for the perfect moment.

Dustin Jolley was right there too, bumping the wall once but bouncing back stronger. Home Cook’n? He hung back in fourth, engine whining, like he was studying the pack.

Lap after lap the track roared with electric buzz. Dean’s red Camaro led for ten straight laps, but Joe started closing in, lane-switching like a pro.

Dustin made a daring pass on the outside, nearly clipping Dean’s bumper.

Then, on lap 22, Home Cook’n made his move. He cranked the controller to full throttle down the long straight. The black Charger surged, passing Dustin on the left, then Joe on the right. By the hairpin, he was wheel-to-wheel with Dean.

The two cars neck-and-neck, sparks flying from the guide pins, controllers trembling in sweaty hands.

“Here he comes!” Dustin yelled. Home Cook’n edged ahead just enough—his Charger nosed in front as they hit the final straight. Dean fought back, but Cook’n held the line.

Checkered flag waved!

Home Cook’n crossed first by half a car length. Dean finished second, Joe third, Dustin a close fourth.The garage erupted in cheers and groans.

Controllers hit the table. High-fives all around.”Man, that was too close,” Dean laughed, shaking his head. Joe wiped his brow. “Thursday nights don’t get better than this.” Dustin grinned. “Rematch next week?

“Home Cook’n just smiled quietly, unplugged his Charger, and said, “Bring your best, boys.”The lights stayed on a little longer as they packed up, already talking strategy for next Thursday.

Under those garage lights, four really fast 1/64 slot car racers proved once again: speed, skill, and friendship make the best kind of race.”

AI-generated content, ha ha! 

The real story was four seriously fast dudes battling it out in three different races: one builder’s class, and two IROC races, all with fuel allocation dynamics. Oh, and fantastic eats before the racing began.

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 338 189 3034.965
2 Dustin Jolley 334 149 3061.039
3 Dean Donaldson 318 138 3091.830
4 Joe Clarke 293 88 3187.531
Race 1: Jag Hobbies PR-5 GT F1/Indy (IROC)

Joe Clarke didn’t win any segments, but he was clearly the fastest driver in the house all night. Joe clicked off the fastest lap with the newest Jag Hobbies PR-5 GT IROC set with a 5.118 lap in the Orange lane. When he was on, he was ripping it. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 100 64 1052.316
2 Dustin Jolley 98 50 1060.435
3 Dean Donaldson 90 46 1092.400
4 Joe Clarke 79 28 1112.469
Race 2: Viper V-SPEC SPEC STOCK Lexan

Joe Clarke wasn’t done with his exhibition of speed in Race 2. Joe clicked off another fastest lap in this race in the Green lane, a 4.607. This was set on the “Bus Stop” layout! Dean Donaldson and Dustin were in a veritable Dog Fight with just 4-sec separated them at the finish. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 120 64 834.503
2 Dean Donaldson 117 50 844.419
3 Dustin Jolley 117 46 848.597
4 Joe Clarke 106 28 863.282
Race 3: Mega G+ 1.7 Corvette C8 (IROC)

Dustin Jolley was on a mission in this final race, winning the first segment and taking 2nd in two others. Dustin actually beat Home Cook’n on laps, but came up a bit short in points. As you can see in the detailed results, the Green lane car was not quite up to IROC standards, as most drivers lost laps with this car. Dustin was the only driver to complete all 30-laps in the Green lane.  Dean Donaldson was the fastest in this one, clicking off a blistering  6.088 lap in the White lane.  All of these fast laps are current lap records on the “Bus Stop” layout for each car.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 118 61 1148.146
2 Dustin Jolley 119 53 1152.007
3 Dean Donaldson 111 42 1155.011
4 Joe Clarke 108 32 1211.780

I must say, these weeknight events are quite competitive and a lot of fun.

Thanks to all who attended and for all the great treats and munchies!

Saturday is SR3 oval action!

 

From a Kid’s Race To a Little Something Different

Well, the plan was to get a bunch of Junior drivers and their parents together to do some team racing and head-to-head Junior racing. Instead, we ended up with an all-star cast of Sportsman and Experts, and two of the hottest Junior drivers in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

We tried a couple of new things with this event. The first was using qualifying to seed drivers in a bit of a gaming spin on racing. The idea was to assign each driver a number based on their qualifying position, using the same car! Participants in the gaming activity put up $1 each before each race. After each completed race, somebody rolls a dice (or a pair of dice).

The value of the dice decides who wins the pot. For example, if the dice come up a 2, the driver who qualified 2nd fastest wins the pot. Rinse and repeat. Of course, there are a lot of things you can do with this, but that’s what we did with one race, just to see how it played.

We also tried a different fueling allocation in, I think, the first race. We set the laps for each segment and the fuel allocation to the same number. This created an interesting dilemma: you can’t just finish a segment, because you’ll start the next segment out of fuel. There were some interesting refueling strategies during the race. Many drivers, quickly realizing that starting the subsequent segments out of fuel wasn’t a great idea, refueled at various times during each segment to ensure that they could finish the segment with as many points as they could muster and also enough fuel to start the next segment and get to the pits without much drama.

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 300 223 2839.475
2 Dustin Jolley 296 196 2873.401
3 Dean Donaldson 277 165 2921.355
4 Ramsey Wright 223 96 2892.258
5 Jerry Pearson 96 51 1471.646
6 Eric Lane 86 38 1465.319
7 Shaylin Maddox 78 32 766.539
Qualifying:

I think every driver ran qualifying in the Orange lane. Dustin Jolley had a great 3-lap average speed and easily took the pole. Expert driver, Jerry Pearson (Hairball Racing), clicked off the fastest lap in qualifying with a 5.669 in the Orange lane.

Track: SR3 Road Course Bus Stop Layout
Date: Feb-22-2026 13:24
Class: MegaG GT-40 Hardbody (All qualified driving the same car!)
Name Lap Time Speed (Mph) Place
Dustin Jolley 5.901 559 1
Steve Stewart 5.978 551 2
Dean Donaldson 6.044 545 3
Eric Lane 7.337 449 4
Jerry Pearson 7.717 427 5
Ramsey Wright 8.440 390 6
Race 1: Scooby Doo Vans MG+ 1.7 w/ Resin Van Bodies (Eric “Fast” Lane” IROC Set

Eric “Fast” Lane clicked off the fastest lap of 7.860 in the Blue lane. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 120 90 1475.187
2 Dustin Jolley 116 73 1486.752
3 Dean Donaldson 106 61 1494.816
4 Jerry Pearson 96 51 1471.646
5 Eric Lane 86 38 1465.319
6 Ramsey Wright 86 35 1490.414
Race 2: Jag Hobbies Augoran (i) 15v

Sportsman driver, Dustin Jolley 9Team Jolley), clicked off the fastest lap in this one with a 5.557 in the Orange lane. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 100 77 734.430
2 Dustin Jolley 100 68 744.468
3 Dean Donaldson 93 55 739.628
4 Ramsey Wright 76 33 741.895
5 Shaylin Maddox 78 32 766.539
Race 3: MegaG+ 1.7 Lites (Support Class)

Dean Donaldson (Team Full-Speed) clicked off the fastest lap in this one with a 5.809 in the Orange lane. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 80 56 629.858
2 Dustin Jolley 80 55 642.181
3 Dean Donaldson 78 49 686.911
4 Ramsey Wright 61 28 659.949
Race 4: Fray T-Jet Slip-ons  (i)

Our newest Sportsman driver, Ramsey Wright, clicked off the fastest lap in this truncated race of only two segments. Ramsey put down a blistering 9.617 in the Green lane. This one didn’t go the full rotation due to running out of time. Details

 

Another Saturday Night “Under The Lights” Event Goes Down To The Wire…

Stewart Raceway’s primary mission statement is to foster fair, balanced, and competitive slot car racing. This “Under The Lights” event proves that this can be accomplished. The final race of the night, with our MegaG+ 1.7 Modified platform, wasn’t the closest race ever recorded here, but it was amazingly close for a 120-lap fuel race. See Race 2 below for more.

Up-and-coming Sportsman driver Dustin Jolley showed up with two Junior drivers, his son Rye and Rye’s friend Austin Brentmar, both 14 years old. Across the spectrum of skill levels, the racing was some of the closest and most competitive we’ve seen in quite some time. Oh, and way fun, too!

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 230 160 1963.954
2 Dean Donaldson 224 135 2020.333
3 Dustin Jolley 226 127 2003.490
4 Joe Clarke 208 106 2088.158
5 Austin Brentmar 204 100 2060.362
6 Rye Jolley 187 68 2147.751
Race 1: Viper V-SPEC F1/Indy 1.7 (i) Lexan Eric Lane Set

This one was also a 120-lap fuel race, using Eric Lane’s set of very predictable, fast Viper V-SPEC L4 cars across all six lanes.

Very likely, our next Expert advancer, Dustin Jolley, upset Expert Dean Donaldson for the second podium step. Primarily because Dean struggled in the two “gutter” lanes, Red and Yellow. This was also the debut race on the new “Bus Stop” SR3 road course layout, which made those two lanes much more of a challenge than the “Fast Esses” course.

Sportsman driver, Joe Clarke, of Scotts Valley, returned to the raceway after a long layoff supporting his other “sport”, duck hunting. Joe had a good run in his first race back, holding onto 2nd place through the first two segments, then locking in a 4th overall.

Dustin, Austin, and Home Cook’n got the honors of setting all six new lap records on this new course layout. The time to beat right now is 4.990 in White. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 117 91 995.363
2 Dustin Jolley 114 66 1007.032
3 Dean Donaldson 111 66 1040.297
4 Joe Clarke 103 49 1110.750
5 Austin Brentmar 95 40 1067.309
6 Rye Jolley 97 36 1056.856
Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 Modified

As mentioned above, this race was a barn-burner! The two Experts were separated by just 12 seconds after 120 laps of racing.

While Home Cook’n had his hands full with Joe Clarke in the first three segments, Dean Donaldson and Dustin would both struggle with their Red and Yellow lane segments. To make things even more interesting, Home Cook’n had a horrible run in the Blue lane with a tire problem, and our newest Junior phenom, Austin Brentmar, was picking up points as the old guard nervously struggled to remain in or step up to the podium positions.

Halfway through the race, neither Dustin Jolley nor Dean Donaldson had recovered from their difficulties in the gutter lanes and were sitting in 5th and 4th. Home Cook’n was still holding onto the lead, but his grip on it was loosening. Austin Brentmar would win the fourth segment with a perfect run of 20 laps, and Dean and Dustin also had great runs, Dean 2nd, Dustin in 3rd.

In the 5th segment, things got even more interesting as Dustin would win the segment, Dean would bag 2nd, and Austin would bag 4th, tying Expert Dean Donaldson in points and sitting 3rd overall going into the final segment. This is slot car racing at its best!

At the end of Segment 5, you could have heard a pin drop on the floor (if the music hadn’t been so loud) as the intensity and apprehension peaked. Home Cook’n still had a 10-point lead, but he would finish in the dreaded Red lane while Dean would finish in Blue, and Dustin in Orange. The only good thing about Home Cookin’s situation was that phenom, Austin Brentmar, would finish in the Red lane. It sure got quiet from then on as the “sharks” smelled blood in the water.

In the end, Dean Donaldson would win (in Blue, no less), which was exactly what he needed to have a shot at overtaking Home Cookin’ for the overall win. To make things even more tense for Home Cookin, first-segment winner Joe Clarke had a great run in the White lane, finishing 2nd and narrowly missing the podium behind the speedster Austin in 4th overall!

So, there you have it. One of the closest races ever, and segment wins by five drivers! Junior driver, Rye Jolley didn’t have a great showing, but considering he’s only visited the raceway twice, and the incredible level of competition in this one, he did pretty well.

One again, Dustin, Austin, and Home Cook’n got the honors of setting all six new lap records with the MG+ 1.7 Modified platform on this new course layout. The time to beat right now is 5.324 by Dustin Jolley in Orange.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 113 69 968.591
2 Dean Donaldson 113 69 980.036
3 Dustin Jolley 112 61 996.458
4 Austin Brentmar 109 60 993.053
5 Joe Clarke 105 57 977.408
6 Rye Jolley 90 32 1090.895

Okay, shut up and drive!