Race Results – Page 6 – Stewart Raceway

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!

Race Report: 2024 Open Wheel Series, Round 5 Finale

Aaron Castro’s Viper V-SPEC with a Lola T800 Indy Body

We weren’t sure we were racing until the last team and driver arrived in the paddock. We ended up with roughly 11 drivers, and three racing teams entered in Round 5.

Team Maddox fielded two drivers under their ace driver, Abe Maddox’s, name. Team Johnson fielded two drivers under their ace driver, Madeline Johnson’s name. Team Forza fielded two drivers racing individually, Olga Rossetta and Aaron Castro. GP Designs fielded two individual drivers, Jordan Walker and George Peters. Webster Motorsports and Stewart Raceway contested Round 5 with one driver each.

Round 1 was hectic and chaotic as four junior drivers competed against four experts and two Sportsman drivers. The numbers below don’t tell the whole story since the juniors only completed one race on the day. Madeline and Abe did exceptionally well, and Abe even won a Race 1 segment against three Expert drivers.

Short Story

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart*	415	201	2717.036
2	Aaron Castro*	412	198	2755.511
3	George Peters*	391	169	2779.946
4	Jordan Walker*	356	134	2724.92
5	Kevin Webster	349	128	2799.694
6	Olga Rossetta	328	107	2805.608
7	Abe Maddox^j	141	50	1292.387
8	Madeline Johnson^j	133	41	1315.998

* Expert driver, ^J Junior Driver

Race 1: Super G+ F1/Indy Lexan (IROC)

The first race was a crash fest but also amazingly competitive. The compelling thing was that Team Johnson bagged 3rd and 4th segment wins, with Madeline constantly holding 3rd place during her segments. Abe Maddox would win a segment and follow that up with a 3rd-place segment finish. In Abe’s fantastic segment six win, he also posted the fastest and best average times for that segment. Abe and Madeline are amazing! Detailed Results

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	177	87	1250.797
2	Aaron Castro	175	78	1293.026
3	George Peters	161	68	1296.303
4	Kevin Webster	152	56	1302.96
5	Abe Maddox	141	50	1292.387
6	Jordan Walker	139	45	1262.127
7	Madeline Johnson	133	41	1315.998
8	Olga Rossetta	133	39	1306.807

Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 Modifieds (Paper Bodies)

Team Maddox and Team Johnson decided to call it a day after their spectacular results in Race 1. It was a long race against some very stiff competition, but they persevered and represented very well.

Aaron Castro would dominate Race 2 with three segment wins, the fastest lap time, and the fastest median lap time. The lead changed a few times, and George Peters held the lead through segments 4 and 5. In the end, Aaron Castro won his final rotation in segment six and the race over Home Cook’n by one lap and three points. Jordan Walker bagged the final podium spot with one segment win and one second-place segment finish. Detailed Results

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Aaron Castro	120	61	753.887
2	Steve Stewart	119	58	771.257
3	Jordan Walker	113	49	770.582
4	George Peters	114	46	748.634
5	Olga Rossetta	102	36	782.328
6	Kevin Webster	97	32	776.931

Race 3: Viper V-SPEC “SPEC STOCK” Lexan

As always, the V-SPEC class was a scorcher. So much so that Olga Rossetta handed over driving responsibility to teammate Aaron Castro for the final segment of this super-heated race. Aaron Castro dominated the race from beginning to end, leading the race from the gun to the checkered flag. Besides Jordan Walker and Kevin Webster bagging some top segment finishes through segments 2 and 3, the only real battle was between George Peters and Home Cook’n. George would hold onto the second podium spot through segments 4 and 5 with a 15-point lead over Home Cook’n. Yours truly needed a win in the final segment to garner enough points to bag the second podium spot. George was done with his rotation, but Home Cook’n had Jordan Walker, Kevin Webster, and Aaron Castro (driving for Olga Rossetta) to contend with. Not an easy feat to pull off, especially in the final segment. The good news was that he had a full tank of gas; the bad news was that he was up against three drivers who could easily relegate him to a second or third-place finish, robbing him of the 16 points he needed to knock George off the second podium spot.

In the end, Aaron Castro laid down some blistering lap times, both for the best lap and the best median lap. Crashes would be the deciding factor, and only Jordan Walker could pressure Home Cook’n to the end. Jordan would come up just short but in second place, just two laps down. Home Cook’n bagged the 16 points needed, besting George by just one point. It just doesn’t get more competitive! Detailed Results

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Aaron Castro	117	59	708.598
2	Steve Stewart	119	56	694.982
3	George Peters	116	55	735.009
4	Jordan Walker	104	40	692.211
5	Kevin Webster	100	40	719.803
6	Olga Rossetta	93	32	716.473

Final Series Standings

Webster Motorsports proves again that persistence pays off. Kevin raced in all five Open Wheel Series events, amassing an unbeatable amount of points. Both Eric Lane and Jerry Pearson were always knocking on the door but missed too many races to mount a serious threat to Kevin’s points lead.

Abe Maddox also missed a race or two but managed an impressive fourth-place finish in the final standings and some very impressive wins throughout the series. Abe’s Mom, Shaylin, rounded out the top five with excellent driving throughout the series.

The big story is the number of female drivers competing in this crazy fast racing series. Thank you all for participating in the racing and making it all much more fun!

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
Sportsman
1	Kevin Webster	1983	685	15626.61
2	Eric Lane	1047	345	5316.846
3	Jerry Pearson	889	306	6106.648
4	Abe Maddox*	470	152	3146.146
5	Shaylin Maddox	369	123	1877.628
6	Olga Rossetta	328	107	2805.608
7	Madeline Johnson*	133	41	1315.998
8	Martha Elderon	102	36	775.14
9	Pam Ebert	77	32	695.404
Expert
1	Steve Stewart	2466	1130	16194.72
2	Aaron Castro	2434	1055	16191.52
3	George Peters	2372	964	16384.04
4	Jordan Walker	940	282	5178.93

* Junior Driver

This is Kevin’s second or third Sportsman series win, which should be good news for Sportsman and Junior drivers since Kevin will now advance to the Expert ranks. Congratulations, Kevin!

Just what Home Cook’n needs: another hotdog Expert driver to contend with. This series was highly competitive at all skill levels. Home Cookn’s home-court advantage dwindled with each event. Aaron Castro missed taking the overall Expert win in this final round by just three points! And, of course, George Peters, with an average race placing of 2.3, makes Home Cookn’s race days pretty stressful.

Once again, yours truly spaced and didn’t get a video of Race 1, which is very disappointing since there were some very impressive crashes and wins in that race. Very sorry! I did capture the other two races and will post those soon.

Next weekend will be an open track day and some fun racing if there is enough interest. If anybody has any ideas on our next racing series format, please let me know. Since they are the most competitive, I’m big on sticking with the MegaG+ “Modified” and the Viper V-SPEC “Spec Stock” platforms. I’m also hoping to have SR2 retrofitted with independent power control at the driver stations so we can run a race or two on that track in the next series.

Okay, shut up and drive!

Race Report: 2024 Open Wheel Series, Round 4

Wow! Another barn burner race day in this super-fast open-wheel series. We opened the day with slower and loose MG+ Whelen/SK Modifieds, which are way more fun on an oval course. However, in the spirit of open-wheel competition, we ran them on the road course anyway. Happy Easter!

Short Story

This was another example of the highly competitive nature of the cars we’re running these days. I spaced and forgot to set the longer fuel fill times for Expert drivers in this round, but the results show that the racing was very competitive.

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart*	477	235	4447.139
2	Aaron Castro*	467	212	4389.815
3	George Peters*	458	194	4603.055
4	Kevin Webster	404	142	4416.555
5	Jerry Pearson¹	319	110	3413.512

* Expert (¹Jerry Pearson completed three races, not four.)

Race 1: MegaG 1.7 Whelen/SK Modifieds IROC

Home Cook’n, Aaron Castro, George Peters

Okay, it may not be the best choice to start the day, considering the lineup for the following three races, but it was pretty intense once everybody made some controller adjustments and settled into the race. Aaron Castro jumped into the lead early, winning the first segment by 3 seconds over Home Cook’n. Aaron would go on to win two segments and led the race after segment four but completed his rotation with 117 laps. Home Cook’n needed to finish the final segment second or better to steal the top podium spot, which he did with a perfect 30 laps and the win. George Peters fought hard for the second podium spot but came up short by six points. The big story in this one was Sportsman driver, Jerry Pearson, who was driving these very loose and unpredictable cars exceptionally well for a guy who prefers much more downforce. Jerry ended up with two third-place segment finishes and bested his Sportsman rival, Kevin Webster, by two laps and four points. Detailed Results

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	120	61	1594.322
2	Aaron Castro	117	56	1646.073
3	George Peters	112	50	1694.095
4	Jerry Pearson	105	36	1635.197
5	Kevin Webster	103	32	1594.884

Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 “Modified”

Aaron Castro, Home Cook’n, George Peters

This race was the fastest MG+ “Modified” race ever. Aaron Castro would crush his previous race lap record of 5.146 in the Orange lane, clicking off a blistering 5.026 in the White lane, winning segment two by five laps! Aaron would win the following two segments, but the lead had already changed three times going into segment four. Aaron held the lead by six points and three laps into the final segment. George Peters would be the spoiler in the last segment by taking the win and the points second place finisher, Home Cook’n needed to overtake Aaron Castro for the overall win. Aaron and Home Cook’n tied in points, but Aaron edged out the win with just one more lap over Home Cook’n. Not to be outdone by the Expert drivers, Kevin Webster and Jerry Pearson both notched second-place segment finishes in this one. Blistering pace! Detailed Results

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Aaron Castro	118	55	729.94
2	Steve Stewart	117	55	833.805
3	George Peters	112	49	834.142
4	Jerry Pearson	105	38	751.684
5	Kevin Webster	105	38	761.6

Race 3: MegaG+ 1.7 “Lites” AFX Alpha Romeo F1 Team Cars IROC

Could be the first and last time these limited edition AFX cars see IROC action anywhere. Aaron bought a set, and Home Cook’n bought a set, so we decided to run them in our open-wheel series. Aaron’s set was in the White and Green lanes, and Home Cookn’s set was in the Orange and Blue lanes. Aaron blasted out front early, winning the first segment and holding onto the race lead through segment three. Kevin Webster held on to second place after the first two. In the end, Home Cook’n seemed to fair the best with these totally “Box Stock” cars, winning the race by six seconds and five laps. Sportsman driver Kevin Webster would finish fourth but tied in points with 3rd place finisher George Peters. Detailed Results

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	120	64	952.757
2	Aaron Castro	115	47	958.644
3	George Peters	116	44	1001.05
4	Kevin Webster	106	44	980.686
5	Jerry Pearson	109	36	1026.631

Race 4: Viper V-SPEC “SPEC STOCK” F1/Indy Lexan

Yet another barn burner Viper V-SPEC main event. Once again, Aaron Castro jumped into the lead, winning the first segment and clicking off a new lap record of 4.251 in the Orange lane in the process. Home Cook’n would take over the lead after segment two, but Aaron would come roaring back, winning segment three with a roughly 8-second better runtime and leading the race into the final segment. Aaron and Home Cook’n were separated by just one point going into the final segment with Aaron ahead by one point but down two laps. George Peters would once again prove the spoiler by winning the final segment by two seconds over Home Cook’n, but this time, Aaron would lose one lap and come up short by just one point, finishing third in the segment and second overall. It doesn’t get much closer than that! Detailed Results

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	120	55	1066.255
2	Aaron Castro	117	54	1055.158
3	George Peters	118	51	1073.768
4	Kevin Webster	90	28	1079.385

Points Standings After Round 4

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart*	2044	932	13106.43
2	Aaron Castro*	2024	868	13046.08
3	George Peters*	1997	800	13254.27
4	Kevin Webster	1450	491	11777.35
5	Jerry Pearson	1229	400	7263.654
6	Eric Lane	1077	347	5300.734
7	Jordan Walker*	590	140	2405.214
8	Shaylin Maddox	176	88	1428.228
9	Pam Ebert	154	64	1390.808
10	Abe Maddox	148	64	1337.006
11	Martha Elderon	102	36	775.14

NOTE: This is a best out of four series. If you're behind because you missed a round, the series points winners will be determined by their best four rounds points totals, not all five.

Race 5: Tyco 440X2 Narrow F1/Indy “Box Stock” IROC

While we usually do a bunch of racing after the official racing is over, we only did one “unofficial” race after Round 4 wrapped up. This was a four-car rotation using Webster Motorsports prepared cars, which were very fun to drive and soothing after the blistering pace of the Viper V-SPEC cars in race 4.

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	120	64	1225.128
2	Aaron Castro	115	52	1251.755
3	Kevin Webster	105	44	1264.05

I can’t remember which race it was right now, but we had a strange finish in a segment where the leader thought they had a lap on a pursuing driver and stopped to get fuel before the next segment. When the pursuing driver went through the pits, he won the race. These could have been perfectly legitimate results, but we definitely need to review the tapes.

Speaking of tapes, we got all the “official” and “unofficial” action on tape this time. I’ll process that video ASAP, post the individual races on Rumble, and update this post with links.

I have no idea how the final points standings will play out since they’re still very close in both the Expert and Sportsman ranks. The final standings will be based on your total points from your best four of the five rounds.

Stay tuned for a post on the video action for Round 4 and the schedule for the rest of the series.

Okay, shut up and drive!

Race Report: 2024 Open Wheel Series, Round 3

Wow! What an amazingly competitive day of racing. Round 3 was not only blistering fast; it was one of the most competitive race days we’ve had at Stewart Raceway in quite a while.

We’ve made a few changes in our racing formats using fuel allocation parameters that seem to be helping level the playing field between Sportsman and Expert drivers, who race together but are scored separately.

The key ingredient for this seems to be a slight change in fuel delivery during pit stops. All drivers are allocated the same fuel at the start of each race, but Sportsman drivers enjoy a slightly faster fuel refill time than Expert drivers: six-second tank refills for Sportsman drivers and eight seconds for Expert drivers.

This small change seems to pay big dividends to the Sportsman ranks, making the racing much more competitive and changing fuel races’ overall dynamics and excitement.

Short Story

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	471	227	3127.513
2	Aaron Castro	467	216	3141.732
3	George Peters	461	204	3114.904
4	Eric Lane	419	163	2923.108
5	Kevin Webster	396	133	3108.326
6	Jerry Pearson	230	102	1536.13
7	Martha Elderon	102	36	775.14

It was a very competitive race day! Jerry and Martha had to depart after Race 2. All others completed all four official races.

Race 1: MegaG+ 1.7 Modified (IROC)

Our latest and increasingly popular car class. It is a perfect warmup for the subsequent individual Modified class. Again, an extremely competitive race, with nearly all drivers winning at least one segment. Second through fourth were only separated by one lap at the finish, and the top three finishers were separated by just one point. While Sportsman driver Kevin Webster jumped out front, winning the first segment, Sportsman Jerry Pearson won the next three and remained in the lead until segment 5 when Expert Aaron Castro took over the lead through segments 5 and 6.

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	118	55	755.518
2	Aaron Castro	115	54	788.33
3	George Peters	114	53	759.984
4	Jerry Pearson	113	47	792.398
5	Kevin Webster	105	43	762.624
6	Eric Lane	103	41	757.853
7	Martha Elderon	102	36	775.14

Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 Modified

Not actual podium, Race Director spaced–again!

After 120 laps with an IROC version of the same car, everybody was well-prepared for this barnburner race. Jerry Pearson dominated this race with one segment win and three second-place finishes. Jerry led the race from Segment 2 through to the finish, besting a hard-charging Expert, Aaron Castro, by just two points and grabbing the top podium spot, great driving, Jerry!

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Jerry Pearson	117	55	743.732
2	Aaron Castro	119	53	780.164
3	Steve Stewart	116	52	788.384
4	George Peters	117	50	747.699
5	Eric Lane	110	44	744.725
6	Kevin Webster	96	28	770.995

Race 3: Viper V-SPEC F1/Indy 1.7 Lexan (IROC) c/o Eric Lane

Another great IROC set to prepare for the day’s finale, the Viper V-SPEC “Spec Stock” class. Sportsman driver Eric “Fast” Lane graciously donated these cars to Stewart Raceway. How many tracks have you visited that have Viper V-SPEC IROC sets? This mainly was a fast and furious battle between the three Experts, but Eric Lane put in a great effort in Segment 1, placing second to Home Cook’n just one lap down and very close on total run time–Nice driving, Eric! Aaron Castro would win two segments but came up short of Home Cook’n despite a perfect 30 laps in the final segment.

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	120	61	934.366
2	Aaron Castro	116	56	926.674
3	George Peters	112	46	950.901
4	Eric Lane	102	38	760.075
5	Kevin Webster	100	34	913.266

Race 4: Viper V-SPEC “SPEC STOCK” Lexan

It is always an adrenaline-pumping race, but this one was really hot! Aaron Castro blasted into the lead from the get-go, winning the first segment just ahead of George Peters but on the same lap. Aaron would hold the race lead until the final segment, but George was clicking off high-speed lap times, vying for his first race win of the day. George was clicking off faster and faster laps but missed besting Home Cook’n at the finish of the last segment. George was just .381 seconds off the race winner’s segment run time and short just four points–great effort, George!

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	117	59	649.245
2	George Peters	118	55	656.32
3	Aaron Castro	117	53	646.564
4	Eric Lane	104	40	660.455
5	Kevin Webster	95	28	661.441

Speaking of lap times, George set new lap records on three lanes during this race, and Aaron set another. George’s fastest time of the race was 4.270 seconds in Lane 4 (Orange). Aaron clicked off a 4.409-second lap in Lane 5 (Blue). Blistering pace!

We did one fun race after the official races were over, running Eric’s MegaG+ 1.7 (Scooby Doo) Vans IROC set–way fun cars, thanks Eric!

Official Series Standings After Round 3:

With two more Rounds to go, Kevin Webster and Eric Lane are in a heated contest for Sportsman honors, with just two points separating the two drivers after Round 3.

In the Expert ranks, it’s not as close, but certainly still up for grabs between the top three points earners.

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Kevin Webster	1046	349	7360.796
2	Eric Lane	1077	347	5300.734
3	Jerry Pearson	910	290	3850.142
4	Shaylin Maddox	176	88	1428.228
5	Pam Ebert	154	64	1390.808
6	Abe Maddox	148	64	1337.006
7	Martha Elderon	102	36	775.14
1	Steve Stewart*	1567	697	8659.291
2	Aaron Castro*	1557	656	8656.26
3	George Peters*	1539	606	8651.218
4	Jordan Walker*	590	140	2405.214

*Expert

Okay, Round 3 of this incredibly competitive and exciting series is in the books. Stay tuned for a post on other lap records broken in Round 3. Drivers continue to get faster and faster on SR3.

Round 4 is tentatively slated for March 30th.

Race Report: 2024 Open Wheel Series, Round 2

The series continued to Round 2 on Saturday, February 24 on the SR3 oval course. We had a great showing by nine drivers throughout the day with some very competitive racing, as always.

In the spirit of “open-wheel” racing, we tried to run all open-wheel livery in each official race. However, we didn’t get one of the two IROC sets completed in time so had to substitute the venerable Maximum Leeway late-model sportsman cars for race 1. We did four races in all. Below is the short story but there is a whole lot more to it than the numbers below show.

All races were run with 45-lap heats (segments) and a fuel allocation of 62 laps. In addition, to try to make things even more competitive, Expert drivers were handicapped with a longer fuel refill time than Sportsman drivers, initially set two seconds longer but lowered to one second after the first couple of races.

Overall Short Story

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Adjust¹	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart*	706	231		2285.962
2	Aaron Castro*	695	215		2302.982
3	Eric Lane	628	182		2393.738
4	George Peters*	685	149	61	2270.22
5	Jordan Walker*	584	148		2454.01
7	Jerry Pearson	340	94		1157.006
6	Kevin Webster	483	81	53	1685.595
8	Shaylin Maddox	281	79		1163.514
9	Abe Maddox	255	70		1185.256

* Expert Driver
¹ Points lost from a rules infraction

Race 1: Viper Jets with Maximum Leeway Late-model Sportsman Bodies (IROC) (12v)

We started with the fast but loose Viper Jets. Just as much speed and power as a regular V-SPEC Viper but with brass weights instead of traction magnets. As might be expected, most of the Expert drivers came out on top in this one. Sportsman drivers, Eric Lane and Jerry Pearson drove these cars very well and were not too far off the pace considering the experts have far more track time with these cars than they do. Detailed Results

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart*	173	59	649.321
2	George Peters*	177	58	680.100
3	Aaron Castro*	178	55	689.752
4	Eric Lane	155	40	707.989
5	Jerry Pearson	161	38	706.243
6	Jordan Walker*	138	32	691.378

Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 “Modified” (20v)

Our latest and one of the most competitive classes we run. These cars use the popular Racemasters MegaG+ long-wheelbase chassis with a super-light photopaper body. This creates a much better handling platform and because they are pretty much out-of-the-box chassis’, the racing is extremely close.

Not sure if it had anything to do with the longer fuel stops for Expert drivers or what but Sportsman drivers, Jerry Pearson and Eric Lane put on a show in this one, besting the usual suspects quite convincingly with Jerry tying in points with Home Cook’n but besting him by one lap to take the top podium spot. That’s close racing! Both Jerry and Eric won two segments each. Way to go, Jerry and Eric! Detailed Results

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Jerry Pearson	179	56	450.763
2	Steve Stewart	178	56	485.505
3	Eric Lane	174	52	480.824
4	Aaron Castro	167	51	462.639
5	George Peters	171	44	458.157
6	Jordan Walker	157	38	511.229
7	Kevin Webster	147	32	490.550

Race 3: MegaG 1.7 “Whelen/SK Modifieds” (IROC) (15v)

These cars are another challenging platform with a powerful inline motor, they pack a lot of power but have no traction magnets and run hard-compound (B) Super tires in the rear. Very drifty and difficult to drive.

As usual, expert driver, Aaron Castro dominated this race, winning four segments! The bigger story, however, was Sportsman driver, Eric “Fast” Lane bagging the final podium spot. Eric drove these cars exceptionally well bagging three second-place segment finishes and one third-place. Nice driving, Eric!

Our lone Junior driver, Abe Maddox, bagged two second-place segment finishes while his awesome Mom, Shaylin Maddox also bagged two second-place segment finishes. Very impressive driving by Team Maddox adapting to these difficult-to-master cars. Detailed Results

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Aaron Castro	180	64	744.708
2	Steve Stewart	177	58	748.214
3	Eric Lane	153	50	794.221
4	Kevin Webster	159	49	792.067
5	George Peters	162	47	744.761
6	Abe Maddox	139	38	779.530
7	Shaylin Maddox	136	38	750.750
8	Jordan Walker	125	32	823.799

Race 4: Viper V-SPEC “SPEC STOCK” F1/Indy Lexan (15v)

Home Cook’n, Jordan Walker, Aaron Castro

As always, the V-SPEC class was another barn burner race with literally every driver posting impressive segment finishes. Shaylin Maddox, started her Race 4 rotation in the white lane and posted a perfect 45 laps, the segment win, and the fastest lap of the day at 1.654 seconds–a new SR3 oval course lap record! Way to go, Shaylin!

Unofficial Race Results

Yes, the final race was without a doubt the most intense and hotly contested race but not without some additional drama.

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	George Peters	175	61	387.202
2	Steve Stewart	178	58	402.922
3	Kevin Webster	177	53	402.978
4	Jordan Walker	164	46	427.604
5	Aaron Castro	170	45	405.883
6	Shaylin Maddox	145	41	412.764
7	Eric Lane	146	40	410.704
8	Abe Maddox	116	32	405.726

In the end, expert driver George Peters dominated this one. George took the checkered flag after winning three segments and placing second in another.

However, during the race, several drivers noticed that Jordan Walker’s car seemed exceptionally faster than any other car. The Race Director decided during the race that there would be a technical inspection of all cars entered post-race.

Each car was tested on the house VRP Dynometer and VRP Magnet Downforce Meter. To our surprise, Jordan’s car was well within the typical RPM and downforce ranges for this type of car. However, during the remaining testing and inspection, a balanced and trued armature (Hot Stock) was discovered in race winner George Peter’s car. In addition, when testing Kevin Webster’s car on the downforce meter, his car measured well over double the typical downforce of a Viper “SPEC STOCK” platform.

The “SPEC STOCK” rules we employ at Stewart Raceway do not permit hot stock armatures and Kevin’s downforce readings were well beyond the “SPEC STOCK” rules maximum for this car. Consequently, both drivers were disqualified and lost all points earned in Race 4. Detailed Results

Race 4 Official Results

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	178	58	402.922
2	Jordan Walker	164	46	427.604
3	Aaron Castro	170	45	405.883
4	Shaylin Maddox	145	41	412.764
5	Eric Lane	146	40	410.704
6	Abe Maddox	116	32	405.726
7	George Peters	175	0	387.202
8	Kevin Webster	177	0	402.978

I’m sure George’s rule infraction was simply an oversight. I’ve raced with George since I got back into slot car racing way back in 2017 and he’s always been very competitive and compliant with all racing rules. I’m sure George either mistakenly chose that particular car or just didn’t notice it had a hot stock armature installed.

As for Kevin’s infraction, I’ve also been racing with Kevin for nearly the same amount of time and he too has always complied with all house and racing rules. I suspect Kevin may have also made a mistake in choosing that particular car for this race.

This type of incident is not uncommon in slot car racing and very often the reason these things happen has much less to do with willful disregard for rules, but usually unintentional or careless selection of cars and/or parts.

Whatever the case may be, all this reinforces the importance of regular technical inspections at official races to help influence drivers and builders to be more diligent in preparing their cars for racing.

2024 Open Wheel Series Points Standings after Round 2

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Kevin Webster	834	229	5302.031
2	Eric Lane	628	182	2393.738
3	Shaylin Maddox	369	123	1877.628
4	Abe Maddox	329	102	1853.759
5	Jerry Pearson	340	94	1157.006
6	Pam Ebert	77	32	695.404
1	Steve Stewart*	1103	467	5903.035
2	Aaron Castro*	1088	429	5904.457
3	George Peters*	1062	336	5886.131
4	Jordan Walker*	584	148	2454.01

* Expert driver

Okay, Round 2 is in the books and the series points just got a bit more interesting after Round 2. Stay tuned for details on next week’s open track day and potential dates for Round 3.

Thank you all for making the trek to Stewart Raceway!

Okay, shut up and drive!