Category: Seasonal

2026 Season Kicks Off With A Friday Night “Under The Lights” Event

3-ohm Mayhem in the PR-5 GT IROC race.

We were shooting for a doubleheader (Friday night and Saturday), but we couldn’t field enough teams for Saturday. Probably a good thing, since Friday night’s event went well past 1:00 AM.

Short Story
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 312 178 3420.310
2 Dustin Jolley 303 157 3494.790
3 Dean Donaldson 274 131 3578.762
4 Mike Langell 262 98 3506.202
Race 1: Jag Hobbies PR-5 GT F1/Indy Hardbody (IROC)

The latest fleet addition to Stewart Raceway, these cars are very nearly as fast as a Viper V-SPEC L4 car, and they’re out of the box. I think with a paper Modified body, they’ll be as fast, or faster. Put some aftermarket silicon tires on them, and look out!

The new IROC set debuts on SR2’s straight road course in a 30-lap fuel race with no marshals and the Track Call FOB.

Dustin came off the starting line blazing in this one after only a few minutes of warm-up. Dustin won two segments, Home Cook’n won two. Dustin took the overall win with some superb driving and some good fortune in the final segment. Mike Langell (pronounced “Looungell”), had a significant first segment, besting Home Cook’n by 3 laps!

Going into the final segment, Home Cook’n had a very slim lead of just one point on Team Jolley, who managed a very nice 2nd place finish in the tricky Red lane in Segment 3. Home Cook’n managed to get a nice gap on everybody early on, but racing is never over until the checkers fly. In the last few laps, Home Cook’n got tangled up in a crash, and Dustin managed to get through the carnage and pulled ahead for the win. Never give up!  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Dustin Jolley 114 58 1743.112
2 Steve Stewart 113 56 1728.365
3 Mike Langell 97 42 1751.195
4 Dean Donaldson 88 32 1767.821
Race 2: Mega G+ 1.7 Corvette C8 (IROC)

Back to SR3’s Fast Esses road course… New Expert driver, Dean Donaldson, had a terrific run in this one with a 1st and two 2nd place segment finishes. Dean prefers Vipers, but this result shows that he’s more than capable of driving the “less-stuck” cars as well.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 99 58 862.716
2 Dean Donaldson 96 53 859.096
3 Dustin Jolley 94 49 855.746
4 Mike Langell 86 28 864.304
Race 3: Jag Hobbies PR-5 GT F1 Hardbody (IROC)

Yep, we ran this awesome IROC set again on SR3. This time, Kathy handled the Race Director chores and flagged the race. This race was pretty competitive in the first segment, but not all that close in the end. Team Jolly and Team Full-Speed (Donaldson) remained very close throughout the battle, with Dustin placing 2nd in three segments and Dean placing 3rd in three. Team Langell had clearly over-hydrated before or during the final race and would finish well off the pace, though he did have a few blazing laps to his credit.  He’s on target for “2026 Best Young Driver.”  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 100 64 829.229
2 Dustin Jolley 95 50 895.932
3 Dean Donaldson 90 46 951.845
4 Mike Langell 79 28 890.703

It’s a bit too early in the season to post points standings (See overall results above). However, Team Jolly obviously earned his 2025 Rookie of the Year honors, and Team Full-Speed continues to improve his driving skills.

So, how did the new Jag Hobbies PR-5 GT platform do? On SR2’s straight road course, Home Cook’n clicked off a 3.464 in the Blue lane. With Eric Lane’s Viper V-SPEC L4 F1/Indy set, Jordan Walker clicked off a 3.119 lap in the Blue lane back in July of 2024. On SR3, the fastest lap for Eric’s way cool Viper set is a 4.526 in the White lane. Dustin clicked off a blazing 3.695 lap Friday night in the Blue lane with the PR-5 GT. This is the fastest lap I know of on SR3!

We’re not going to be able to pull off an “Under The Lights” event this coming week, but Saturday or Saturday night are possibilities. Stay tuned for invites.

Okay, shut up and drive!

2025 Season Opener – Into the fire and onto the podium.

Wow, what a turnout!  Our first “official” race of the 2025 season opened with a bang. We had 14 drivers in the mix: four Experts, five Juniors, and five Sportsman drivers, including two new drivers visiting Stewart Raceway for the first time!

 

The Short Story

Sportsman driver Jared Johnson 3rd overall, and first-time Stewart Raceway driver Dave Rowland finishes 4th overall. Expert driver George Peters leads the Expert points chase by 58 points.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters* 238 232 1645.44
2 Steve Stewart* 159 174 1158.701
3 Jared Johnson 169 142 1292.315
4 Dave Rowland 144 142 1291.611
5 Aaron Castro* 139 120 868.844
6 Coe Rowland 136 110 1353.497
7 Arlo Roland 132 106 1255.253
8 Abe Maddox 112 101 908.988
9 Shaylin Maddox 102 83 846.329
10 Jerry Pearson* 79 58 496.859
11 Matthew Johnson 67 42 518.012
12 Eric Lane 66 40 498.861
13 Cameron Bill 50 32 411.714
14 Madeline Johnson 54 28 507.557

* Expert driver

After about an hour of open practice, racing got underway at 12:15. The first race of the 2025 50/50 Racing Series was the increasingly popular MegaG+ 1.7 Modified class, a speedy and straightforward racing platform that anybody can be competitive with.

Race 1: MegaG+1.7 Modifieds

This race should have had nine drivers. However, the Race Director mistakenly dropped two drivers from the lineup: Cameron Bill and himself. Jerry Pearson very nearly bagged his first race win as an Expert driver in this one. Jerry won the first two segments and never finished worse than 2nd through his rotations. In the end, Aaron Castro knocked Jerry off the top podium spot by winning all four of his rotations. Team Johnson’s leader, Jared Johnson, drove well and took the runner-up position against three Expert drivers!  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Aaron Castro 80 64 476.54
2 Jerry Pearson 79 58 496.859
3 George Peters 79 55 488.663
4 Jared Johnson 71 42 491.625
5 Matthew Johnson 67 42 518.012
6 Eric Lane 66 40 498.861
7 Madeline Johnson 54 28 507.557
Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 Modifieds (IROC)

This one was a dogfight between all categories of drivers.  Team Maddox Junior driver Abe Maddox led this one through the first three segments, winning his first two rotations and demonstrating he’s an incredibly talented driver capable of running with both Sportsman and Expert drivers. This race was highly competitive at every level, with wins by Junior, Sportsman, and Expert drivers. In the end, GP Design’s George Peters edged out Aaron Castro for the top podium spot by just two points and one lap. Junior phenom Abe Maddox bumped Home Cook’n off the final podium step with a win in the final segment. Aaron Castro set a new lap record on the Fast Esses road course in his first rotation with a 5.397 lap in the White lane. Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters* 60 58 404.21
2 Aaron Castro* 59 56 392.304
3 Abe Maddox 56 55 412.669
4 Steve Stewart* 59 52 401.707
5 Dave Rowland 56 49 434.333
6 Shaylin Maddox 55 45 396.168
7 Arlo Roland 51 40 426.627
8 Coe Rowland 52 36 440.038
9 Cameron Bill 50 32 411.714

* Expert

Race 3: Viper Super 7 NASCAR “Fast” Lane Set (IROC)

This is a six-car set that Sportsman driver Eric Lane donated to our racing program. The big stories in this race were Jared Johnson making his first podium visit with 3rd place overall and one of our newest drivers, Dave Rowland, who pulled off a hard-fought 4th place overall. Actually, pretty impressive driving by everybody in this race. Jared Johnson won two segments, while Dave Rowland won one segment. While I didn’t feel like the cars were all that easy to drive, George and Home Cook’n set new lap records on each of the four active lanes. George clicked off a 5.505 lap record in the Green lane, and Home Cook’n managed a 5.486 lap record in the Blue lane.   Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart* 60 61 436.907
2 George Peters* 60 58 447.943
3 Jared Johnson 60 56 461.831
4 Dave Rowland 54 51 497.803
5 Abe Maddox 56 46 496.319
6 Shaylin Maddox 47 38 450.161
7 Arlo Roland 49 34 493.029
8 Coe Rowland 48 32 508.47
Race 4: Viper V-SPEC F1/Indy 1.7 Lexan (Eric Lane Set) (IROC)

Another IROC six-car set donated by Eric “Fast” Lane. Until Eric arrived on the scene, I’d never driven a Viper V-SPEC IROC set. The cars cost $50 each! Not my first choice for a new IROC set. This final race of the day was quite competitive also, with the two Experts just three points apart going into the final segment, and Sportsman driver, Jared Johnson landing yet another podium finish on the day. Another new Junior driver from the Team Rowland, Coe Rowland jumped from last place going into the final segment to 4th overall with a well-timed 3rd place finish.  Details

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 40 61 320.087
2 George Peters 39 61 304.624
3 Jared Johnson 38 44 338.859
4 Coe Rowland 36 42 404.989
5 Dave Rowland 34 42 359.475
6 Arlo Roland 32 32 335.597

2025 50/50 Series Points Standings After Round 1:
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
Sportsman
1 Jared Johnson 169 142 1292.315
2 Dave Rowland 144 142 1291.611
3 Shaylin Maddox 102 83 846.329
4 Eric Lane 66 40 498.861
5 Cameron Bill 50 32 411.714
Junior
1 Coe Rowland 136 110 1353.497
2 Abe Maddox 112 101 908.988
3 Arlo Roland 132 106 1255.253
4 Matthew Johnson 67 42 518.012
5 Madeline Johnson 54 28 507.557
Expert
1 George Peters 238 232 1645.44
2 Steve Stewart 159 174 1158.701
3 Aaron Castro 139 120 868.844
4 Jerry Pearson 79 58 496.859

What a day of racing! I’ll try to get a video of a very close finish between George and Aaron in Race 2 (MG+ Modified IROC). Speaking of video, we have the whole day on video, so I’ll try to get the photo finish clip and the event video posted ASAP.

A big welcome to our newest racing team, Team Rowland! Hopefully, Dave, Arlo, and Coe will join us again soon. They jumped right in without practice and raced the last three races with great enthusiasm and sportsmanship–awesome! Thanks to everyone for showing up and making Round 1 a great event!

We’ll see what happens next weekend; it could be a track day or race day, depending on who’s available.

Okay, shut up and drive!

2024 IROC Championship Track Records Set, Champs Crowned, Video Posted

– November 2, 2024 –

The 2024 IROC Championships were held on one day with four different races, including qualifying.

Qualifying Lap Records (MegaG+ 1.7 “Modified” IROC Set)
    1. Steve Stewart with a 5.755 lap in the White lane.
    2. Kevin Webster with a 6.284 in the Green Lane.
Race 1: (Team Forza MG+ 1.7 Camaros Lexan IROC Set)
    1. Steve Stewart with a 4.524 in the White lane.
    2. George Peters with a 4.595 in the Green lane.
 Race 2: (Viper-Jets Can Am Lexan IROC Set “SPEC-JET”)
    1. Steve Stewart with a 6.256 in the White Lane.
    2. George Peters with a 6.415 in the Blue lane.
Race 3: (Retro Vipers “Maximum Leeway” Lexan IROC Set)
    1. Steve Stewart with a 8.875 in the White lane.
    2. Aaron Castro with a 9.514 in the Green lane.
Race 4: (Eric Lane’s MG+ 1.7 “Scooby Doo” Vans IROC Set)

No new records. Fastest lap is Steve Stewart with a 5.519 in the Blue lane.

IROC Champs

Expert Category: Home Cook’n
Sportsman Category: Eric “Fast” Lane.

A video of Qualifying and all four races can be found on Rumble.com here. Sorry, didn’t have time to post separate videos for each event.  Sadly, no background sound was recorded, just the RMS audio.