Author: Race Director

Just an old slot car racer and Race Director at Stewart Raceway.

Interesting Open Track Day

This one started as a small group of four and nearly doubled at Go time! Nine drivers showed up Sunday around noon for some track time.

It was unique because four juniors and five seniors showed up: one new driver to Stewart Raceway and two returning drivers.

Participating Teams:

      • Team Maddox
      • Donaldson Racing
      • Che-Vargas Racing
      • Team Johnson
      • Stewart Racing

The juniors quickly overtook SR3 and began hotlapping on four of the six lanes, leaving the rest of us with limited lane access. We could have set up a rotation, but we opted to fire up SR2 instead.

Jared took over Race Director duties on SR3 and ran a couple of Dash races with the juniors while the rest of us cleaned off SR2 and started to cut laps there. I think Jared might be Deputy Race Director soon.

SR2 was remarkably clean indoors and didn’t take many laps to clean off. We need to do more racing on SR2; it’s a bit hectic with Vipers and other magnet cars, but it’s a fun and challenging track.

So, what was expected to be a small group of drivers getting track time on the SR3 oval turned out to be quite a multifaceted track day.

Our newest driver, Dean Donaldson, once again brought out some engaging vintage HO-scale platforms to try out today. This rig is a Tyco Truck platform that ran well after some oiling and greasing. We need to get three more of these rigs for some IROC fun. Dean and Eric “Fast” Lane are definitely “Pickers.” They’ll get along very well.

We didn’t do much racing, but it was a fun Open Track day. The juniors cut a few laps, Donaldson Racing broke in his new MegaG+ 1.7 Alpha-Romeo F1 car, and Che-Vargas Racing cut some fast laps with Viper V-SPEC L4 cars on SR2.

There’s a back story with Che-Vargas Racing. Joe Vargas has procured the remnants of an SR2 clone track. The copy was created shortly after I designed the layout and had the original SR2 built by Viperscaleracing.com back in July 2018. Joe found the whole track and table somewhere in Sacramento, but they only wanted to sell the track pieces, not the whole table. Anyway, a longer story to tell here, but the bottom line is Joe is working on getting “SR2.2” operational again.

Aaron is also very near to procuring another cool 4-lane routed track. He’ll be driving down to the LA area later this month to check it out. There could be a nice revival of HO-scale racing in the Bay Area soon!

Okay, stay tuned for an email about resuming racing and completing the final round of our 50/50 series. It’ll be an oval event on SR3.

Okay, shut up and drive!

2025 50/50 Series, Round 4 Video Coverage Posted on Rumble

Race #2 Podium: GP Designs bags the top step!

Videos of all three races have been posted on our Rumble channel.

Your favorite Race Director got all four races on video, and I edited them down as much as I could. Just fast-forward through any pauses in the racing action.

We STILL need a better camera crew in our video production department. If anyone would like to volunteer to manage the video operations, I’ll show you what’s involved. You ensure it is set up and working and monitor things throughout the race day.

Okay, shut up and drive!

 

 

 

 

2025 50/50 Series, Round 4 — From TFX Loose to V-SPEC Stuck, Another Awesome Day of Racing on SR3!

Round 4 was quite a day for the Sportsman field. Our newest racing team, Team Rowland, got a taste of T-Jet racing in Race 1, driving a set of almost stock OS3 TFXs with Aston Martin hardbodies that George picked up at the Fray in Ferndale last week.

Round 4 Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart* 399 247 3154.818
2 George Peters* 396 227 3280.585
3 Aaron Castro* 293 169 2436.719
4 Kevin Webster* 349 154 3289.097
5 Dave Rowland 263 124 2516.554
6 Coe Rowland 249 118 2542.809
7 Jared Johnson 190 106 1284.282
8 Jerry Pearson* 191 103 1838.426
9 Arlo Roland 223 102 2489.432
10 Matthew Johnson 79 32 732.806
11 Madeline Johnson 62 28 582.756

* Expert Driver

Jared Johnson on his way to his first podium, taking 2nd place in Race 4 at Stewart Raceway. Jared demonstrated he’s a force to be reckoned with even for Expert drivers, taking a 4th and 2nd in his two races.

Race 1: OS3 TFX Aston Martin Fray Hardbodies (IROC)

Courtesy of GP Design’s journey to the Fray in Ferndale, these Dash bodies fitted to an existing house set of TFX chassis handled very well and looked even better. As expected, the Expert drivers dominated this class, with Home Cook’n setting four new lap records; the fastest lap was in the Green lane, at 9.721. Dave Rowland topped the Sportsman class with a perfect last segment of 25 for 90 laps and a fastest lap of 10.181.

Team Rowland did pretty well, considering only Arlo had any track time with this type of car prior to Round 4. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 100 64 1153.579
2 Aaron Castro 100 58 1186.906
3 George Peters 100 58 1233.056
4 Kevin Webster 93 48 1237.436
5 Jerry Pearson 92 48 1170.544
6 Dave Rowland 90 40 1239.311
7 Coe Rowland 79 32 1216.53
8 Arlo Roland 66 28 1169.332
Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 “Lite” F1/Indy Hardbodies

This platform continues to be highly competitive and enjoyed by all who have campaigned with it. We haven’t run the Lite class in almost a year! It’s not much different from the “Modified” variant, but the heavier hardbody causes it to have slightly slower lap times. Expert driver George Peters was the dominant Expert in this one, winning three of his four rotations. Junior driver Coe Rowland had an incredible run in this race. Coe was the top Sportsman finisher with 86 laps, 42 points, and a 6.469 fastest lap. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 100 61 665.921
2 Steve Stewart 100 58 660.951
3 Aaron Castro 98 56 663.246
4 Jerry Pearson 99 55 667.882
5 Coe Rowland 86 42 701.756
6 Dave Rowland 82 40 665.433
7 Kevin Webster 80 32 653.567
8 Arlo Roland 74 32 663.482
Race 3: Viper V-SPEC “SPEC STOCK” Lexan Bodies

Another very competitive platform at Stewart Raceway. The V-SPEC Viper is a favorite due to its incredible downforce and amazing speed. Always a substantial adrenaline-pumping race. This one was especially different since Sportsman driver and Team Johnson leader, Jared Johnson, was absolutely on fire. Team Johnson was late to the party and jumped into the program in Race 3 after just a few practice laps. Jared’s first segment was so-so, but he clicked off an impressive 4.8-second lap in the White lane. Jared stepped up his game in his second and third segments, winning handily by one lap and three laps, respectively. He had the fastest lap in his third segment of 4.610 in the Orange lane. Jared nearly made the podium and was the top Sportsman finisher, with 92 total laps and 50 points. Dave Rowland was a close second in the Sportsman category, with 91 total laps and 44 points.

In all the excitement, Coe and Arlo Rowland each finished second in this fast and furious race—amazing!

Despite the blistering pace in this one, no new track records were set. Jared’s 4.610 lap was the fastest in the race, but it was roughly four tenths of a second off the record currently held by Aaron Castro. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 100 64 608.253
2 George Peters 98 58 612.468
3 Aaron Castro 95 55 586.567
4 Jared Johnson 92 50 579.186
5 Dave Rowland 91 44 611.81
6 Coe Rowland 84 44 624.523
7 Arlo Roland 83 42 656.618
8 Kevin Webster 89 38 644.58
9 Madeline Johnson 62 28 582.756
Race 4: Jag Hobbies TR-3 “Augoran” Hardbodies (IROC)

Continuing his impressive driving in Round 4, Jared Johnson led Race 4 into the final segment, winning all four rotations. He finished his rotations in the lead and was 11 points ahead of Home Cook’n, who had one more rotation but with two other Experts in the mix.

The final segment was a dogfight between two Experts and an increasingly faster Sportsman. George had a mathematical chance at second overall with but it was not to be. Jared would set a new lap record for this platform in the Blue lane and finish Race 4 second overall, enjoying his first “official” visit to the podium at Stewart Raceway. Great driving, Jared!!  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart* 99 61 732.035
2 Jared Johnson 98 56 705.096
3 George Peters* 98 50 769.14
4 Kevin Webster* 87 36 753.514
5 Matthew Johnson 79 32 732.806
2025 50/50 Series, Round 4 Overall Results
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart* 399 247 3154.818
2 George Peters* 396 227 3280.585
3 Aaron Castro* 293 169 2436.719
4 Kevin Webster* 349 154 3289.097
5 Dave Rowland 263 124 2516.554
6 Coe Rowland 249 118 2542.809
7 Jared Johnson 190 106 1284.282
8 Jerry Pearson* 191 103 1838.426
9 Arlo Roland 223 102 2489.432
10 Matthew Johnson 79 32 732.806
11 Madeline Johnson 62 28 582.756

Wow! Another impressive day on the SR3 “Fast Esses” course. The Sportsman category had some awe-inspiring results in Round 4, for sure. Jared Johnson seems to have figured things out and was crazy fast in the two races he participated in. Team Rowland also had some fantastic results on the day, Coe Rowland bagged a 2nd place finish in segment 7 of the MG+ 1.7 Lites class!

2025 50/50 Series Points Standings After Round 4
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
Sportsman
1 Dave Rowland 781 493 7434.468
2 Coe Rowland 768 465 7357.934
3 Abe Maddox 546 419 4299.19
4 Arlo Roland 706 412 7630.716
5 Shaylin Maddox 480 304 3929.265
6 Jared Johnson 359 248 2576.597
7 Lucille Rowland 177 130 1414.206
8 Matthew Johnson 146 74 1250.818
9 Madeline Johnson 116 56 1090.313
10 Eric Lane 66 40 498.861
11 Cameron Bill 50 32 411.714
Expert
1 Steve Stewart 974 716 7705.645
2 George Peters 967 687 7639.062
3 Aaron Castro 610 403 4398.698
4 Jerry Pearson 270 161 2335.285
5 Kevin Webster 349 154 3289.097

The final round of the 2025 50/50 Series will be on the SR3 oval layout. The tentative program is currently the following:

      • Qualifying
      • Race 1: Johnny Lightning or Autoword X-Traction cars (Loose)
      • Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 “Modifieds” @22 volts
      • Race 3: Retro-Vipers “Maximum Leeway Lexan Bodies (Fast and loose)
      • Race 4: Viper V-SPEC “SPEC STOCK” Lexan Bodies

Qualifying points will be awarded as follows:

      1.  5.0
      2.  4.5
      3.  4.0
      4.  3.5
      5.  3.0
      6.  2.5
      7.  2.0
      8.  1.5
      9.  1.0
      10.  .5

Okay, I’m not sure if we’ll be able to hold the final round next weekend. If we have enough drivers (at least six), we’ll give it a go.

The Series points are based on your best results from four of the five rounds. Yep, missing one won’t hurt much, but missing two rounds will keep you off the Stewart Raceway Wall of Fame for this series.

Okay, shut up and drive!

 

A Track Day Or Round 4?

Not sure if this can be considered Round 4 of the 2025 50/50 Series since we only ran IROC cars, but we did have five participating drivers in the mix today, which is enough to consider it an “official” race day.

We also had two new visitors to Stewart Raceway, who were impressive drivers, adapting to slot car racing like veterans. George’s sister, Vic, and her friend, Dave were incredible. Amazingly, six races were run on the day: three dash and three full rotation races, all IROC.

We started out with a couple of Dash races pitting Vic and Dave racing against each other, George and I marshaling.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Vic Peterson 49 30 NA
2 Hillbilly Dave 48 30 NA

Obviously, pretty close racing for their first experiences on the SR3 “Fast Esses” road course. George’s sis, Vic Peterson, won the first race, and Dave won the second race with only one lap deciding the overall winner.

Once the new drivers had a few laps under their belts, we did another Dash race with the same cars but with George and Eric in the mix.

Track: SR3 Road Course Fast Esses (Chicane)
Date: Feb-22-2025 10:26
Class: Jag Augoran (i) 15v
Descr:
Name Lane Avg
Lap		 Fast
Lap		 Median
Lap		 Laps Points Place
Eric Lane Orange 9.455 7.122 8.320 40 16 1
George Peters Blue 9.483 6.407 8.022 40 14 2
Vic Peterson White 9.898 7.177 9.049 40 11 3
Hillbilly Dave Green 11.056 6.713 8.520 36 7 4

Vic Peterson had a good run in this last Dash race, finishing 3rd and on the same lap as the winner, Eric Lane. Dave cut some fast laps with the second-quickest and third-fastest medium lap times. It appears that slot car racing prowess runs in the Peters/Peterson family.

Rotation IROC Race 1 (Jag Augoran (IROC) 15v)

Eric “Fast Lane” Lane dominated the first full rotation race of the day with two segment wins and nearly leading the race the whole way. He gave up the lead to George briefly after Segment 5, but came back in and placed 2nd in his final segment, on the same lap as segment winner, Kevin Webster.

Vic Peterson clicked off a speedy lap of 6.465 in the Blue lane during her final rotation. For first time visitors to Stewart Raceway, she and Dave were very impressive against us veteran drivers with way more track time. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Eric Lane 100 58 806.759
2 Steve Stewart 100 53 749.451
3 George Peters 98 51 804.177
4 Kevin Webster 96 50 751.482
5 Hillbilly Dave 93 42 826.877
6 Vic Peterson 91 28 814.706
Rotation IROC Race 2 MegaG+ 1.7 Eric Lane (Scooby Doo) Vans (IROC)

New driver, Hillbilly Dave had  great run in Race 2 with a 2nd place finish in his first segment and only three laps down after 100 laps. Dave’s median lap time dropped from a high of 10.587 down to 8.950 in his last segment. He liked the Scooby Doo vans. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 100 61 969.59
2 Jerry Pearson 98 50 999.462
3 Kevin Webster 95 49 991.044
4 George Peters 97 48 978.185
5 Eric Lane 97 45 1014.672
6 Hillbilly Dave 97 44 1071.895
7 Vic Peterson 84 32 1023.523
Rotation IROC Race 3 Viper V-SPEC F1/Indy 1.7 (IROC) Lexan Eric Lane Set

Always a fast and furious race, the experts didn’t cut anybody any slack in this one and battled fiercely for a podium spot. Jerry completed all 100 laps and very nearly won the overall with some very impressive driving. Details

We should have handicapped the experts in all these races to give our guest drivers a better shot at podium spots, but the Race Director muffed that up as they went head-to-head with much more experienced drivers. Still, both Vic and Dave adapted to the different cars and race formats remarkably well and seemed to enjoy the racing very much.

Vic finished the day with an average placing of 4.3 and a fastest lap of 5.917, while Dave finished the day with an average placing of 4.0 and a fastest lap of 5.043.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 100 64 600.129
2 Jerry Pearson 100 58 630.46
3 George Peters 99 52 617.886
4 Kevin Webster 88 44 618.477
5 Eric Lane 85 43 610.108
6 Hillbilly Dave 85 40 670.558
7 Vic Peterson 80 28 630.807

Our hapless Race Director–again–failed to get any video of the day’s action. Somehow, the open-source software crashed and nothing of any substance was recorded.

I sure hope Vic and Dave join us again soon. They both took to slot car racing and marshaling very quickly and got faster and faster as the day went on.

Thanks to all who showed up, supported the event and brought goodies to share. Vic’s oat cakes were delicious, and Kathy’s spread of bagels were, too.

If anybody has any pics/videos, please share them with me and I’ll update the post. We didn’t even take a podium shot!

Okay, shut up and drive!

MegaG+ “Modified” Class Review

This simple class has proven to be a great success. Its rules are simple, the paper body transforms the car’s handling, it has faster lap times, and it is generally an enjoyable car to drive.

I know the paper body is only available from Stewart Raceway, but I’m sure others could figure out how to make one. In fact, Webster Motosports makes a slightly different style of body, which seems to work pretty well, too.

Our current MG+ Modified class is not all that “modified,” which begs the question: should we allow more mods in this class?

There are quite a few additional modifications that could be made:

      • Independent Front Ends from Viper
      • Aftermarket Rear Axle Assembly from Viper
      • Aftermarket Front and Rear Tires from Viper
      • 22T Crown Gears and Gear Bosses from Viper
      • Aftermarket Replacement FF-N20 Motor and/or Shoe Hanger Assembly from Jag Hobbies
      • Neodymium 45 or 52 Traction Magnets from Harden Creek

I’m sure there are other hop-up parts out there, but the point is that this car could be much more “modified” than we’re currently running it.

I recently tested the replacement motor assembly from Jag Hobbies and found it pretty slick, easy to install, and a nice upgrade to the stock motor. The chassis I used to test it was doing laps in the 5.8 range with its factory motor. After replacing it with the new Jag motor and hanger assembly, lap times dropped into the 5.4 range. It’s not a tremendous upgrade, but knowing there are alternatives is nice. There are also “hotter” motors out there that could be allowed.

To be clear, I am not pushing changes to our current rules for this car. I think a heavier and independent front end would be a simple but effective performance upgrade. Another modification we could allow is the high-downforce configuration using the stock N30 traction magnets. This rapid mod involves flipping one traction magnet to go from low to high downforce, which results in an additional 2 to 4 grams of downforce.

Again, I’m not advocating changes; I’m happy with the current rules. However, if enough teams/drivers want to change the rules, it isn’t out of the question.

Feel free to chime in via a comment below.