Memorial Day Double-Header: Team Maddox and Webster Motorsports Dominate

The first event on this glorious Memorial Day was a 200-lap road race on SR3’s Fast Esses course. Team Maddox put on a good showing and brought a new Junior driver, August Feinstein, who did exceptionally well in his first appearance at Stewart Raceway.Abe and August at the controls in the 200-lap event.

Event #1 Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Shaylin Maddox 195 54 3177.202
2 Steve Stewart 199 53 3180.055
3 Abe Maddox 198 49 3182.646
4 August Feinstein 159 32 3243.437

This race was run with just one marshal and the good ole “Track Call” honor system, which always has its share of trickery. Throughout the race, Team Maddox was always within striking distance of the overall victory, but also battled intensely among themselves. Shaylin and Abe had extremely close segment run-times for the first three segments, with Abe taking 2nd-place in the first 50-lap segment and 1st-place in the third segment. Going into the final segment, Shaylin was down five laps but just 4 points behind the race leader, Home Cook’n, and two points ahead of teammate, Abe Maddox.

In the end, both Abe and Shaylin had perfect 50-lap segments, with Shaylin taking the segment and overall race win, just one point ahead of Home Cook’n. Abe would finish in second place, just a bit over 1 second behind the winner, Shaylin Maddox.Race Director is setting things up as Abe and August anxiously await track power.

New Team Maddox driver, August Feinstein, had his best result in Segment 2, finishing one lap ahead of teammate, Abe Maddox, for 3rd place. August also bested the field in Segment 2 with a fastest lap of 4.922 and the fastest median lap time.  Team Maddox had a pretty good day. Details

Event 2 Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Kevin Webster 238 114 2290.899
2 Dean Donaldson 232 94 2411.522
3 Steve Stewart 120 61 1374.996
4 Jeff Seltzer 116 51 1035.244
5 Bev Seltzer 110 28 1062.906

The second round of the double-header race day included two 120-lap fuel races, one IROC and one Builder class. Team Donaldson, Webster Motorsports, and Seltzer Speed/Marine started the event with a 120-lap MegaG+ Modifieds IROC set at 20v.

Race 1

Webster Motorsports Expert driver, Kevin Webster, dominated this first 120-lap fuel race with three segment wins, consistent driving, and a perfect 120-lap total. New Sportsman driver, Jeff Seltzer, appearing for his second time at Stewart Raceway, had a very good run. Jeff won one segment, finished 2nd in two others, and the fastest median lap time of segment 2. Teammate, Bev Seltzer, clicked off the fastest lap of segment in the Orange lane at 6.024 seconds.

Team Donaldson’s, Dean Donaldson, took the final podium spot with two 2nd places, two 3rds places, and 3rd overall. Dean also clicked off the fastest lap of the race with a 5.753 lap in the Orange lane. Dean only lost one lap throughout the race to Expert driver and winner, Kevin Webster.

Team Seltzer Speed & Marine had a pretty good night but had to cut things short before the final 120-lap race. Given their ever-decreasing lap times and success, I know this team is going to be back at Stewart Raceway. In fact, Bev was practicing pit stops during practice, demonstrating she’s serious about getting on the podium soon. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Kevin Webster 120 61 907.637
2 Jeff Seltzer 116 51 1035.244
3 Dean Donaldson 119 48 1022.595
4 Bev Seltzer 110 28 1062.906
Race 2

The second and final race of the night was, of course, the Builder’s Viper V-SPEC Lexan class. Sportsman, Dean Donaldson, was anxious to try out his new Viper and came out swinging in Segment 1 with the fastest lap and a 2nd place finish against two Expert drivers. In fact, Dean’s total runtime was just .01 seconds more than the segment winner. Unfortunately, Dean had Expert driver, Kevin Webster, breathing down his tailpipes on the last lap, and chose to bag the 2nd place segment points instead. Kevin, realizing he could refuel without losing points, wisely did so. The situation would result in Dean starting the second segment with little fuel, while the other to drivers would start with a full tank.

Dean would lose four laps due to pit stop problems in segment 2, while Kevin Webster clicked off a perfect 30 laps. Dean started segment 3 just four laps down, but tied in points with Kevin at 24. Dean needed a win.

Ultimately, Kevin would win segment 3, putting Dean out of contention. Still, Dean fought hard in the last two segments, only losing one more lap, but unable to overtake Kevin for 2nd place overall. Dean was less than a second behind Kevin in the final segment at the finish line. Details 

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 120 61 1374.996
2 Kevin Webster 118 53 1383.262
3 Dean Donaldson 113 46 1388.927

What a great of racing! Thank you all for participating and bringing all the goodies, snacks, dinner, and wine! Congratulations to Jeff Seltzer for his second-place (1st Sportsman) finish in the first 120-lap race. Also, congratulations to Shaylin Maddox for an incredible win in the 200-lap event! Some very fun and competitive racing, for sure.

Okay, shut up and drive!

2025 50/50 Series, Round 5 Finale

It wasn’t looking good getting enough drivers to complete the series, but Team Maddox popped in just before Race 3 to make it a quorum for a Round 5 finale.

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewarte 505 253 6514.749
2 Dean Donaldson 478 205 6613.429
3 Kevin Webstere 464 200 6595.572
4 Shaylin Maddox 114 47 962.740
5 Abe Maddox 114 46 934.873
6 Kathy Stewart 97 32 2967.009

e Expert driver

Race 1: MegaG+ 1.7 Lites (Support Class)

Dean Donaldson proved he’s not just a Viper specialist in the final round of the series. The MG+ 1.7 chassis with an F1/Indy hardbody requires a fair amount of driving skill to master. Going into the final segment of Race 1, Dean was down two laps, but tied in points with Expert driver, Kevin Webster, sitting in 2nd place. Neither driver had a clear shot at the overall win, but the 2nd spot on the podium was up for grabs. So it was going to be a dogfight for 2nd place, and a dogfight it was. Both drivers had a perfect 30-lap final segment, but Dean wasn’t going to leave anything to chance, and he won the last segment outright and secured the 2nd-place podium position. Nice driving! Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 90 45 1022.674
2 Dean Donaldson 87 40 1059.062
3 Kevin Webster 89 35 1034.444
Race 2: Wizzard Storms (20v) (I)

Kevin very nearly won this race. He and Dean had a one-point advantage going into the final segment, and the race win was still up for grabs. Kevin led the race going into the last segment and all drivers completed all 30 laps on the same lap! This one was the closest of the day. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 90 42 818.503
2 Kevin Webster 88 40 830.481
3 Dean Donaldson 86 38 826.692
Race 3: MegaG+ 1.7 Modified (i)

Team Maddox showed up for Race 3 and very nearly stole the whole show. The team hadn’t raced at Stewart Raceway for well over a month, but they demonstrated what a powerhouse team they are. Junior driver, Abe Maddox would bag three 2nd place segment finishes while Mom, Shaylin, would win her first segment and bag a second and third place segment finish.

Dean Donaldson had a great race going into his final rotation, leading the race by three points. Unfortunately, Dean had a disastrous final segment in the Blue lane, which netted him just 7 points, dropping off the podium but tied in points with Abe Maddox. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 115 54 923.940
2 Shaylin Maddox 114 47 962.740
3 Abe Maddox 114 46 934.873
4 Dean Donaldson 112 46 948.192
5 Kevin Webster 109 42 940.749
Race 4: Viper V-SPEC SPEC STOCK Lexan

Always the premiere race of the day, this one did not disappoint. Team Maddox had to cut their day short, so it was Sportsman driver, Dean Donaldson, against two Experts for the final official race of the day. Dean again proved he’s a top-level Viper driver with a solid 2nd-place podium finish and only five laps down at the end. Dean took 2nd place in all three segments and was just 3/100ths of a second off Home Cookin’s fastest lap. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 90 48 808.337
2 Dean Donaldson 85 39 816.506
3 Kevin Webster 65 33 825.474
New Track Records

Yeah, these are easy ones. The Wizzard Storms we ran in Race 2 have never been run on the “Fast Esses” course. Consequently, that race produced three new lap records.

Kevin Webster (Set Owner) clicked off a 5.389 in the Orange lane. Home Cook’n clocked a 5.659 in the Blue lane.

Race 5:  Life-Like M-Chassis NASCAR (Webster) (i)

Not an official race, but these slotheads weren’t quite done racing. Kevin Webster redeemed himself in this one with three solid 2nd-place segment finishes and 2nd place overall. Dean and Kathy didn’t appreciate these cars, but they were pretty cool. Dean finally got into his groove in his final segment and bagged a 2nd place segment finish in the Green lane. It looks like Dean is figuring this out quite quickly. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 120 64 2941.295
2 Kevin Webster 113 50 2964.424
3 Dean Donaldson 108 42 2962.977
4 Kathy Stewart 97 32 2967.009

Stay tuned for the final 2025 50/50 Series points standings and details on upcoming events at Stewart Raceway.

Okay, shut up and drive!

Friday Night Lights Events Gaining Momentum

We need a new logo but this will do for now.

It’s looking like Friday nights under the lights could be a thing.

Our third Friday night event drew a total of five drivers to the SR3 “Fast Essses” course for some hot laps and a pair of 30-lap fuel races.

Friday nights are always a bit different since, well, it’s Friday night, and some of us tend to tip a few glasses of our favorite alcoholic beverages. As most people would assume, alcohol isn’t a performance-enhancing substance when it comes to driving things, including slot cars.

So, Friday nights will always be a little less serious but not at all less competitive. That said, rules of racing still apply and are enforced.

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 238 122 1727.335
2 Kevin Webster 229 97 1795.77
3 Dean Donaldson 223 95 1817.035
4 Jeff Seltzer* 113 53 1020.446
5 Bev Seltzer* 98 28 1186.187

* Only completed one race.

Sportsman driver, Dean Donaldson (Team Donaldson), continued his success with the Viper V-SPEC platform, very nearly knocking Expert driver, Kevin Webster, off the second step of the podium. While our newest and hopefully returning driver, Jeff “Dave” Seltzer (inside humor) had a wonderful first-ever appearance at Stewart Raceway.

Race 1: Viper V-SPEC “SPEC STOCK” Lexan

Jeff Seltzer had an awe-inspiring race with the Viper V-SPEC platform. Jeff took second in two of his segments and a first in his final segment in the Orange lane. In his first-ever HO-scale race, Jeff finished in 2nd place overall with a fastest lap of 5.399 in the Green lane. Very impressive!

Both Bev and Jeff were running “house” Viper V-SPEC platforms out of Eric Lane’s donated six-car IROC set. Bev was the lone female driver in the field, and while she had SR2 road course experience, she had not yet run on the SR3 course. Not sure if the car we gave her was the best of the bunch, but she did well, and her lap times are steadily improving. Her fastest lap was a 5.512 in her final segment in the Green lane. Bev’s next visit should be even better since she ordered a new Viper V-SPEC L4 platform after her first visit on April 11.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve StewartE 118 58 933.584
2 Jeff Seltzer 113 53 1020.446
3 Kevin WebsterE 114 51 987.155
4 Dean Donaldson 108 45 1002.706
5 Bev Seltzer 98 28 1186.187

E Expert driver

Race 2: Viper V-SPEC “SPEC STOCK” Lexan

While Dean struggled a bit in Race 1, getting comfortable with his new Viper car on SR3’s “Fast Esses” course, he regained his groove in Race 2. Dean led Expert driver, Kevin Webster, by just two points going into the final segment. Kevin had two laps on Dean, but Dean had placed 2nd in two of his three segments. Kevin needed to at least place 2nd in the final segment to take the second podium spot.

Dean would click off his fastest lap of the race in the Green lane with a 4.714 lap and place 2nd overall, edging out Kevin by four points. Kevin fought hard for the second podium spot, but Dean was just too fast in the Green lane while Kevin coped with the slightly more difficult Blue lane.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 120 64 793.751
2 Dean DonaldsonS 115 50 814.329
3 Kevin Webster 115 46 808.615

S Sportsman driver

Friday Night Lights Points Standings
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
Expert
1 Steve Stewart 698 307 3105.882
2 Kevin Webster 495 165 3137.453
3 George Peters 311 129 1279.584
Sportsman
1 Dean Donaldson 659 245 3225.15
2 Joe Vargas 300 118 1280.737
3 Bev Seltzer 216 64 1288.127
4 Jeff Seltzer 113 53 1020.446
5 Oxana Che 197 44 837.067
6 Kathy Stewart 105 34 332.422

Okay, shut up and drive!

Dean Donaldson Dominates Second “Friday Night Lights” Event

What was expected to be a low-key test and tune event turned into a barn-burner racing night.

After the scheduled event was canceled due to low turnout, we opened up to allow local driver, Dean Donaldson to get his newly procured Viper V-SPEC car dialed-in. Dean had worked on the body but needed some help getting it trimmed and mounted. Dean brought along his neighbor, Bev Seltzer, who was curious to check out the Stewart Raceway action and cut a few laps with Dean.

While I worked on Dean’s Viper body, he and Bev had some fun cutting laps and dicing with each other with MegaG+ 1.7 cars. Once I got Dean’s Viper body installed and ready, Dean took it for a spin and immediately started clocking some speedy laps. Dean quickly realized he had a blazingly fast car and suggested we run a race or two to see what it could do.

Bev and Home Cook’n pulled out a couple of Fast Lane racing’s Viper V-SPEC F1/Indy Lexan IROC cars, and we lined up at the starting line for a 35-lap Dash fuel race.

As you can see, Dean was hooked up and smoking on SR2 with a fastest lap of 3.270, which is quite close to the lap record for this type of car on SR2’s straight road course.

Track: Stewart Raceway II Straight Road Course
Date: Apr-11-2025 19:46
Class: Viper V-SPEC SPEC STOCK Lexan
Descr: Test
Name Lane Avg
 Fast
 Median
 Laps Place
Dean Donaldson Yellow 11.978 3.270 3.629 35 1
Steve Stewart Red 12.592 3.623 4.028 33 2
Bev Seltzer White 16.983 4.037 7.606 25 3

After the first race, Kathy joined us, and we did three more Dash races but with 40 laps instead of 35. Dean didn’t win them all, but he clearly dominated the night and clicked off a 3.261 lap in the process.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Dean Donaldson 154 58 108.13
2 Steve Stewart 146 53 106.589
3 Bev Seltzer 118 36 101.94
4 Kathy Stewart 105 34 332.422

Kathy won the third race by a lap over Dean and a fastest lap of 3.351. Our newest competitor at Stewart Raceway, Bev Seltzer, had a fantastic first time, with a fastest lap of 3.666. Bev could be an up-and-coming driver for Team Donaldson Racing; we’ll see.

Track: Stewart Raceway II Straight Road Course
Date: Apr-11-2025 22:00
Class: Viper V-SPEC SPEC STOCK Lexan
Descr: Test
Name Lane Avg Fast
 Median
 Laps Place
Kathy Stewart Blue 8.302 3.351 4.086 40 1
Dean Donaldson Yellow 8.596 3.346 3.702 39 2
Steve Stewart Red 9.557 3.539 3.910 36 3
Bev Seltzer White 11.197 3.669 4.578 30 4

So, the bottom line is that Dean is pleased with his purchase of his first Viper V-SPEC chassis and is eager to see how it does in an “official” racing event. Not to mention that Dean is also a very capable magnet car driver. SR2 is a hard course for such powerful cars, and Dean proved he was up to the task, for sure.

Okay, maybe the next Friday Night Lights event will feature both a men’s and a women’s race. Or at least an “A” and “B” main.

Okay, shut up and drive!

Friday Night Lights Event Videos Posted

While it wasn’t an official race, we did manage to get video of the three races last Friday night: two on SR2 and one on SR3. The two SR2 videos are mostly unedited because one of the cameras froze before the recording started and did not capture any action from that view. Editing those dead spots out is way too time-consuming, so it is what it is.

The SR3 video is fine, just not as edited as I would normally do.

https://rumble.com/c/c-3364960

Fast forward through the SR2 dead spots.

Hopefully, we’ll get it right next time.