Our 2024 IROC Champs have finally been enshrined on our Wall of Fame.
Eric Lane placed fourth overall in our one-day IROC championship held on November 2, 2024. He was the only Sportsman driver in the field that day and earned his honors with a fantastic placing against a nearly all-expert field.
Expert driver, Aaron Castro drove aggressively all day and secured enough points to hold off the 2022 IROC Expert Champion George Peters.
Congratulations to our 2024 IROC Champs!!
– November 2, 2024 –
The 2024 IROC Championships were held on one day with four different races, including qualifying.
No new records. Fastest lap is Steve Stewart with a 5.519 in the Blue lane.
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.
Our last IROC championship was contested in a series back in 2023, in which George Peters (GP Designs) dominated a four race series. This year, the IROC champions were crowned after one day of four challenging IROC races on SR3’s Fast Esses course.
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | Steve Stewart | 320 | 239 | 2559.583 |
| 2 | Aaron Castro | 316 | 227 | 2572.115 |
| 3 | George Peters | 261 | 185 | 2646.445 |
| 4 | Eric Lane | 282 | 157 | 2676.138 |
| 5 | Kevin Webster | 272 | 144 | 2682.804 |
| 6 | Jerry Pearson | 145 | 82 | 1060.941 |
| Track:Â SR3 Road Course Fast Esses (Chicane) | |||
| Date:Â Nov-02-2024 11:36 | |||
| Class:Â MegaG+ 1.7 Modified (i) | |||
| Descr: | |||
| Name | Lap Time | Speed (Mph) | Place |
| Steve Stewart | 5.907 | 557 | 1 |
| George Peters | 6.065 | 543 | 2 |
| Aaron Castro | 6.599 | 499 | 3 |
| Jerry Pearson | 6.894 | 477 | 4 |
| Eric Lane | 6.982 | 471 | 5 |
| Kevin Webster | 7.738 | 425 | 6 |
The first race used Aaron’s newest IROC set of way-cool Camaros, which were fast and extremely capable cars. While Home Cook’n bagged the top podium spot, George and Aaron had a major battle throughout the entire race. At the end of five segments, Eric Lane was done with his rotations and sitting in second place but not enough points to seal the deal. Home Cook’n was also out with a perfect score of 80 laps and 64 points. The final segment was a dogfight for the second and third podium spots between Aaron Castro and George Peters. Both drivers finished on the same lap, with Aaron taking the win and points. However, because Aaron went into the final segment a lap down on George, George bagged the second podium spot with fewer points but just one more total lap than Aaron. Very close racing! Details
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | Steve Stewart | 80 | 64 | 405.175 |
| 2 | Aaron Castro | 79 | 56 | 406.204 |
| 3 | George Peters | 80 | 50 | 411.984 |
| 4 | Jerry Pearson | 75 | 44 | 414.991 |
| 5 | Kevin Webster | 72 | 40 | 439.161 |
| 6 | Eric Lane | 70 | 28 | 429.451 |
Race 2 would utilize the venerable Viper-Jet platform, which would be a bit more challenging for the drivers since the downforce on these cars is considerably less than the previous Viper V-SPEC class with L4 traction magnets. This race saw a dogfight between the top three finishers and quite a battle between the 4th and 5th place finishers. The lone Sportsman driver, Eric Lane would best two Expert drivers with a nice 4th place finish. In the end, Aaron Castro took the win with one lap over George Peters in 2nd and two points over Home Cook’n in 3rd. Aaron clearly showed that he’s one of the top drivers at Stewart Raceway and won a great win with a reasonably loose platform. Details
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | Aaron Castro | 80 | 58 | 629.645 |
| 2 | George Peters | 79 | 58 | 601.541 |
| 3 | Steve Stewart | 80 | 56 | 633.531 |
| 4 | Eric Lane | 68 | 40 | 634.46 |
| 5 | Jerry Pearson | 70 | 38 | 645.95 |
| 6 | Kevin Webster | 68 | 32 | 619.642 |
This one was everybody’s favorite race (NOT!). The Retro Viper platform was certainly the loosest car in the mix, and the runtimes clearly proved it. With almost no downforce and basically a L4 Viper V-SPEC chassis, this car is a handful to drive, especially on a road course. This one was a battle mostly between Home Cook’n and Aaron Castro, with the win going to Home Cook’n by just two laps. T-Jet ace George Peters was strangely not a big factor in this one as he struggled to dial in his setup while Eric Lane seemed to have a good handle on the tricky platform, finishing in 4th with more laps, but short just three points. Nice driving by the lone Sportsman driver! Details
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | Steve Stewart | 80 | 61 | 847.047 |
| 2 | Aaron Castro | 78 | 55 | 847.81 |
| 3 | George Peters | 65 | 45 | 881.049 |
| 4 | Eric Lane | 70 | 42 | 889.339 |
| 5 | Kevin Webster | 66 | 32 | 907.174 |
To cap off the challenging IROC championship, we decided to run Eric “Fast” Lane’s “Scooby Doo” vans for the final race of the day. Eric has been refining this set since first introducing them to us in 2023. With the high center of gravity and heavier resin-molded body, these cars are challenging but way fun to drive. Eric Lane came out swinging, winning the first segment with the fastest lap time over Home Cook’n in 2nd. With George still struggling, this one was a battle between Aaron Castro, Eric Lane, and Home Cook’n. Going into the final segment, Kevin Webster led the race but done with his rotation without enough points to maintain his position. In the end, Home Cook’n bagged the win by just one lap, tying with 2nd place, Aaron Castro on points. Eric “fast” Lane had a great final race, bagging the win in the first segment and finishing on the podium in 3rd. Great driving, Eric! Details
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | Steve Stewart | 80 | 58 | 673.83 |
| 2 | Aaron Castro | 79 | 58 | 688.456 |
| 3 | Eric Lane | 74 | 47 | 722.888 |
| 4 | Kevin Webster | 66 | 40 | 716.827 |
| 5 | George Peters | 37 | 32 | 751.871 |
Okay, the 2024 IROC Champs are crowned and on their way to the Stewart Raceway Wall of Fame.
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time | Category |
| 1 | Steve Stewart | 320 | 239 | 2559.583 | Expert |
| 2 | Aaron Castro | 316 | 227 | 2572.115 | Expert |
| 3 | George Peters | 261 | 185 | 2646.445 | Expert |
| 1 | Eric Lane | 282 | 157 | 2676.138 | Sportsman |
| 4 | Kevin Webster | 272 | 144 | 2682.804 | Expert |
| 5 | Jerry Pearson | 145 | 82 | 1060.941 | Expert |
Stay tuned for videos of each race, including qualifying. Thanks to all of you who made the trek to this way fun event!
Okay, shut up and drive!
In spite of a couple of expert drivers skipping the final round, we had a great turnout and were able to complete the series with some very competitive results in all categories. Round 5 was contested on the SR3 oval utilizing the MegaG+ 1.7 “Lites” platform, basically a box stock car with a F1/Indy hardbody.
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | Aaron Castro | 180 | 16 | 459.356 |
| 2 | Steve Stewart | 179 | 13 | 471.432 |
| 3 | Jerry Pearson | 170 | 11 | 469.339 |
| 4 | Jared Johnson | 157 | 7 | 487.252 |
| 5 | Eric Lane | 144 | 6 | 503.525 |
| 6 | Matthew Johnson | 133 | 5 | 469.217 |
| Track:Â SR3 Oval Super Speedway | |||
| Date:Â Oct-12-2024 12:09 | |||
| Class:Â MegaG+ 1.7 Lites (22V) | |||
| Descr:Â Progressive | |||
| Name | Lap Time | Speed (Mph) | Place |
| Steve Stewart | 2.146 | 762 | 1 |
| Aaron Castro | 2.181 | 750 | 2 |
| Jerry Pearson | 2.252 | 726 | 3 |
| Eric Lane | 2.511 | 652 | 4 |
| Shaylin Maddox | 2.912 | 550 | 5 |
| Jared Johnson | 3.708 | 441 | 6 |
| Matthew Johnson | 4.750 | 344 | 7 |
Team Maddox returned to racing in Round 5, but not in full force as young Junior driver, Abe Maddox elected not to race. Shaylin put in a nice qualifying session but did not start the days qualifier races.
In this one, Jared Johnson was on a terror, pressuring the second-fastest qualifier, Aaron Castro, early in the race and finishing on the same lap for two of the four segments. Jared had a rough time in the Blue lane and lost significant laps in that segment but put up a great fight against Eric Lane and eventual race winner, Expert Aaron Castro. Details
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | Aaron Castro | 120 | 16 | 296.118 |
| 2 | Jared Johnson | 111 | 13 | 304.939 |
| 3 | Eric Lane | 102 | 11 | 302.466 |
Jerry Pearson was in the hunt in this race against the fastest qualifier, finishing second but losing four laps to Home Cook’n in the Orange lane. Matthew Johnson received excellent support from his team management and finished very well as a Junior driver against two of the fastest teams in the race. In the end, we didn’t have to do the Last Chance Qualifier due to no-shows and early departures , we just transferred all drivers to the Feature. Details
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | Steve Stewart | 120 | 16 | 265.858 |
| 2 | Jerry Pearson | 112 | 13 | 272.122 |
| 3 | Matthew Johnson | 93 | 11 | 270.582 |
The feature was a pretty chaotic event. I’m not going to cover it here but let’s say it had a lot of misc chaos and self-inflicted damage. In the end, Aaron Castro emerged as the winner by a lap. You’ll have to view the video of this one, it was wild. Details
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | Aaron Castro | 180 | 16 | 459.356 |
| 2 | Steve Stewart | 179 | 13 | 471.432 |
| 3 | Jerry Pearson | 170 | 11 | 469.339 |
| 4 | Jared Johnson | 157 | 7 | 487.252 |
| 5 | Eric Lane | 144 | 6 | 503.525 |
| 6 | Matthew Johnson | 133 | 5 | 469.217 |
This isn’t representative of actual points since some drivers garnered points by going through qualifier and Last-Chance Qualifier races. However, it does represent actual points totals for those who did not earn Feature Event points with our new race format.
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | George Peters | 1173 | 636 | 7491.16 |
| 2 | Steve Stewart | 1348 | 609 | 7297.468 |
| 3 | Aaron Castro | 1224 | 495 | 6352.578 |
| 4 | Jerry Pearson | 1172 | 491 | 6630.399 |
| 5 | Kevin Webster | 469 | 279 | 2967.587 |
| 6 | Eric Lane | 610 | 159 | 4266.355 |
| 7 | Jared Johnson | 440 | 136 | 2057.271 |
| 8 | Jordan Walker | 302 | 133 | 2894.16 |
| 9 | Matthew Johnson | 387 | 124 | 2051.404 |
| 10 | Madeline Johnson | 100 | 72 | 823.462 |
| 11 | Shaylin Maddox | 67 | 36 | 462.865 |
| 12 | Abe Maddox | 66 | 36 | 464.606 |
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | Steve Stewart | 972 | 416 | 5585.136 |
| 2 | George Peters | 764 | 349 | 5127.071 |
| 3 | Aaron Castro | 831 | 305 | 4434.096 |
| 4 | Jerry Pearson | 746 | 242 | 4532.463 |
| 5 | Jordan Walker | 302 | 133 | 2894.16 |
| 6 | Eric Lane | 440 | 110 | 3443.471 |
| 7 | Kevin Webster | 174 | 89 | 996.869 |
| 8 | Jared Johnson | 157 | 7 | 487.252 |
| 9 | Matthew Johnson | 133 | 5 | 469.217 |
It wasn’t necessary to slog through calculating the best four out of five in this case. Both George Peters and Aaron Castro missed one race, which eliminated the need to go through all that since it would not change the points positions indicated above. Nor would it change the points positions for anybody else.
The following are the series points standings for each racer category:
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | Matthew Johnson | 387 | 124 | 2051.404 |
| 2 | Madeline Johnson | 100 | 72 | 823.462 |
| 3 | Abe Maddox | 66 | 36 | 464.606 |
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | Jerry Pearson | 746 | 242 | 4532.463 |
| 2 | Eric Lane | 440 | 110 | 3443.471 |
| 3 | Jared Johnson | 157 | 7 | 487.252 |
| 4 | Shaylin Maddox | 67 | 36 | 462.865 |
Pearson Racing’s Jerry Pearson had a fantastic series. Jerry dominated the Sportsman ranks and often appeared on the podium, often higher than Expert drivers. After winning an official racing series as a Sportsman driver, Jerry now moves on to the Expert category ranks. Congratulations, Jerry!
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | George Peters | 764 | 349 | 5127.071 |
| 2 | Aaron Castro | 831 | 305 | 4434.096 |
| 3 | Jordan Walker | 302 | 133 | 2894.16 |
| 4 | Kevin Webster | 174 | 89 | 996.869 |
| 5 | Steve Stewart | 972 | 416 | 5585.136 |
Because both George and Aaron missed one race in this series, there was no need to calculate the best four of five points totals. It wasn’t necessary for any contest in the Sportsman or Expert ranks.
George and Aaron duked it out in this series, often besting Home Cook’n as they battled for series points. During this series, George set two new lap records in the MegaG+ Modified class. Aaron Castro now holds the fastest lap in the “Lites” class at 5.026 in the White lane. The fastest lap on the oval with the MegaG+ 1.7 “Lite” platform is 1.713 set by George Peters in the White lane. Aaron clicked off a 1.716 in the Blue lane in the Round 5 finale.
That’s a wrap for the 2024 Summer Extreme Series. It was highly competitive, and I think everyone likes the new race format.
Congrats to George, Jerry, and Matthew for winning their respective categories in the series. Great driving!
Stay tuned for video coverage of the Finale and plans for our next engagement. Okay, shut up and drive!
Well, it’s taken us into the Fall, but we’re one round away from completing this incredibly competitive series.
Here are the points standings after four rounds:
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | George Peters | 764 | 349 | 5127.071 |
| 2 | Aaron Castro | 651 | 289 | 3974.74 |
| 3 | Jerry Pearson* | 576 | 231 | 4063.124 |
| 4 | Jordan Walker | 302 | 133 | 2894.16 |
| 5 | Eric Lane* | 296 | 104 | 2939.946 |
| 6 | Kevin Webster | 174 | 89 | 996.869 |
| 7 | Steve Stewart | 793 | 403 | 5113.704 |
* Sportsman Driver
Remember, the rules are such that each driver is scored on their four best appearances, which means that if you missed a round, you’re not necessarily out of the hunt for the series win.
It’s a bit of work for the Race Director, but we’re taking the best points from the four best race results for each driver to calculate the series winner. And, yes, Sportsman and Experts are scored separately. There is a Sportsman series winner, an Expert series winner, and, of course, a Junior winner. Oh, and remember, Home Cook’n doesn’t get awards or trophies. If you somehow come in second to him, you’ve still won the series!
With our new racing format, you don’t earn points unless you make the main (Feature) event. So, if you don’t see your name above, you either missed the first couple of rounds or didn’t make the main in subsequent rounds. Junior driver points will be picked separately by combining Qualifier race and Last Chance Qualifier race points for up to four rounds attended.
The final round will be on the SR3 oval course. We’ll run our latest race format but longer segments since we’re on the oval. We’ll also run fuel allocation for the Last Chance Qualifier race and the Feature event. I think the LCQ race will have 30-lap segments, and the feature race will have 45-lap segments. Fuel allocation will be announced on race day.
The weather is expected to be ideal, so leave your expensive cooled driver suits at home. We’ll only need two marshals for each race event, but please invite guests to drive, marshal, or be the Race Director.
Stay tuned for more details, the invite, and the schedule. I think we’ll run MegaG+ “Lites” at 20V. Comments and suggestions are welcome, of course.
