Category: Race Results

Race Report: Saturday Night Under The Lights, December 20-21, 2025

This was supposed to be a Saturday race, but ended up pushing to an Under The Lights event due to not enough RSVPs and prior commitments. Not a massive turnout with just three drivers, but the racing was way fun and competitive nevertheless.

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 284 181 2427.767
2 Dustin Jolley 269 154 2429.026
3 Dean Donaldson 233 123 2039.156
Race 1: AutoWorld Super III NASCAR 1.7 (i)

The AW Super III chassis isn’t the best choice for a SPEC STOCK platform. However, with a tire upgrade and some minor tweaks, it can be a fun car to drive. Our 2025 Sportsman champ, Dean Donaldson (full Speed Racing) didn’t take to this platform as well as Dustin did. Dean managed a nice second-place finish in the final heat, besting Dustin by two laps, posting the fastest lap of the segment in the White lane, and a perfect lap score of 20. Dustin had a very productive race with two 2nd’s, a 1st, and a 3rd. Going into the final segment, Dustin had a perfect lap score of 60 and was just three points behind Home Cook’n and a better total run time. Dustin ended up struggling in the Green lane, losing two laps and finishing third to Dean.

Still a terrific run for Dustin while setting a new lap record (6.317) in the Blue lane for this platform.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 80 61 765.127
2 Dustin Jolley 78 53 785.733
3 Dean Donaldson 73 46 942.068
Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 Lites (Support Class)

As always, this “Builder” class was a barn-burner. Dustin came out swinging in the White lane, posting the fastest lap of the first segment, getting all 25 laps, and crossing the line .372-seconds behind the winner. In the second segment, Dean Donaldson took advantage of not one, but two Home Cook’n “Senior Moments” and won the segment with a perfect 25 laps and the best segment run time, putting him in 2nd-place overall going into the final segment. Home Cook’n would drop from first to third after his disastrous rotation, losing 3 laps early on due to his foopah (hooking up in the wrong lane).

Going into the final segment, Dustin was the race leader by one lap, but one point down on both Dean and Home Cook’n. I don’t remember the fuel dynamic, but both Dean and Home Cook’n needed to make up their lap and hope Dustin had a bad run in his final segment. Neither scenario played out. Dean would have a disastrous run in the segment, losing four laps and finishing third. Home Cook’n had a great run in the Green lane, but failed to get the lost lap back, winning the race but came up short putting a lap on the race leader, Dustin Jolley. Dustin put in the fastest lap of the segment, came up four points short, but held on to his one lap lead, and posted a better overall runtime to win!  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Dustin Jolley 75 39 508.919
2 Steve Stewart 74 43 557.980
3 Dean Donaldson 70 38 516.095
Race 3: Viper V-SPEC SPEC STOCK Lexan

Dean Donaldson (Full Speed Racing) was on a mission in his favorite race. The fastest car we run at Stewart Raceway, these races are typically very close, and the adrenaline is very high. Dean drove the wheels off his Viper in all three segments, ending with a perfect 90-lap score, three 2nd place finishes, and the fastest lap in Segment 2 in the Green lane. Dustin, on the other hand, had a disastrous Viper race, losing multiple laps in each segment and clearly not in the hunt. In Dustin’s defense, his L4 GT-40 Viper is not the ideal setup for SR3, and his results drove that point home. I’m sure Dustin is considering procurement of a new, more competitive Viper V-SPEC platform as I write this report. Congrats to Dean for stellar performance!

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 90 48 537.628
2 Dean Donaldson 90 39 580.993
3 Dustin Jolley 76 33 567.327
Race 4: OS3 TFX Box Stock Dash Aston Martin (i)

After losing Dean due to attrition from the grueling Viper race, Dustin and I turned down the speed dial a bit. The TFX platform isn’t the slowest car we run, but with roughly half the downforce of the typical magnet car and considerable acceleration, it is very challenging to drive.

This was more of an exhibition race than anything else. But the detailed results show that Dustin is an excellent, diverse driver, improving lap times, winning the last segment, and smiling throughout the race.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 40 29 567.032
2 Dustin Jolley 40 29 567.047

A big thanks to Dustin for bringing a delicious chocolate cream pie to the event. We didn’t serve dinner, but we paused between races 1 and 2 to enjoy the excellent pie. Thank you. Dustin!!

Okay, I think that about does it for the official 2025 season at Stewart Raceway. We’re hoping to do an end-of-season event next Saturday (Dec 27) to celebrate the following award winners, enjoy some good eats, and run a few fun races to end the year.

      • 2025 Junior Champion
      • 2025 Sportsman Champion
      • 2025 Rookie of the Year
      • 2025 Most Improved Driver
      • 2025 Team of the Year
      • 2025 Promoter of the Year (recruiter)
      • 2025 Best Eggnog of the Year

Okay, stay tuned for more details, enjoy Christmas, and shut up and drive!

Race Report: Wednesday Night Under The Lights, December 17-18, 2025

I must say, these weeknights “Under The Lights” are fun. Fantastic food (Pork Roast could have been tastier), amazing Egg Knog, tasty treats, and great racing!

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 239 178 2017.824
2 Dustin Jolley 225 144 2047.247
3 Dean Donaldson 227 143 2128.064
4 Bev Seltzer 202 99 2268.720
Race 1: Mega G+ 1.7 Corvette C8 (i)

The house picked up a couple of new Corvette C8 MG+ cars on-sale and created a cool 4-car IROC set. The cars were pretty evenly matched, though the White lane car developed a shoe problem and wasn’t corrected until the third segment.

This one was a dog fight up until the last segment. Dustin, Dean, and Home Cook’n were tied in both points and laps, and each had won a segment. Fortunately for Dustin and Home Cook’n, Dean would finish in the Blue lane, while Dustin and Home Cook’n would finish their rotation in the slightly quicker Green and Orange lanes, respectively.

In the end, both Dean and Dustin would fall victim to Baja Bev’s stellar performance in her final segment in the White lane. Bev would end up with the 2nd place points, one lap ahead of Dustin and two laps up on Dean. Notice the total run time between 1st and 2nd.  This was Bev’s first race in over five months!  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 79 56 641.429
2 Dustin Jolley 76 51 641.682
3 Dean Donaldson 75 47 716.418
4 Bev Seltzer 68 34 726.629
Race 2: Tyco 440-X2 Wide-Pan Porche 935 Hardbody (i) (Team Jolley Set)

Another very cool IROC set. The yellow car was clearly the fastest, but also the hardest to drive. After getting off to a rough start in the Green lane, Dustin Jolley gathered things back up and won the second segment. Dutin would have an excellent rotation, placing second in his last two segments and finishing second overall, just a bit over a second slower than the race winner.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 80 61 822.346
2 Dustin Jolley 77 53 823.493
3 Dean Donaldson 74 46 848.944
4 Bev Seltzer 63 28 919.738
Race 3: Viper V-SPEC SPEC STOCK Lexan

The feature race was, as always, a blistering pace and very competitive. Of course, being Dean’s favorite car to drive, he came out swinging in this one. Dean would clock the fastest Sportsman lap in the first segment, but Dustin and Bev both finished on the same lap. In the second segment, Bev found her groove and won the segment overall with the fastest median lap, taking over second overall in the race. Despite Bev finding her groove with her brand new Viper V-SPEC car, Dean dominated the Sportsman class in the last two segments, completing all 20 laps in each and posting very fast lap times, as usual. Congrats to Bev for a very nice segment win with her new Viper. She’s definitely coming back up to speed very quickly.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 80 61 554.049
2 Dean Donaldson 78 50 562.702
3 Dustin Jolley 72 40 582.072
4 Bev Seltzer 71 37 622.353

Speaking of speed, both Dean and Dustin are knocking (HARD) on Home Cookin’s door these days. Dean has dominated the Sportsman ranks this season and will upgrade to Expert for the 2026 racing season. Dustin is poised to be the next Expert upgrade with an average race placing of 2.5 and two overall race wins in just six appearances. And, of course, junior Abe Maddox is an obvious candidate for an Expert upgrade in 2026.

Thanks to all who participated and brought food or drink. It was a way fun night, as usual.

Hopefully, we can get together for a Saturday event soon and celebrate the end of the 2025 racing season with awards, a potluck feast, and an Egg Knog tasting.

Okay, Happy Holidays, and shut up and drive!

 

Race Report: Wednesday Night Under The Lights, November 26-27, 2025

Despite the national Thanksgiving holiday on Thurs, we had an excellent turnout for this Under The Lights event. Kathy prepared some delicious Chicken Tortilla Soup and cornbread muffins. Team Clarke brought a home-baked peach pie (I didn’t try it, but everyone else loved it). Team Jolley brought delicious tortilla chips, guac dip, as well as great cookies. Of course, plenty of good hydration products were floating around the paddock, also.

We didn’t get racing until about 7:00 pm and had to interrupt that first race for dinner and dessert. Race 2 got underway around 9:30, and we wrapped up racing just before midnight.

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 214 156 1963.184
2 Dean Donaldson 210 133 2005.881
3 Dustin Jolley 207 126 1962.609
4 Joe Clarke 85 51 991.220
5 Harper Hutchinson 99 46 1075.561
6 Rylee Hutchinson 90 34 1042.174
7 Michael Hutchinson 89 34 969.277
8 Lisa Clarke 74 33 1004.625
Race 1:  Jag Hobbies NC-2 Lite BOX STOCK Mustangs (i)

The Jag NC-2 is a great magnet-car platform designed as an alternative to the AFX MegaG 1.5 platform. This IROC set utilizes out-of-the-box cars with paintable AutoWorld Mustang bodies. The AW hardbodies have a relatively high center of gravity, so they’re a bit tricky to drive on a road course.

This race was very competitive, with nearly every driver bagging a segment win. Dustin Jolley would be the quickest Sportsman driver, with the fastest lap (6.272 on Orange) and the fastest median lap time in segment 4 (8.871). Team Clarke’s Joe Clarke won a segment overall and put down some impressive lap times, but came up a few laps and just 2 points short of the podium.

In the end, Dean Donaldson would take top Sportsman honors, besting the hard-charging Dustin Jolley for the overall win. They tied in total laps, and Dustin had the better runtime and won the last segment, but came up 7 points short of the overall win. (Details)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 97 68 1008.684
2 Dean Donaldson 93 60 1021.363
3 Dustin Jolley 93 53 1004.292
4 Joe Clarke 85 51 991.220
5 Lisa Clarke 74 33 1004.625
Race 2: Viper V-SPEC F1/Indy 1.7 (i) Lexan Eric Lane Set

Team Hutchinson joined in the fun for Race 2 after Team Clarke had to head home to prepare for T-Day travels. Michael and his daughter, Harper, have raced at Stewart Raceway twice before, once on the SR3 oval, and once on SR3’s Fast Esses road course. Harper has a 4.0 average, and Michael has a 4.5 average. Daughter Rylee was driving for the first time. Obviously, the deck was stacked against Team Hutchinson in this one.

After a brief warm-up, the race got underway with the stage being set quickly. The Sportsman battle was clearly going to be between Dustin Jolley and Dean Donaldson, while Team Hutchinson had their own heated battle going within the team. Dustin and Dean swapped segment wins from the start, and Dean ended Segment 5 in the lead by 3 laps and 5 points. Dean also had the fastest lap and median lap time.

To make things even more challenging for Dustin in the final segment, Harper and Rylee Hutchinson were posting increasingly faster lap times as the race progressed. Harper won the segment 4 Sportsman battle with a nice 2-place finish overall, completing all 20 laps, and posting the fastest Sportsman lap and median lap time in the Orange lane.

Unfortunately for Team Hutchinson, all three drivers would spend the final segment in “gutter” lanes. Rylee faired the best, completing 17 laps in the final segment, finishing 4th overall, and 3rd for the segment. Dustin Jolley drove the wheels off the White lane car, setting the fastest Sportsman lap and median lap time, completing all 20 laps, and winning the segment overall. But it just wasn’t quite enough to overtake Sportsman race-leader, Dean Donaldson. While they tied on points, Dean finished 3 laps ahead of Dustin for the coveted Sportsman win. (Details)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 117 88 954.500
2 Dean Donaldson 117 73 984.518
3 Dustin Jolley 114 73 958.317
4 Harper Hutchinson 99 46 1075.561
5 Rylee Hutchinson 90 34 1042.174
6 Michael Hutchinson 89 34 969.277

It was great to see Team Hutchinson back at Stewart Raceway, enjoying the racing, and steadily improving their lap times. Congrats to Harper on her second podium appearance in just three visits to Stewart Raceway!

This likely marks the end of the points chase for the 2025 Under The Lights season. Below are the points standings for our inaugural season:

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Dean Donaldson 3372 2915 38657.469
2 Kathy Stewart 710 878 7171.465
3 Joe Clarke 828 855 8419.542
4 Dustin Jolley 1193 568 10955.320
5 Mike Langell 630 467 6317.622
6 Jeff Seltzer 826 301 14673.877
7 Tom Langell 375 282 4622.009
8 Frank Virgil 107 244 1075.160
9 Lisa Clarke 255 230 3264.112
10 Bill Shrum 101 144 929.429
11 Joey Vierra 136 102 2145.284
12 Joe Vargas 215 99 2111.097
13 Kevin Webster 229 97 1795.770
14 Ron Williams 205 74 3324.955
15 Mick Dudas 94 63 2116.387
16 Harper Hutchinson 99 46 1075.561
17 Rylee Hutchinson 90 34 1042.174
18 Michael Hutchinson 89 34 969.277
19 Bev Seltzer 98 28 1186.187
0 Steve Stewart 3593 3431 39283.808

Dean Donaldson obviously won the Sportsman class points chase. Kathy and Joe are very close, with Kathy in 2nd place and Joe in third, 23 points behind. We could have a race-off between the two to see who comes out on top. Maybe we’ll get in one more race night before the end of the year; we’ll see. I think I’ve got some pretty solid video of both races. I’ll post those on Rumble soon.

I’ve still got some number crunching to do for the regular season (Saturday) points, but a couple of notable mentions for 2025 awards are Abe Maddox (3 race wins, 25 segment wins), Jared Johnson (Most Improved), and a decision on who earned Rookie of the Year honors.

I’ve got the 13th, 17th, 19th, and 20th available for an “End of Season” celebration event. If there’s enough interest, we’ll have lunch/dinner, present awards, recognize advancements, and maybe have a Race-Off between Joe and Kathy.

Okay, shut up and drive!

Race Report: Saturday Night Under The Lights, November 22-23, 2025

Wow! Another fantastic night under the lights. Dean prepared an amazingly delicious beef bourguignon that everybody raved about. Joe brought a fantastic chocolate cream pie (which I sadly had to share), Mike brought a couple of packages of frozen wild pig sausage that he and his Dad took recently. Mike also brought some brownies that disappeared quicker than a Viper overshooting Turn 1. Dustin brought a very cool IROC set of Porsche 935s.

It was just a blur at 600mph…

 

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 347 225 3260.446
2 Mike Langell 323 146 3334.943
3 Dustin Jolley 243 121 2344.601
4 Dean Donaldson 230 118 2056.539
5 Jeff Seltzer 213 84 2035.342
6 Joe Clarke 212 79 2054.991
7 Kathy Stewart 77 28 1284.974

Expert Driver

Race 1: Tyco 440-X2 Narrow Lexan (i)

Kind of a hodge-podge set, but the racing was great. Jeff Seltzer came off the line ready to rumble after a five-month layoff from Stewart Raceway. Jeff handily won the first segment, not with the fastest lap times, but with a steady pace, a perfect 20-lap segment, and the win. Jeff looked to be poised for a podium visit.

Dean Donaldson (Full Speed Racing), however, had other plans. Dean wasn’t having a great race going into segment 4, sitting last on the leaderboard and 14 points behind 3rd place, Jeff Seltzer. Dean’s chances for a podium looked pretty slim. Dean’s situation changed dramatically in Segment 4 in the White lane. Dean would run a perfect 20-lap segment, set the fastest median lap time, and win by a whole lap. Dean repeated in the final segment, with another perfect 20-lap segment, set the fastest lap of the segment in the Green lane, and stole the third spot on the podium from a hard-charging Jeff Seltzer. Talk about comebacks!

While the Comeback Kid was working his magic, Mike Langell was masterfully running his own race for a podium spot, placing no worse than 3rd in each of his rotations. Mike ended up 2nd overall with steady but fast driving. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 97 71 959.929
2 Mike Langell 93 57 959.929
3 Dean Donaldson 91 55 959.929
4 Jeff Seltzer 87 49 959.929
5 Joe Clarke 83 33 959.929
Race 2: Viper V-SPEC F1/Indy 1.7 (i) Lexan Eric Lane Set

Going from fast to faster, we opted for the venerable Viper V-SPEC L4 “Eric Lane” way-fast-and-fun IROC set for Race 2. Our newest driver, Dustin Jolley, made his fourth appearance at Stewart Raceway for this special Saturday edition of our Under The Lights series.

Other than the first segment, this one didn’t have many lead changes; it pretty much finished the way it started, from 1st through 4th.  Though the gaps in the battle for the podium spots were very narrow, the real battle was between Jeff Seltzer and Joe Clarke for 5th and 6th place. Both drivers had pretty good segment results, with Jeff bagging a 4th-place finish in segment 4, and Joe finishing 3rd in segment 5 and 2nd in the final segment. Joe also set the second fastest lap for the segment with a 5.097 in the Green lane.

Other drama in this one was Dean Donaldson and Dustin Jolley tied in laps, and Dean just two points down going into the final segment. To make it even more dramatic, both drivers would be in the gutter lanes: Dean in Yellow and Dustin in Red. Unfortunately for Dean, the Yellow lane hairpins bit him hard, and he would lose 7 laps. He would finish in 6th-place to Dustin’s 3rd-place, putting him well out of contention for the Sportsman win, but a nice podium finish and the second fastest lap of the race in the Blue lane to cap off his night. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 150 90 1071.076
2 Dustin Jolley 144 71 1091.028
3 Dean Donaldson 139 63 1096.610
4 Mike Langell 135 43 1099.802
5 Joe Clarke 129 46 1095.062
6 Jeff Seltzer 126 35 1075.413
Race 3: Tyco 440-X2 Wide-Pan Porche 935 Hardbody (i)

Dustin Jolley pulled out a set of Tyco 440-x2 widepan cars with Porsche 935 “Whale Tail” hardbodies for the final race of the night. These cars were amazingly smooth, very comparable in performance, and a hoot to drive.

Dustin set the fastest lap of this race with a 7.129 in the White lane. Dustin was on a mission in this one, with three Sportsman segment wins and the fastest lap.  Young gun Mike Langell came out swinging with a Sportsman win in the first segment and a blistering pace in the final segment. Mike was 3 laps down but just 2 points behind going into the final segment and seemed to find his groove in the Orange lane, setting the fastest median lap time of the race.

Unfortunately, Dustin drove the wheels off his car in the White lane with a perfect 25 laps, very nearly winning the segment, but a crash in the final corners of the last lap of the race dashed an otherwise great run in just his fourth appearance.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 100 64 1229.441
2 Dustin Jolley 99 50 1253.573
3 Mike Langell 95 46 1275.212
4 Kathy Stewart 77 28 1284.974

No need to tally points for this series since Dean has that in the bag already. I’ll post the final standings in December, and we’ll celebrate Dean’s departure from the Sportsman ranks to an Expert driver.

Thank you to all of you who attended our first Saturday night event, it was way fun, great food, and hydration products. The next Under The Lights event is this Wednesday. It could be a light turnout due to the Holiday, we’ll see.

Stay tuned for limited video coverage. Had some technical issues on that…again!

Okay, shut up and drive!

Race Report: Wednesday Night Under The Lights, November 12-13, 2025

New drivers, new track records, and new curfew!

Weeknight racing seems to be outpacing Saturdays these days. We had six local drivers show up for this one. Full Speed Racing sponsored the event and provided locally caught, fresh, cracked crab, a delicious, homemade (and spicy) pasta dish, and all the fixings for eating fresh crab. Team Langell brought in apple/berry pie from Summit Store, and the house kitchen provided brownie bites. Of course, plenty of good wine, beer, and spirits were also available to keep the drivers hydrated.

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 228 164 2127.358
2 Dean Donaldson 218 141 2093.944
3 Mike Langell 202 133 2098.865
4 Joey Vierra 136 102 2145.284
5 Tom Langell 133 93 2385.587
6 Mick Dudas 94 63 2116.387
Race 1: Tyco 440-X2 Narrow Lexan (IROC)

We ran this rag-tag set of old Tyco 440-X2 Narrow cars in this one. Not the best call with two new drivers in the mix, but we managed to complete the 20-lap fuel race without too much delay. Mike Langell came out swinging in this one, winning the first and third segments. New driver Joey Vierra, had a great opening race, winning the fourth segment in the white lane with the fastest lap, and bagging a 2nd place finish in the final segment, just one lap down from the leader.

The big story was Mike Langell’s 3rd-place and final podium position. In only his second visit to Stewart Raceway, Mike is enjoying the racing and is poised for a race win very soon.  (Details)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 116 80 1193.942
2 Dean Donaldson 109 66 1160.528
3 Mike Langell 102 61 1165.449
4 Joey Vierra 101 59 1211.868
5 Tom Langell 99 52 1452.171
6 Mick Dudas 79 30 1182.971

Expert

Race 2: Viper V-SPEC F1/Indy 1.7 Lexan Eric Lane Set (IROC)

We started this final race just before midnight, and attrition hit some drivers hard after only two segments. Joey Vierra, Tom Langell, and Mick Dudas called it a night and abandoned the race. Joey was actually in 3rd place at the end of two segments, but he’d had enough fun for the night and departed the paddock with Mick and Tom.

Instead of just bagging the race and ending there, Dean, Mike, and Home Cook’n soldiered on and completed the race. With field thinned down to just three drivers, things got even more heated with Mike Langell winning the third segment in the blue lane with the fastest median lap and a perfect score of 20 laps. Home Cook’n won segments four and five, and Dean Donaldson won the final segment with a perfect 20 laps score, and a new lap record for the Eric Lane Viper IROC set in the blue lane. (Details)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 112 84 933.416
2 Dean Donaldson 109 75 933.416
3 Mike Langell 100 72 933.416
4 Joey Vierra 35 43 933.416
5 Tom Langell 34 41 933.416
6 Mick Dudas 15 33 933.416
New Lap Record!

In the second race, Full Speed Racing’s Dean Donaldson clicked off a 4.645 record lap in the Blue lane with Eric Lane’s awesome V-SPEC IROC set. Not an easy feat in the blue lane, but Dean was in a battle for both the win against Home Cook’n and the second podium spot against a hard-charging Mike Langell. Nice driving, Dean!

Needless to say, this event finished in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

Okay, we’ll see how RSVP’s shape up for Saturday. Stay tuned and keep it in the slot!