Events – Stewart Raceway

2025 Summer 50/50 Series, Round 2: Only two races, but plenty of drama.

The Fast and the Furious returned to Stewart Raceway for Round 2 of this hotly contested series. This round was only two races, but boy, the adrenaline was wild!

This wasn’t my birthday, but Team Maddox can’t make it next Saturday for Round 3, which is my birthday. Shaylin and Grace made me a beautiful and delicious birthday cake with yellow cake and chocolate frosting. It was absolutely fantastic, and most of us got a piece after Race 1. Thank you, Team Maddox!!

Short Story

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Aaron Castro	239	456	1406.549
2	Steve Stewart	239	444	1414.639
3	George Peters	235	436	1433.862
4	Jerry Pearson	230	404	1471.171
5	Eric Lane	216	296	1504.305
6	Abe Maddox	101	152	815.824
7	Shaylin Maddox	102	144	751.938
8	Kevin Webster	96	112	695.821

Race 1: MegaG+ 1.7 “Modifieds”

Invariably an exceptionally competitive class, this one did not disappoint anybody except folks who were running their low-downforce “Lite” MG+ chassis with a Modified body. The “Modified” rules differ from the “Lite” rules, as they allow very few performance upgrades or aftermarket parts, and require cars to be set up with their traction magnets in their low-downforce position. We need to finalize and publish the modified rules so everyone is clear on the differences.

In the Expert ranks, the racing was very close with just a few laps separating the 1st from 4th. Shaylin Maddox clicked off the fastest lap of the race with 5.003 in segment three on the Orange lane. And Abe Maddox dazzled with some very impressive laps in Segment 5 and a 2nd place finish just behind Expert driver, Jerry Pearson, who also had a great race, finishing 2nd overall. Aaron Castro bagged the top step on the podium with a perfect 120 laps and three segment wins. Details

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Aaron Castro	120	244	734.300
2	Jerry Pearson	117	224	806.101
3	Steve Stewart	120	220	751.108
4	George Peters	116	204	769.335
5	Abe Maddox	101	152	815.824
6	Shaylin Maddox	102	144	751.938
7	Eric Lane	105	128	813.600

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

The highlight of this one was Eric Lane’s outstanding performance as the only Sportsman driver in the mix. Eric bagged one 2nd place and three 3rd place finishes in this one. Eric was on fire and having a blast with his very fast Viper after sorting out a better rear tire setup. It seemed like Eric was on his way to the podium, but a hard-charging Jerry Pearson edged him out by just six points in the end. Nice driving, Eric!

This last race of the day got off to a rough start and ended even rougher. Early in the third segment, Expert driver, George Peters’ car was triggering the minimum lap time, and he was losing laps. Sadly, because it was late in the race, we couldn’t just change the minimum lap time, and we ended up having to restart the whole race.

George ended up winning the overall, but it was later discovered that his car had a configuration that violated “SPEC STOCK” rules. As it turned out, George had run the car up in Sacramento a couple of weeks before in a class that allowed the configuration. Unfortunately, George had forgotten about the changes and didn’t realize the car was illegal before starting this race.

I know firsthand that this is a relatively easy mistake to make. I grabbed a car out of my box a few weeks ago and ran it without looking it over. Turned out it had an illegal front-end for the class we were running, and I lost all the points earned from that race.

The moral of this story is to check your cars for rule violations before racing. We typically don’t tech cars until after races are completed. At that point, a rule violation means a disqualification and no opportunity to correct the problem without penalty. Details

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	119	224	663.531
2	Aaron Castro	119	212	672.249
3	Jerry Pearson	113	180	665.070
4	Eric Lane	111	168	690.705
5	Kevin Webster	96	112	695.821
6	George Peters	119	0	664.527

Series Points Standings

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
Sportsman Standings
1	Shaylin Maddox	182	376	1352.417
2	Abe Maddox	178	376	1381.189
3	Dean Donaldson	268	312	2113.847
4	Eric Lane	216	296	1504.305
5	Fred Ebert	70	168	591.964
6	August Feinstein	71	164	637.325
7	Forrest Feinstein	70	152	605.196
Expert Standings
1	Steve Stewart	509	828	3485.663
2	Aaron Castro	239	456	1406.549
3	Jerry Pearson	230	404	1471.171
4	Kevin Webster	329	376	2843.467
5	George Peters	235	320*	1433.862

Okay, next weekend is another Friday Night Under The Lights Series event and, maybe Round 3 of this series. We are expecting our special guests, William Mansfield visiting from the UK, and Dave Feber from Los Cumbres to join us for at least a race or two—Obviously, the more attendance on Saturday, the better for our guests.

Enjoy the pics below of our new Pit Cam.

Okay, shut up and drive!

Friday Night Under The Lights Series: Another fun night of racing!

A smaller turnout than usual, but again the great food, wine, and other hydration products were plentiful, and the racing was as competitive as ever.

Short Story

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	155	432	1204.211
2	Joe Clarke	149	384	1255.017
3	Dean Donaldson	150	380	1202.277
4	Kathy Stewart	140	308	1365.239

Race 1: MegaG+ 1.7 Lites (Support Class)

Kathy Stewart (Stewart Raceway) came off the starting line on fire, winning the first segment over 10 seconds ahead of the hard-charging Joe Clarke (Clarke Racing) in second. In the end, Joe would come out ahead in the Sportsman class, bagging two seconds and a first-place finish in the final segment. Dean Donaldson (Full Speed Racing) had a superb run in the third segment, besting Home Cook’n by six seconds and taking that win. Kathy actually clicked off the fastest lap of the race with a 5.405 lap in the Green lane and the first segment win. Details

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	77	212	618.004
2	Joe Clarke	77	212	667.949
3	Dean Donaldson	74	180	614.753
4	Kathy Stewart	70	148	614.547

Race 2: Viper V-SPEC SPEC STOCK Lexan

Full Speed Racing’s Dean Donaldson recovered from his early overhydration problems suffered in Race 1 and put in a solid run in his favorite race, the Viper V-SPEC Lexan class. Dean clicked off a 4.647 lap in the Orange lane and posted the best Median lap time of the race (5.147) on his way to taking the top Sportsman honors. Clarke Racing’s Joe Clarke had the next fastest single lap with a 4.689 lap in the Green lane. Expert driver, Home Cook’n, needs to step up his game; these guys are getting faster and faster with every race. Details

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	78	220	586.207
2	Dean Donaldson	76	200	587.524
3	Joe Clarke	72	172	587.068
4	Kathy Stewart	70	160	750.692

I’ll update the Friday Night Series points before or after the next event. Stay tuned for videos of both races on Rumble soon.

Okay, shut up and drive!

Friday Night Under The Lights Series: Great food, great wine, great night!

Another way fun Friday Night Under the Lights event and another boom from yet another new driver. Dean brought a giant salmon fillet and queued it to perfection, Kathy cooked up a tasty pan of meat lasagna and garlic bread, and Jessica brought a very delicious bowl of sausage and vegetables. Both Team Clarke and Team DeVincenzi Cellars brought hydration products to help prevent overheating during the racing action. I chose the 2018 Meritage red; it was excellent.

Short Story

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	210	532	1890.951
1	Dean Donaldson	202	460	1818.332
2	Frank Virgil	107	244	1075.160
3	Joe Clarke	110	224	1136.950
4	Lisa Clarke	84	152	1191.066
5	Kathy Stewart	83	140	841.835

Green font denotes an Expert-ranked driver.

Race 1: Viper V-SPEC F1/Indy Lexan (IROC) (Eric “Fast” Lane’s set)

We attempted to run a set of Jag Hobbies NC-2 Mustang hardbody cars, but the group found them too challenging to drive and preferred the more “stuck” Viper V-SPEC platform. Thanks to Eric “Fast” Lane, we had a nice set of Viper V-SPEC L4 cars with Lexan F1/Indy bodies to campaign.

Sportsman driver, Dean Donaldson, came out swinging in the first segment, finishing less than a half second behind Expert driver, Home Cook’n. Dean would also click off the fastest lap of the race (5.074) in the White lane. Joe Clarke, returning from his impressive debut last Friday night, looked to be in a good position to repeat his outstanding 2nd-place podium finish with a MegaG+ “Modified” platform, having secured a solid 3rd in the first segment.

However, Frank Virgil, making his first-ever appearance at Stewart Raceway, put in an incredible run in the second segment, placing a close 2nd to segment winner Dean Donaldson and besting 3rd-place finisher, Home Cook’n, by almost four seconds. Frank would go on to finish the race in 3rd overall and earn a surprise podium visit.

Team Clarke driver Joe Clarke didn’t get into his groove in three of his later segments, finishing 4th in each one. In his final couple of segments, Joe got things turned around, bagging a 2nd in Segment 5 and a 3rd in the final segment. Frank, however, had racked up a very sizable points lead going into the final segment, and Joe would have to settle for a 4th place overall, despite Frank having a rough final segment in the Yellow lane, losing five laps, and finishing 4th behind Joe.

The lone female driver in the mix in Race 1 was Lisa Clarke, Joe’s amazing wife. I’m pretty sure this was her first slot car race, but she picked up on slot car racing very quickly, finishing fourth twice and clicking off a 6.5-second lap on her way to besting speedster, Dean Donaldson, in Segment 5 of 6.

Jessica did a few laps in practice but decided to pass on driving. But did a great job marshaling and keeping Dean’s team manager, Tucker, entertained and well taken care of. Details

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	120	352	1083.494
1	Dean Donaldson	116	300	1068.375
2	Frank Virgil	107	244	1075.160
3	Joe Clarke	110	224	1136.950
4	Lisa Clarke	84	152	1191.066

Race 2: Super G+ Lexan F1/Indy Bodies (IROC)

With dinner, hydration protocol, and all the team tactics trying to psych out the competition, we only managed to get one race completed before the attrition set in, and we lost a couple of teams early.

Kathy joined us for Race 2, and we decided on the venerable AFX Super G+ platform with Lexan F1/Indy bodies. This set has a lot of history, four of the cars came with the AFX Super International Raceway set I purchased to build my second sectional track, called Stewart Raceway I. Since the old plastic hardbodies are getting extremely scarce and expensive, we run them with cheaper Lexan bodies now.

This race had a very sketchy car in the White lane, which impacted all the drivers. We all knew that everyone had to drive the beast, so we plowed on and completed all rotations. Dean would post the fastest lap of the race (5.738) in the Green lane, but came up short by four laps and four points to Home Cook’n. Kathy had the sketchy car in the first segment and lost seven laps before rebounding in her 2nd and 3rd segments, finishing just four laps down in the end.

Dean and Home Cook’n were tied in both laps and points going into the final segment. The good news for Home Cook’n was that he had the fast Green Lane car for the finale, and Dean had the sketchy White lane car.

As expected, Dean struggled with the bad car and lost four laps in the last segment, coming in 3rd to 2nd place finisher, Kathy Stewart, who had a great run in the Orange lane with a fastest lap of 6.314 to Dean’s fastest of 6.648. Details

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	90	180	807.457
2	Dean Donaldson	86	160	749.957
3	Kathy Stewart	83	140	841.835

Another awesome Friday Night Under The Lights event! Thanks to everyone for joining us, for all the great food and hydration products, and the competitive spirit that makes the racing so fun and exciting.

Slightly edited videos. Fast forward where necessary:

Race 1

Race 2

Check out our new team’s delicious wines at DeVincenzi Cellars and say hello to Jessica and Frank.

Okay, shut up and drive!

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!