Author: Race Director

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

2025 Summer 50/50 Series, Round 1 Opener

Race 1: MegaG+ 1.7 “Modifieds”

Round one opened with a bang as Team Maddox delivered a master class showing in the first race of the day with the MegaG+ 1.7 Modified platform. Long story short, Shaylin and Abe Maddox had a battle royale going on in the last two segments. Shaylin would win the final segment by roughly four hundredths of a second over second-place finisher and teammate, Abe Maddox. What an exciting finish!

Teammate and Abe’s grandpa, Fred Ebert, bagged the last podium spot with one 2nd place segment finish and two 3rd place finishes.

Not to be outdone by the more experienced drivers, Junior driver, August Feinstein managed to win the second segment by over 3 seconds in the Orange lane–great driving by all and exciting to watch. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Shaylin Maddox 80 232 600.479
2 Abe Maddox 77 224 565.365
3 Fred Ebert 70 168 591.964
4 August Feinstein 71 164 637.325
5 Forrest Feinstein 70 152 605.196

It was great to see Team Maddox back in the paddock and winning again! Alos great to see Shaylin’s parents and Abe’s grandparents again at Stewart Raceway. Pam and Fred both race and obviously love to come by when they’re in town visiting.

Race 2: MG+ 1.7 Cameros & Mustangs (IROC)

Dean Donaldson of Full Speed Racing returned for a double header after putting on a show in the Viper V-SPEC race on Friday night. Certainly feeling the effects of his hydration issues and two long races on Friday night, Dean settled in and got down to business in this second race. Dean would end the race with three 2nd-place segment finishes, one lap down on Expert driver, Home Cook’n, and less than a 10th of a second slower in total runtime. Dean is on track to win the Sportsman division points championship for 2025 and join the Expert ranks for the 2026 season. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 135 192 1143.834
2 Dean Donaldson 134 156 1155.624
3 Kevin Webster 119 132 1203.021

Green font denotes Expert Drivers

Race 3: Viper V-SPEC SPEC STOCK Lexan

While the detailed results will show that this race was a dogfight between Home Cook’n and Full Speed Racing’s Dean Donaldson, it was discovered after the race that Home Cook’n was running a car with an illegal front axle assembly (independent instead of fixed). Of course, the “SPEC STOCK” rules do not permit these modifications. As such, Home Cook’n was disqualified, and Dean and Kevin Webster would move up to the top two podium spots.

Despite the obvious advantage that Home Cook’n had in both experience and car handling, Dean finished just one lap down at the end of three segments. Dean clearly demonstrated that he’s a force to be reckoned with, especially when it comes to racing the Viper V-SPEC platform.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Dean Donaldson 134 156 958.223
2 Kevin Webster 114 132 944.625
3 Steve Stewart 135 0 927.190
2025 Summer 50/50 Series Points Standings After Round 1
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Dean Donaldson 268 312 2113.847
2 Shaylin Maddox 80 232 600.479
3 Fred Ebert 70 168 591.964
1 Abe Maddox 77 224 565.365
2 August Feinstein 71 164 637.325
3 Forrest Feinstein 70 152 605.196
1 Steve Stewart 270 288 2071.024
2 Kevin Webster 233 264 2147.646

Green indicates Expert Driver, Blue indicates Junior Driver

Okay, shut up and drive!

Friday Night Under The Lights: Tube Steak dinner and a boom from a new driver in the mix.

Sportsman driver, Dean Donaldson actually queued up a very tasty cut of delicious steak, but Joe Clarke brought some very tasty hot dogs to put on the grill before racing got underway. Kathy made a delicious pasta dish and salad to go with the excellent fixings.

Race 1: MegaG+ 1.7 “Modifieds” vs. MegaG+ 1.7 “Lites”

Our newest driver at Stewart Raceway, Joe Clarke, drove the wheels off a house IROC MG+ Modified car, securing a 2nd place podium finish in his first race in over 15 years. Home Cook’n and Dean Donaldson were driving “Lite” cars, which are slightly more challenging against the lighter and more nimble Modified version of the MG+ platform.

Joe is another “natural” at slot car racing, not only finishing second overall, but winning the final segment and bagging two 2nd place segment finishes in race 1.

Yes, Mrs. Stewart joined us for two races and managed to best Dean Donaldson in the first race. Dean struggled with the effects of over-hydration early in the race.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 118 224 1046.802
2 Joe Clarke 107 196 1170.569
3 Kathy Stewart 107 180 1113.285
4 Dean Donaldson 99 152 1131.715
Race 2: Viper V-SPEC Lexan

This race was not completed and has one more segment to run before it goes in the books. Dean Donaldson recovered from his hydration problems and dominated this uncompleted race. Joe Clarke or Home Cook’n are not likely to prevent Dean from taking the top podium spot. We’ll see what happens when this group gets together again to complete the race, only one segment left.  Details

Name Seg
Laps		 Total
Laps		 Seg
Points		 Race
Place
Dean Donaldson 30 88 32 1
Steve Stewart 29 87 26 2
Joe Clarke 23 80 22 3
Kathy Stewart 19 68 14 4
Friday Nights Under the Lights Points Standings

Dean Donaldson of Full Speed Racing leads the Sportsman points chase at the moment, but the season has a long way to go.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 1785 1446 20566.204
2 Dean Donaldson 1713 1252 20969.770
3 Kathy Stewart 317 390 2418.990
4 Jeff Seltzer 613 217 12638.535
5 Joe Clarke 107 196 1170.569
6 Kevin Webster 495 165 3137.453
7 George Peters 311 129 1279.584
8 Joe Vargas 300 118 1280.737
9 Ron Williams 205 74 3324.955
10 Bev Seltzer 216 64 1288.127
11 Oxana Che 197 44 837.067

Green Font Color denotes Expert drivers

Okay, shut up and drive!

Inaugural Firecracker 200 Double-Points Race In the Books!

Scotts Valley Independence Day Parade Shots

Because of the holiday weekend, we didn’t have the usual attendance and photographers on hand. These are some pics I took volunteering at the Scotts Valley 4th of July Parade earlier in the day.

Back to the Racing…

Instead of a Firecracker 400 on the oval, we did a Viper warm-up race, then a Firecracker 200 on the Fast Esses road course. After a delicious BBQ/dinner, of course. Dean brought some pre-cooked and marinated steak that was incredibly tasty to go along with Kathy’s Mexican chicken casserole dish, which was also very tasty. Kathy didn’t receive the American Independence Day memo and opted for a Cinco de Mayo dish instead.

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 317 476 4119.067
2 Dean Donaldson 313 452 4156.580
3 Kathy Stewart 105 176 973.283
Race 1: Viper Warm-up Race

Viper V-SPEC L4 Lexan cars to get things rolling. Full Speed Racing (formerly Donaldson Racing) was on a mission in this one, with a 4.762 lap in the second segment in the green lane. Dean was up by two laps and six points going into the final segment. Normally, this would be a sure win, providing he finished second in his final rotation. However, this was a double points race and a 50-lap final segment, meaning anything could happen. In the end, Dean, finishing in the Blue lane, would end up with the requisite points, but just one lap short of Home Cook’n.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 117 232 882.380
2 Dean Donaldson 116 232 880.665
3 Kathy Stewart 105 176 973.283
Race 2: The Firecracker 200

It was getting late by the time we got around to the main event, so we shortened it up a bit after losing Stewart Racing’s number two driver to attrition. Full Speed Racing was still all in and looking for a victory in this critical double-points event. We chose the MegaG+ 1.7 “Lites” platform (F1/Indy Hardbody), which isn’t Dean’s favorite car to drive, but he had a good one in his box to race.

Sportsman driver Dean Donaldson fought hard through the first three segments, losing only one lap in each, and went into the final segment three laps down and only one second behind Home Cook’n in total runtime. However, he could not win the overall due to Home Cook’n winning three of the four segments.

That didn’t seem to deter Dean. He was determined to get a victory, even if it wasn’t the overall win. With just a few laps to go in the final segment, Dean worked his way back onto the same lap as Home Cook’n. With one lap to go, Dean closed the gap and overtook Home Cook’n for the segment win in the final corner. A spectacular segment victory! (I hate when I fail to record stuff like that.)  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 200 244 3236.687
2 Dean Donaldson 197 220 3275.915

So, there you have it: a small turnout, but a hugely competitive night of racing. I last posted 2025 season points standings on June 8. Dean certainly racked up a bunch more points in this special double-points event. I’ll post updated season points ASAP.

Stay tuned for details on a possible “All Kids” race day before they head back to school.

Okay, shut up and drive!

June 14, 2025 Race Day Video Posted on Rumble

Yet again, I didn’t get both cameras working, but at least I captured the action from SR3’s Turn 2 camera. Mildly edited, so just fast forward through the uninteresting stuff.

Enjoy!

I’m available if you want some track time or to race next Saturday. Just shoot me a text or email.

 

Race Day Report: June 14, 2025: New Faces, All Six Lanes, and New Lap Records

Team Maddox brings a new racing team into the fold and bags the last two podium spots in Race 1 with superb driving in their last three rotations.

A big welcome goes out to our latest team to appear at Stewart Raceway, Feinstein Racing. The team’s youngest driver, August Feinstein, has made one previous appearance at Stewart Raceway back during the Memorial Day Double-Header event. This recent visit brought a full squad of drivers and some impressive results. Team leader, Casey Feinstein, won a segment, Forrest Feinstein won a segment, and August Feinstein bagged two 2nd place segment finishes.

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 412 183 4590.526
2 George Peters 400 169 4571.940
3 Dean Donaldson 384 148 4760.271
4 Jeff Seltzer 353 122 4626.331
5 Abe Maddox 105 65 932.654
6 Shaylin Maddox 104 65 915.015
7 Forrest Feinstein 94 52 931.406
8 Casey Feinstein 92 48 927.825
9 August Feinstein 94 46 960.045
Race 1: MegaG+ 1.7 Modified (IROC)

Team Maddox won four of the nine segments and took 2nd place in another, edging out Jeff Seltzer for the last two podium spots. Jeff had a few more total laps, but both Team Maddox drivers had 65 points in the end, three more than Jeff, who won two of his segments. Team Maddox is definitely on a roll.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 117 75 936.918
2 Abe Maddox 105 65 932.654
3 Shaylin Maddox 104 65 915.015
4 Jeff Seltzer 107 62 957.109
5 George Peters 104 56 949.656
6 Dean Donaldson 107 53 922.464
7 Forrest Feinstein 94 52 931.406
8 Casey Feinstein 92 48 927.825
9 August Feinstein 94 46 960.045
Race 2: Viper V-SPEC “SPEC STOCK” Lexan

We lost Team Maddox and Fienstien Racing shortly after Race 1 concluded. While short on marshals, we forged ahead with the honor system and the verbal track call to deal with crashes. Team Donaldson Racing’s Sportsman driver, Dean Donaldson, had a stellar run with his Viper, besting Expert pilot, George Peters, by just four points to take the second podium spot in this way-fast 30-lap segments fuel race. George and Dean both had one segment win each, but Dean managed to bag two 2nd place segment finishes to come out ahead in total points.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 119 58 1253.853
2 Dean Donaldson 114 53 1245.052
3 George Peters 116 49 1249.218
4 Jeff Seltzer 96 28 1262.005
New Lap Records
Abe Maddox and Casey Feinstein

Home Cook’n set a new lap record in the Blue lane with a 4.381 lap. The fastest lap record for this class is held by Aaron Castro in the Orange lane back in March of 2024. Aaron also holds the lap records for the White lane (4.291) and the Green lane (4.274).

Race 3: MegaG+ 1.7 Lites (Support Class)

George Peters came out swinging in the day’s final (extended laps) fuel race, winning all four segments and setting a few lap records. Sportsman drivers, Dean Donaldson and Jeff Seltzer, drove the wheels off their cars but could not keep up with the pace of the two Expert drivers fighting for the overall win. Dean managed to best Home Cook’n, with a 2nd place finish to George in the final segment and a spot on the podium, but nobody was able to put any pressure on the determined GP Designs driver, George Peters.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 180 64 2373.066
2 Steve Stewart 176 50 2399.755
3 Dean Donaldson 163 42 2592.755
4 Jeff Seltzer 150 32 2407.217
New Lap Records

New lap records were set in all four lanes in this race. George was the fastest with a 5.276 lap in the Green Lane in the first segment. Home Cook’n clicked off a new record of 5.309 in the Blue lane in the same segment.

It sucks getting old. Your favorite Race Director failed to get any podium shots, sorry!  He did manage to get all the race action on video, but with only one camera view. Stay tuned for those videos to be posted on our Rumble channel soon.

Okay, shut up and drive!