AI-generated Race Report
May Melee: Sportsman Drivers Hold Their Ground “Under the Lights”
The May 7, 2026 edition of the “Under the Lights” series at Stewart Raceway’s SR3 Road Course brought another incredible night of tight racing and blistering speeds. The treacherous squeeze lane tested the reflexes of the entire grid, but the true headline of the event was the continued emergence of the Sportsman drivers challenging the Expert veterans.
While track host Steve Stewart (Expert) logged the most overall laps, the spotlight belongs squarely on the rest of the field, where razor-thin margins and personal bests defined the night.
John Rogers (Sportsman) put on an absolute clinic in consistency and pace, securing 3rd place overall with 336 total laps. John proved he can go toe-to-toe with the pros, famously out-lapping Expert Dean Donaldson in the lightning-fast Viper V-SPEC Lite class.
Cece Caro (Sportsman) delivered a magnificent 4th place overall finish, completing all four grueling races for a total of 318 laps. Cece’s crowning achievement came in the Mega-G+ Lites class, where she laid down a 5.505-second lap—the absolute fastest lap of the entire class, beating every single Expert driver on pure pace.
Dean Donaldson (Expert) utilized his veteran track knowledge to secure 2nd place overall (348 laps), running a highly tactical event. Meanwhile, Dustin Jolley (Expert) proved to be the ultimate sprinter. Despite missing the opening Midget race, Dustin was a dominant force in the remaining three classes, racking up 278 laps and capturing a phenomenal victory in the Viper V-SPEC finale.
Detailed Race Analysis
Race 1: OS3 TFX Midget Paper (i)
The notoriously tricky paper-bodied Midgets opened the night. Dean Donaldson (Expert) paced the contenders with 77 laps, surviving the squeeze lane to bank a solid 9.510s fast lap. John Rogers (Sportsman) kept the pressure high, dropping into the low 9-second range with a 9.284s fast lap and completing 70 laps. Cece Caro (Sportsman) drove a smart, survival-focused race to bank 62 laps. Track host Steve Stewart finished with 80 laps.
Pace Summary (Best Segments)
| Driver | Category | Total Laps | Fast Lap | Best Median Lap |
| Dean Donaldson | Expert | 77 | 9.510 | 10.513 |
| John Rogers | Sportsman | 70 | 9.284 | 10.290 |
| Cece Caro | Sportsman | 62 | 10.406 | 11.082 |
| Steve Stewart | Expert | 80 | 8.908 | 9.365 |
| Details |
Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 Formula e (i) 18v
With the voltage cranked up, Dustin Jolley (Expert) joined the fray and immediately made an impact, logging 79 laps to tie for the race lead. Dean Donaldson (Expert) was right on his bumper with 78 laps. The Sportsman drivers were phenomenal here; John Rogers banked 77 laps with a highly consistent 6.578s best median, and Cece Caro secured 74 laps, dipping into the 5.8-second range for her fast lap. Steve Stewart also logged 79 laps.
Pace Summary (Best Segments)
| Driver | Category | Total Laps | Fast Lap | Best Median Lap |
| Dustin Jolley | Expert | 79 | 5.407 | 6.093 |
| Dean Donaldson | Expert | 78 | 5.470 | 6.394 |
| John Rogers | Sportsman | 77 | 5.743 | 6.578 |
| Cece Caro | Sportsman | 74 | 5.844 | 6.826 |
| Steve Stewart | Expert | 79 | 5.448 | 6.151 |
| Details |
Race 3: Mega-G+ 1.7 Lites (Support Class)
This race was an absolute thriller. The entire grid was separated by a mere 3 laps at the finish! Dustin Jolley (Expert) and Steve Stewart tied at 79 laps, closely followed by Dean Donaldson (Expert) with 78 laps. However, the drive of the race belonged to Cece Caro (Sportsman). She not only banked a highly competitive 76 laps, but she unleashed a perfectly slotted 5.505-second fast lap—the outright fastest lap of the race, defeating the entire Expert field on pace. John Rogers finished with 77 laps.
Pace Summary (Best Segments)
| Driver | Category | Total Laps | Fast Lap | Best Median Lap |
| Dustin Jolley | Expert | 79 | 5.535 | 6.115 |
| Dean Donaldson | Expert | 78 | 5.594 | 6.241 |
| John Rogers | Sportsman | 77 | 5.754 | 6.213 |
| Cece Caro | Sportsman | 76 | 5.505 | 5.923 |
| Steve Stewart | Expert | 79 | 5.526 | 5.910 |
| Details |
Race 4: Viper V-SPEC Lite Lexan
The nightcap brought out the incredibly fast Lexan Vipers. Dustin Jolley (Expert) drove a spectacular race to capture 120 laps and take the win. The biggest upset of the race occurred mid-pack, where John Rogers (Sportsman) flawlessly wheeled his Viper to 116 laps, officially defeating Expert Dean Donaldson (115 laps). Cece Caro (Sportsman) wrapped up her iron-woman performance with 103 laps. Steve Stewart finished with 119 laps.
Pace Summary (Best Segments)
| Driver | Category | Total Laps | Fast Lap | Best Median Lap |
| Dustin Jolley | Expert | 120 | 4.407 | 4.677 |
| John Rogers | Sportsman | 116 | 4.444 | 4.825 |
| Dean Donaldson | Expert | 115 | 4.271 | 4.665 |
| Cece Caro | Sportsman | 103 | 4.662 | 5.612 |
| Steve Stewart | Expert | 119 | 3.904 | 4.662 |
| Details |
Event Fast Laps Summary
The sheer speed achieved by the Sportsman drivers this month was incredible. Cece Caro’s overall track dominance in the Lites and John Rogers’ raw speed in the Midgets prove the gap is closing fast.
| Car Class | Fastest Driver | Category | Fast Lap |
| OS3 TFX Midget Paper | John Rogers | Sportsman | 9.284s |
| MegaG+ 1.7 Formula e 18v | Dustin Jolley | Expert | 5.407s |
| Mega-G+ 1.7 Lites | Cece Caro | Sportsman | 5.505s |
| Viper V-SPEC Lite Lexan | Dean Donaldson | Expert | 4.271s |
New Lap Records
| Class | Lane | Date | Time | Driver |
| OS3 TFX Midget Paper (i) | 3 | May-07-2026 | 8908 | Steve Stewart |
| Viper V-SPEC Lite Lexan | 2 | May-07-2026 | 4407 | Dustin Jolley |
| Viper V-SPEC Lite Lexan | 5 | May-07-2026 | 3904 | Steve Stewart |
Final Series Standings
The dust has settled on the Thursday Nights “Under the Lights” series, and the final standings tell an incredible story of growth and fierce competition.
The undisputed highlight of the series is John Rogers’ undeniable ascension into the Expert ranks. After weeks of battling the veterans and logging blistering fast laps, John amassed a massive 778 points and 1,537 laps across the series, securing 4th place overall in the standings. His performance proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that he has outgrown the Sportsman class and is ready to permanently trade paint with the pros.
Sportsman Division – Series Finale Standings
With John Rogers graduating to the next level, Cece Caro stands as the undisputed endurance champion of the Sportsman grid. Cece completed a staggering 1,441 laps over the course of the series to finish 5th overall with 653 points, consistently keeping the pressure on the top drivers.
The rest of the Sportsman field showed great flashes of speed and tactical driving throughout their respective campaigns:
| Rank (Overall) | Driver | Total Points | Total Laps |
| 4 | John Rogers (Promoted to Expert) | 778 | 1537 |
| 5 | Cece Caro | 653 | 1441 |
| 7 | Trakker Clay | 161 | 379 |
| 10 | Ramsey Wright | 122 | 241 |
| 9 | Jeff Seltzer | 94 | 254 |
| 13 | Jerry Strebig | 72 | 157 |
| 11 | Bev Seltzer | 67 | 235 |
| 12 | Mark Wialbut | 65 | 235 |
Expert Division – Series Finale Standings
In the Expert division, the battle for the top spot was a grueling marathon between Dean Donaldson and Dustin Jolley. Dean ultimately edged out Dustin by just 20 points (911 to 891), utilizing his massive 1,830 completed laps to secure 2nd place overall in the series.
| Rank (Overall) | Driver | Total Points | Total Laps |
| 2 | Dean Donaldson | 911 | 1830 |
| 3 | Dustin Jolley | 891 | 1679 |
| 6 | Joe Clarke | 246 | 567 |
| 8 | Kevin Webster | 125 | 288 |
| – | Steve Stewart | 1087 | 1922 |
Okay, that’s a wrap on the Thursday Night 50/50 Series. I’m thinking a change-up for our next Thursday “Under The Lights” Series. How about an endurance series featuring the SR3 Super Speedway Oval? Something like this:
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- Practice
- Qualifying (Seed number and starting lane choice)
- Food and Hydration break after first segment
- 500 Lap Feature (125 lap segments, 45-lap fuel allocation)
- Experts have a 3-sec longer fuel fill-up.
- We’ll start off this five-race series with Mega+ 1.7 Lites fitted with NASCAR hardbodies. Start working on your MegaG+ 1.7 Modifieds with the new class rules. Your existing Modified cars will do okay in this class, but cars prepared under the new rules will definitely do better.
Congrats to John Rogers for making the transfer to the Expert ranks. He’s a great driver and will definitely increase the adrenaline levels in the paddock.
As always, a big thanks to Kathy and all who brought stuff to share. Another very successful “Under The Lights” event, for sure.