News – Page 3 – Stewart Raceway

Operations Updates

SlotTrak Fuel Management Features Update

Many of you have suffered from the SlotTrak bug that can occur during a yellow flag situation. As power is cut to the lanes, the software does not detect or register that you have entered the pits. When the track goes green, your car doesn’t refuel. This is very frustrating, of course.

I haven’t fully tested the latest version of SlotTrak because the Fuel Management feature didn’t work with those versions. However, their update documentation indicates they may have fixed this problem in one of the latest versions. We tried to run the latest on SR2 and SR3 several times, but the software did not detect pit entries, rendering the feature useless.

We’re currently running version 16.24. I plan to upgrade both SR2 and SR3 to version 17.34, which is currently the latest version available.

Kevin and I figured out after the racing last Saturday that this issue was caused by the latest version install, which seems to corrupt the TrackConfig file by removing the Pit Detection setup. Once we realized this was happening, we updated the TrackConfig file, and Boom! All was good!

So, the bottom line is that we’ll test the fuel management features during a future racing event and see if the latest version solves that pesky refueling problem most of us have experienced in the past. Let’s hope so!

StewartRaceway.org Web Site Unsecure or Not Secure Notices

I didn’t realize this was causing people to stop using our site or become concerned that the site was somehow potentially harmful.

All this means is that keystroke data going to/from the site is not encrypted via SSL [SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and its successor, TLS (Transport Layer Security), are protocols for establishing secure links between networked computers.]

StewartRaceway.org is not an eCommerce site. To utilize it, you do not enter private or sensitive financial or other information anywhere on the site, and it does not collect or store that sort of information.

Unless you’re concerned about a remote possibility that somebody out there may be able to capture the keystrokes your computer sends to the site when leaving a comment on the site, for example, there is no threat to you or your computer/network. This is no different than any other site you use that doesn’t utilize expensive SSL/TLS technology.

StewartRaceway.org can conduct eCommerce activities, but we don’t sell or buy anything on the site today. No financial or personal/private information is collected. If that changes, of course we’d employ SSL/TLS technology to make sure those transactions and associated data was secure and protected.

So, please don’t fret about this message. I don’t think Russians, government agents, or other bad guys are snooping around StewartRaceway.org. And if they were, all they’d find out is that we’re having a lot of fun racing little cars for no money!

Okay, shut up and drive!

Race Report: 2024 Summer “Extreme” Series, Round 2

Yeah, we were in the throws of the 2024 Summer 50/50 Series, but we couldn’t seem to get to round 2. Summer is challenging, with school out, then back in, vacations, and many other things to do.

We’ll combine the points from Round 1 of the 50/50 series with this new “Extreme” Series, Round 2. The new series differs greatly from what we’ve been doing regarding race day formats.

The Extreme Series focuses a race day on just one platform and a series of events that start with time-trial qualifying, a series of main event qualifier races (winner advances to the main event), a last-chance main qualifier (top 2 finishers advance to the main event), and a consolation race (for all drivers who did not transfer to the main (Feature) event. This format ensures that all drivers who start the event can race at least three of the five races in the days official schedule.

We completed Round 2 today with just five drivers, which worked well despite the low turnout, but some felt that the qualifier races were not full enough, and the Consolation race only had one driver in it (easy podium if you don’t DNF). On the brighter side, the format provided more marshals for each race except the Main (Feature) event, which made the racing more intense. We’ll play around with this new format for a few races and see how it goes.

Round 2 Short Story

The final feature event of the day was a dogfight between Home Cook’n and GP Designs, George Peters. The two tied on laps and total points, but Home Cook’n managed to squeak out the win by just 1/10th of a second over 120 laps of racing–amazingly close racing!

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	120	56	669.066
2	George Peters	120	56	669.166
3	Jerry Pearson	118	40	667.837
4	Aaron Castro	116	36	683.473

Qualifying

The chosen platform for this Round was the venerable AFX/Racemasters MegaG+ 1.7 chassis with a taped-on paper body instead of a traditional plastic hardbody.

Track: SR3 Road Course Fast Esses (Chicane)
Date:  Sep-07-2024 11:35
Class: MegaG+ 1.7 Modified
Descr: Qualifying 5-lap Average

Name                Lap Time      Speed (Mph)   Place         
Steve Stewart       5.333         617           1             
Jerry Pearson       5.942         554           2             
George Peters       5.977         551           3             
Aaron Castro        6.206         530           4             
Kevin Webster       8.033         410           5

“B” Qualifier Race

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Jerry Pearson	100	61	592.079
2	Aaron Castro	97	55	599.125

Sportsman driver, Jerry Pearson was on fire Saturday, second fastest in qualifying and transferring to the Main Event in his first qualifying race. Jerry bested Expert driver, Aaron Castro by 3 laps, setting up expectation that he just might win the Feature event. Detailed Results

“A” Qualifier Race

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	98	61	587.319
2	George Peters	98	55	599.857
3	Kevin Webster	81	44	595.232

After car issues before and during his qualifying session, George seemed to get the car dialed in and nearly forced Home Cook’n to have to get into the Main Event via the Last Chance Qualifier. Detailed Results

Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) Race

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	George Peters	100	61	563.909
2	Aaron Castro	96	55	570.063
3	Kevin Webster	83	44	571.076

With only two drivers transferring to the Main Event, George put in a perfect run in the LCQ race, besting Aaron by a whopping 4 laps.
Detailed Results

Consolation Race

Webster Motosports, Kevin Webster. Didn’t have to run this one. Kevin didn’t have a great day, but he runs his own bodies and fought hard all day.

Main (Feature) Event

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	120	56	669.066
2	George Peters	120	56	669.166
3	Jerry Pearson	118	40	667.837
4	Aaron Castro	116	36	683.473

In what just might be the closest race ever recorded on any Stewart Raceway course, the dogfight between Home Cook’n and George Peters continued in the Main Event. After a whole lot of sweat, adrenaline, and superb driving by all, Home Cook’n squeaked out the win by just 1/10 of a second over the GP Designs Expert driver, George Peters. It really doesn’t get closer than this, race fans. George won two segments, Home Cook’n won two segments. They tied on laps, tied in points, and just one-tenth of a second in total runtime separating the two drivers at the end—simply amazingly close racing!

Many of us expected Jerry Pearson to take the win in this one. He drove the wheels of the car, but the three battling Expert drivers pushed the pace just a bit too fast for Jerry to bag a segment win or two. Jerry took close 2nd place finishes in two segments but 4th in the other two segments, indicating extreme pressure from the three Expert drivers he was up against in the Main Event.
Detailed Results

Stay tuned for a possible Round 3 next weekend.

Comment nicely or shut up and drive!

Track Day Report: August 31, 2024 – A Race Fest!

We couldn’t attract enough teams to pull off Round 2 of the Summer 50/50 Series, but we did a lot of racing anyway.

Team Maddox, Team Forza, Fast Lane Racing, Webster Motorsports, and even Team Johnson showed up. After about 100 laps of practice, testing, and hot laps, everyone wanted to do some racing.

We started with the MegaG+ 1.7 Modified cars where Team Maddox was putting in a strong performance, with Shaylin finishing 3rd overall with two 2nd place segments and Abe 4th overall with 2nd and 3rd place segment finishes.

I could have sworn Shaylin won a segment in this one, but the results don’t show that. Still, Shaylin put in an outstanding driving performance in her only race of the day. Team Johnson took over for Home Cook’n in this race and managed to place 2nd overall, with Jared and Matthew sharing driving duties.

Next up was Eric “Fast” Lane’s MG+ Scoobie Doo Vans, a cool IROC set that is smooth but very top-heavy. Eric likes these cars and managed three 3rd place segment finishes and 3rd overall.

Next up were Aaron Castro’s MegaG+ 1.7 C8 Corvettes. Aaron did a phenomenal job preparing these cars. They’re not Box Stock, but the modifications made them fast, smooth, and very predictable to drive on the SR3 road course. Aaron likes these cars; he finished a very close second in every segment.

Last but not least, we ran Aaron’s latest IROC set, Viper-built Super 7 GT40 cars. Team Forza also prepared these cars very well. They are crazy fast and extremely smooth. Aaron put down the fastest lap times in the race, but it was still very competitive. Aaron won the first segment by a lap, Webster Motorsports bagged a second and two third-place segments, and Aaron took first, second, and third place.

It wasn’t an official race day, but there were some lap records set:

Aaron Castro: MG+ 1.7 Modifieds, Red Lane, 6.412
Shaylin Maddox: MG+ 1.7 Modifieds, Yellow Lane, 6.497
Aaron Castro: Viper Super7 GT40, White Lane, 4.969

Two gutter lanes! These two drivers were putting the hammer down!

As always, it was a great day of racing. It is so cool that many teams and drivers are building new IROC sets for us to drive.

Thanks to all of you for showing up and racing. Thanks also to Team Johnson and Webster Motorsports for figuring out it was Home Cookn’s Birthday on Friday. Team Johnson brought a bunch of snacks and Madeline picked a bag of home-grown lemons, Kevin brought a fabulous birthday cake, and Fast Lane Racing brought a fantastic bottle of wine—very nice; thank you all!

Keep next Saturday open for finally completing Round 2 of the summer series!

Okay, shut up and drive!

Track Day Report: July 20, 2024

We didn’t have enough attendance to pull off an official race, but race we did.

There was some practice and testing but we actually completed five “fun” races; three IROC and two Builder/Tuner races.

We ran Eric Lane’s new Super 7 NASCAR set with replacement bodies. No breakage this time but the bodies definitely need to be taped or better secured to the chassis.

Eric’s Viper-built, Super7 NASCAR Hardbodies (IROC)
MegaG+ 1.7 Modifieds (IROC)
Viper V-SPEC “SPEC STOCK” Lexan
Vintage Fray T-Jets (IROC)
OS3 TFX “BOX STOCK” Camaros

Short Story Of The Day On The SR3 “Fast Esses” Road Course

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	527	262	5687.813
2	Aaron Castro	527	241	5798.367
3	Kevin Webster	442	183	5832.26
4	Jerry Pearson	326	133	2826.058
5	Abe Maddox	93	32	921.978

Notice that Home Cook’n and Aaron Castro completed the same amount of laps on the day. That’s close racing!

Notes: Pearson Racing completed three races, Team Maddox completed one.

Current Series Points Standings After Round 1

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	434	233	2754.266
2	Aaron Castro	415	203	2698.972
3	George Peters	408	194	2696.241
4	Jordan Walker	302	133	2894.16
5	Jerry Pearson	229	106	1710.905
6	Kevin Webster	174	89	996.869
7	Eric Lane	209	76	1794.119

Let’s target next Saturday, July 27 to complete Round 2 of the series. We’re also playing with the idea of a weeknight track session. I’ll see if we can schedule something soon, perhaps next week, we’ll see.

Okay, shut up and drive!

Race Report: 2024 Summer 50/50 Series, Round 1

The first round of the Summer 50/50 Series is in the books…

The cookbooks, that is. It was a blisteringly hot day, and the heat and beach traffic tolled the paddock and drivers.

In Round 1, we ran on both SR2 and SR3. The first two races were on SR3’s “Fast Esses” course, and the second two races were on SR2’s “Straight” Road Course.

Short Story and Points Standings After Round 1

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	434	233	2754.266
2	Aaron Castro	415	203	2698.972
3	George Peters	408	194	2696.241
4	Jordan Walker	302	133	2894.16
5	Jerry Pearson	229	106	1710.905
6	Kevin Webster	174	89	996.869
7	Eric Lane	209	76	1794.119

Only the top three completed the entire program of four races. Between the heat, late arrivals primarily due to beach traffic, and other drama, this round took its toll on the field.

Race 1: MegaG+ 1.7 “Modifieds”

We started off with our paper-bodied MG+ 1.7 Modified cars to get things rolling. Jerry Pearson was on fire in this race, with three second-place segments and one first-place segment. Nice driving, Jerry! Aaron Castro clicked off some blistering laps trying to overtake Jerry in the race’s final laps, tying Jerry on points and laps, but ended up with a slightly longer total runtime. Details

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	118	58	907.571
2	Jerry Pearson	117	55	870.327
3	Aaron Castro	117	55	887.849
4	George Peters	105	42	874.183
5	Eric Lane	107	36	950.126
6	Jordan Walker	98	36	890.816

Race 2: Viper Super7 RTR NASCAR IROC Set

Again, Eric Lane graciously donated another 6-car IROC set to the program. This time, they were Viper-built Super 7 chassis with Tyco NASCAR hardbodies. These cars were close to full-punch at 15v (L10 traction mags) but often lost bodies when they came out of the slot. We’ll need to better secure the bodies and remove some of the stock glass.

George Peters was the fastest with these cars, setting the lap record at 5.203 in the Blue Lane. Details

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	119	58	840.501
2	Aaron Castro	117	55	815.666
3	Jerry Pearson	112	51	840.578
4	George Peters	114	50	849.277
5	Eric Lane	102	40	843.993
6	Jordan Walker	93	28	859.448

Race 3: Viper V-SPEC SPEC STOCK Lexan

After a couple of teams abandoned due to the heat, we moved things indoors and ran the last two races on SR2, in a much cooler environment.

As always, this race was a barn burner. Jordan Walker didn’t make the podium, but he set new lap records for this class and track on every lane, clocking a 2.982 lap in the Blue lane.

It was a heated battle between George Peters and Home Cook’n for the top podium spot. George would tie on points but came up 3-laps short. Newly upgraded Expert driver Kevin Webster would get his first podium as an Expert in Round 1, nice!! Details

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	97	53	524.294
2	George Peters	94	53	495.044
3	Kevin Webster	92	45	522.821
4	Aaron Castro	89	43	520.999
5	Jordan Walker	88	41	501.967

Race 4: Viper V-SPEC BOX STOCK Lexan (i) “Fast Lane” Set

To keep things fast and furious, we ran Eric’s previous contribution to the program, a set of Vipers with F1/Indy clip-on Lexan bodies from HCSlots. They are very nice cars, and the first time we’ve run them on SR2.

Before abandoning Round 1, Jordan Walker would click off the fastest lap and establish the SR2 Straight Road Course track record for this platform of 3.119 in the Blue lane. When Jordan’s on, he’s the fastest in the bunch. Details

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	100	64	481.9
2	Aaron Castro	92	50	474.458
3	George Peters	95	49	477.737
4	Kevin Webster	82	44	474.048
5	Jordan Walker	23	28	641.929

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the video recording set up properly on either track, so we don’t have anything to share there.

Many of us were affected by the refueling bug on SR2. I’ll try to find time to film the issue and see if I can get help from the SlotTrak folks to resolve it. It only seems to occur when doing track calls without marshals. If we can’t fix it, we won’t do fuel races on SR2.

Round 2 is currently slated for July 20th; stay tuned for details. For sure, focus on your MG+ Modified and Viper V-SPEC SPEC STOCK cars. The other two “official” races will be IROC.

Thank you all for bearing the heat, traffic, and chaos of Round 1; it was hectic and grueling at times but a fun day of racing. Oh, and thanks to Eric “Fast” Lane for all he does to make our program more fun!

Okay, shut up and drive!