Series/Season Standings – Page 7

Race Report: 2023 50/50 Racing Series, Round 1

While the weather didn’t cooperate, the slot car faithful certainly did. Nice turnout in spite of the rainy conditions and lack of shuttle service from the parking lots to the paddock. Oh well, 1/64 scale shuttles can’t transport many “real” people anyway.

Okay, so the short stories are a battle royale between George Peters and “Home Cook’n” in the Expert class and Jordan Walker and Kevin Webster in the Sportsman class.

George Peters, Home Cook’n, Kevin Webster. (Right-click and open in a new tab for a larger image.)

Race 1: Mega-G+ 1.7 Support Class (NASCAR bodies) (18v)

Wow! This was the debut of our new MG+ Support class and the summary of results shows just how competitive this class is. Yea, the two experts (1 & 2) in the race had more laps in the end. But look at the Sportsman class results, very close competition and very exciting racing. George Peters had a very good run in the expert class while Kevin Webster and Jerry Pearson battled it out in the Sportsman class. Jerry held the lead until the sixth segment with 75-laps but Kevin finished off the the last two segments with 2nd and 3rd place finishes in the last two segments, placing third overall and first in the Sportsman points chase.

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	George Peters	80	16	618.884
2	Steve Stewart	79	13	670.183
3	Kevin Webster	75	11	667.132
4	Jerry Pearson	75	7	725.873
5	Jordan Walker	74	6	653.039
6	Eric Lane	72	5	630.132
7	Martha Elderon	71	4	620.547

Race 2: Mega-G+ 1.7 “Super Modifieds” IROC (18v)

Making a smooth transition to yet another Mega-G+ platform, Race 2 would be an IROC format utilizing box-stock MG+ platforms but with taller and harder compound rear tires. And, of course, an even more top-heavy body style.

A new neighbor, Tim Bisson, and his son, Jake showed up in time for Race 2. Tim and Jake didn’t waste any time deciding to jump right in and race. Jake, only five years old, was amazing in his first slot car race ever. He had incredible throttle control and clicked off lap-after-lap with minimal crashes, finishing the race with a very respectable 56-lap total. Dad, Tim, returning to slot car racing after 20-years, finished the race with 70-laps, just 5-laps less than the Sportsman race leader–nice!

Martha Elderon came out of the starting grid extremely fast in this first segment posting the Best Lap time and the best Median Lap time, finishing in the segment in second place–nice driving!

In the end, Home Cook’n bagged the Expert win by just one lap over George Peters. The Sportsman class was just as competitive with only 3-laps separating first from fifth. Eric Lane bagged third overall and the top Sportsman points.

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	80	16	684.799
2	George Peters	79	13	676.107
3	Eric Lane	75	11	744.85
4	Jordan Walker	74	7	670.911
5	Kevin Webster	74	6	718.375
6	Jerry Pearson	73	5	659.657
7	Martha Elderon	72	4	778.706
8	Tim Bisson	70	3	746.119
9	Jake Bisson	53	2	732.403

Race 3: Viper V-SPEC “Lexan” (15v)

Always crazy fast, this race was no different. Once again, Martha Elderon came out swinging and bagged a second, two thirds, and a fourth-place finish in this fast and furious race.

Jordan Walker would bag three second-place finishes and Eric Lane would bag two second-place finishes, very nice driving.

In the end, George Peters was not going to be outdone by Home Cook’n. George took the lead in the race in Segment 5 and never looked back, winning three of his four rotations and besting Home Cook’n on total run time for the win.

The backstories in this one are many but Jerry and Martha finished on the same lap with Jerry besting Martha by just a hair over 2 seconds in their final segment. Very close racing, indeed.

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	George Peters	80	16	478.143
2	Steve Stewart	80	13	598.6
3	Jordan Walker	77	11	495.259
4	Kevin Webster	74	7	504.747
5	Jerry Pearson	70	6	492.392
6	Martha Elderon	70	5	604.793
7	Eric Lane	69	4	639.381
8	Tim Bisson	56	3	620.068
9	Jake Bisson	36	2	518.317

Race 4: Viper Jet “Maximum Leeway” Lexan (15v)

Well, we lost a few racers prior to this one but five of us pressed on and finished the program. The last race was a bit slower pace but we ran these cool rigs at 15v, which is a bit challenging on any course.

Other than a few gnarly crashes involving dislodged parts and loud noises, this one was fairly uneventful. Both Kevin Webster and Eric Lane posted second-place segment finishes in this one with Kevin bagging the final podium spot and a third overall.

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Steve Stewart	80	16	781.178
2	George Peters	76	13	730.166
3	Kevin Webster	73	11	823.422
4	Jordan Walker	66	7	815.471
5	Eric Lane	63	6	825.995

Okay, a very nice day of racing. Bad weather is what slot cars were made for and today was a perfect example of having fun even when the weather isn’t cooperating. Great to meet Tim and Jake. Most people typically just hang out and observe or help corner marshal slot car races when they first check it out or get back into it. Tim and Jake jumped right into the mayhem and did very well. Jake is definitely going to enjoy the frequent kids’ races and Tim looks like he’ll have no trouble at all getting up to speed racing with us “Slotheads”. Hope they both enjoyed it and return for more fun soon.

So what’s the story after Round one of this new series?

Sportsman Point Standings after Round 1:

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Kevin Webster	296	35	2713.676
2	Jordan Walker	291	31	2634.68
3	Eric Lane	279	26	2840.358
4	Jerry Pearson	218	18	1877.922
5	Martha Elderon	213	13	2004.046
6	Tim Bisson	126	6	1366.187
7	Jake Bisson	89	4	1250.72

Expert Points Standings after Round 1:

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	George Peters	315	58	2503.3
2	Steve Stewart	319	58	2734.76

Eric always brings something to every race. These are napkins to help serve the awesome Krispy Creme donuts he often brings to get us through the day. Thanks for the chocolates also, Eric!

I think we should stick with this Mega-G+ 1.7 class, it seems to be one of the more competitive classes of cars we’ve run here at Stewart Raceway and it’s a very easy car to prepare and compete with.

We’ll likely do a track day next Saturday and Round 2 the following Saturday. Stay tuned for the calendar updates.

Okay, shut up and drive!

The 2022 Racing Season Is In The Books

Given the holiday hustle & bustle, it’s not likely we’ll be able to pull off another race day event this year. As such, our season officially ended after the 2022 IROC Championship finale on December 10.

First off, I’d like to thank all of you who stuck with our program and attended as many races/events as you could. Kathy and I really appreciate your loyalty, interest, and friendship.

We’ve had a wild ride this season, for sure. The season started out well but once we made the planned switch to HOPRA rules, we lost a few drivers. Not only that, we lost those drivers while we were trying to bring a new 6-lane Brad Bowman track online. Nothing is more impactful than losing participation when you’re increasing racing capacity by 50 percent.

In spite of that setback, we also added a few new drivers to the group in 2022. These new drivers are entering a program that is very well-positioned to both encourage and cultivate new participants in this great hobby we all have loved for most of our lives.

So, again, I really appreciate those of you who stuck with the program and made it as successful as it has been. We’ve done a whole lot of different types of racing, with all kinds of different types of cars, body styles, racing formats, etc. And through it all, the competition has been extremely close and the racing super exciting and–most important–fun.

So who were the top dogs in the two different driver classifications we currently offer?

2022 Sportsman Class Standings

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Kevin Webster	6861	454	55303.45
2	Jordan Walker	5483	315	47097.53
3	Jerry Pearson	1949	167	21366.55
4	Eric Lane	915	69	7651.906
5	Gabe Maddox	35	29	218.53
6	Kathy Stewart	120	16	394.248
7	Martha Elderon	204	9	1020.019
8	Jared Johnson	122	7	1576.468
9	Madeline Johnson	105	5	1650.493

2022 Expert Class Standings

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	George Peters	9674	862	69452.86
2	Greg Kondrek	4490	379	19191.5
3	Ian Douglass	3530	344	15465.58
4	Brad Sandahl	3157	265	25463.15
5	Russ Toy	3180	197	15957.58
6	Randy Cook	136	13	1566.557
7	Steve Stewart	10607	1182	70235.96

Again, congratulations to Kevin and George. They love racing these little cars and it clearly shows in the results they’ve achieved.

I hope everyone enjoyed the 2022 Stewart Raceway season and certainly hope all of you return for the 2023 season. We’re going to stick to our rule set and overall program in the hopes of growing our ranks by making it easier, more affordable, and more competitive–for more racers.

Stay tuned for the 2023 racing schedule and a couple of exciting additions to the program. Happy Holidays to all of you!

Okay, shut up and drive!

2022 I.R.O.C. Champs Enshrined

After a grueling four-event racing series, on both road and oval courses, the best “drivers” have emerged.

IROC racing removes the advantage of a particular type or build of car and determines the best overall driver by pure driving and adapting abilities.

In IROC racing each driver has to drive a fixed car on each lane for a set number of laps or rotations. The driver is not allowed to change the car other than clean the tires and pickup shoes between each segment.

In the Stewart Raceway IROC series, all kinds of different cars, courses, and race formats were utilized to determine which drivers best adapted to the varied conditions and scored the most points in four different race day events.

Today, the following drivers were enshrined on the Stewart Raceway “Wall of Fame” for outstanding achievement in a very competitive racing series:

- - Kevin Webster (Sportsman)
  - George Peters (Expert)

Congratulations, Gentlemen!

Race Report: 2022 IROC Championship Series – Round 4 Finale

On a cold, windy, and rainy day in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the four top drivers in the series took the green flag for the final round of the 2022 IROC Champs Series.

The final round of the series for the Expert class was never really a question, George Peters came into the final round with an insurmountable lead in points. The big question was who was going to win the Sportsman class honors.

Kevin Webster came into the final round with a 23-point advantage over Rookie of the Year candidate, Jerry Pearson. With a maximum of 64 points and a minimum of 28 points available in this final round, Jerry had a reasonably good shot at overtaking Kevin for top honors and taking home the 2022 IROC Champs trophy.

Unfortunately, the bad weather and road conditions prevented Jerry from making the potentially hazardous trek to Stewart Raceway to compete in the finale. As a result, Kevin Webster didn’t even have to finish the final event to secure his place on the Stewart Raceway Wall of Fame.

Congratulations to Kevin Webster and George Peters, 2022 IROC Champions! And, congrats to 2021 Rookie of the Year, Brad Sandahl for winning the final round of this hard-fought series.

Short Story Summary

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Brad Sandahl	386	50	4668.871
2	George Peters	381	46	4671.36
3	Kevin Webster	354	28	4662.525
*	Steve Stewart	399	64	4557.734

Race 1: Wizzard Storm Extremes courtesy of Kevin Webster’s stable of fine cars. (15v)

These are actually pretty cool magnet cars and easy to drive. The race wasn’t all that eventful after the first segment, which was quite a dogfight between all drivers. The rest of the race was pretty much a broken record with no lead or place changes but a very close race between the top three expert drivers. (Details)

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Brad Sandahl	98	13	970.665
2	George Peters	97	11	983.099
3	Kevin Webster	90	7	968.232
*	Steve Stewart	100	16	926.601

Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 Super Modifieds

Recently updated from zero-downforce cars to L42 magnet cars, the MTS 3D-printed Super Modifieds are quite a bit faster and much more stable on the road course. Brad Sandahl and Kevin Webster burst from the starting line in this race to take 1-2 in the first segment.

Home Cook’n would recapture the lead after the second segment while George Peters overtook Kevin Webster for 3rd place. Brad stayed very close to Home Cook’n throughout the race but had some bad luck in the final segment in the blue lane, which forced him to have to settle for runner-up spot but valuable points towards the overall. (Details)

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Brad Sandahl	96	13	1434.589
2	George Peters	93	11	1447.717
3	Kevin Webster	89	7	1435.581
*	Steve Stewart	99	16	1428.958

Race 3: Viper-Jet SPEC JET

The third race of the day was the VSR Viper-Jet utilizing a Maximum Leeway Lexan body. Brad Sandahl would suffer not only a flaky car in his first segment in the white lane but also a controller malfunction that forced him to replace it in the middle of the race. Sportsman driver, Kevin Webster, took advantage of the mayhem and secured a nice second-place finish in the second segment. George Peters stayed steady and smooth throughout the race and would secure the second podium spot while Brad Sandahl recovered nicely for the final podium spot. (Details)

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	George Peters	93	13	1320.942
2	Brad Sandahl	92	11	1345.123
3	Kevin Webster	89	7	1335.915
*	Steve Stewart	100	16	1308.07

Race 4: Jag Hobbies TR-3 Augorans (15v)

The final race of the series was the always fast and exciting Jag TR-3. These are slightly upgraded from the stock configuration so a bit faster but smoother to drive.

This one was yet another dogfight between the three expert drivers with Sportsman driver, Kevin Webster, letting it all hang out trying to hang with the trio in every segment. Brad Sandahl stayed focused and determined and finished the day with a nice placing just ahead of George Peters by two laps and winning the final segment. (Details)

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Brad Sandahl	100	13	918.494
2	George Peters	98	11	919.602
3	Kevin Webster	86	7	922.797
*	Steve Stewart	100	16	894.105

Kevin obviously pleased with his efforts this season.

All in all, it was a great day of racing. Kevin secured his Sportsman IROC Champs victory by finishing well in all the races and hanging tough with a field of ALL expert drivers battling each other every lap in the finale.

George Peters secured his IROC Champs victory by showing up for all the races and garnering the lion’s share of points, as he typically does every chance he gets to race.

Georgie claims he doesn’t have room for all the hardware he’s amassed this season. I think he took it home anyway.

Hats off to Brad Sandahl today, he’s in only his second year of slot car racing and is clearly a force to be reckoned with, both now and well into the future.

So how did the “Squeeze Lane” section change work out? Well, I think we only had a couple of incidences that resulted in crashes. We’ll leave that addition in the road course for a while and see what it yields.

2022 IROC Champs Overall Final Standings

Place	Name	Class	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	George Peters	Exp	1415	199	12128.93
2	Kevin Webster	Sport	1315	126	12274.78
3	Brad Sandahl	Exp	746	92	8000.819
4	Jerry Pearson	Sport	641	75	5416.834
5	Eric Lane	Sport	915	69	7651.906
6	Jordan Walker	Sport	372	29	1608.379
7	Martha Elderon	Sport	204	9	1020.019
*	Steve Stewart	Exp	1463	253	11894.73

Sportsman Class

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Kevin Webster	1315	126	12274.78
2	Jerry Pearson	641	75	5416.834
3	Eric Lane	915	69	7651.906
4	Jordan Walker	372	29	1608.379
5	Martha Elderon	204	9	1020.019

Expert Class

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	George Peters	1415	199	12128.93
2	Brad Sandahl	746	92	8000.819
*	Steve Stewart	1463	253	11894.73

* Home Cook’n results are not factored in the series points. Owning the track means enjoying a massive advantage. And even more so when you build and/or maintain many of the IROC cars being contested.

Stay tuned for details on a possible open track day before the end of the 2022 season. This race likely concludes our “official” racing season for 2022. Stay tuned for season points standings, rookie of the year, and other accolades.

Okay, shut up and drive!

Race Report: 2022 IROC Championship Series – Round 3

Round 3 of the 2022 IROC Championship Series was again a shootout between the top Expert and Sportsman drivers, but this time on the SR3 banked oval and a car lineup that would, hopefully, recreate the great era of American dirt-track racing. Race one got underway at 11:30ish Saturday, November 12 under clear blue skies and warm sunshine. Oh, and some of us enjoyed the awesome Krispy Kreme donuts that Eric Lane brought into the paddock–thanks, Eric!

The “Day On The Oval” started with the wild and loose MG+ 1.5 “Midget” hardbodies running at 18v and ended with the always popular Viper Jet (SPEC-JET) with Lexan NAStruck bodies at 12v. A little twist was added to the mix (from Kevin Webster) to only run on the two inside and two outside lanes.

We also got to witness the first-ever female driver participate in our formal racing program. Martha Elderon was amazing in her debut at Stewart Raceway. Martha won heats (segments) in both the MG+ 1.5 “Midget” race and the Retro-Viper “Maximum Leeway” race–Nice!

Short Story Round 3 Overall Results

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	George Peters	400	48	1551.692
2	Kevin Webster	383	40	1644.271
3	Jordan Walker	372	29	1608.379
4	Eric Lane	365	22	1684.491
5	Jerry Pearson	222	18	997.273
6	Martha Elderon	204	9	1020.019
*	Steve Stewart	418	64	1507.187

Race 1: MegaG+ 1.5 “Midgets” (18.1v)

MegaG+ 1.5 “Midgets” 3D-printed bodies available from MTS 3D Hobbies on eBay or Shapeways.

These cars are a handful to drive since they have no traction magnets and a weighted independent front end. To make things even more challenging for the drivers, two of the cars on the inside lanes were underpowered at 18v and required extreme patience and skill to limit the losses each driver would suffer in those two lanes. Martha Elderon, surprised us all by bagging her first-ever heat win in the Red lane. Martha drove the wheels of the car and had a huge smile on her face after winning that segment late in the race.

Sportsman driver, Jordan Walker dominated this one until the last couple of segments, dropping to 4th overall after Kevin Webster and George Peters. In the end, Sportsman driver Kevin Webster came out on top with a heat win and three 2nd-place finishes. Sportsman driver, Jerry Pearson took the final podium spot with a very nice heat win in the final segment.

These cars were intended to be run at 22v but the consensus was that they were easier to drive at 18v. Sadly, they were tested and tuned at 22v and two of them did not run nearly as well at 18v as the other two. (Details)

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Kevin Webster	115	13	534.661
2	George Peters	114	11	522.128
3	Jerry Pearson	111	7	536.974
4	Jordan Walker	109	6	528.271
5	Martha Elderon	109	5	552.024
6	Eric Lane	108	4	569.509
*	Steve Stewart	118	16	517.322

Race 2: Retro-Vipers “Maximum Leeway” Lexan (15v)

These are way cool cars based on the Viper V-SPEC chassis but using weights instead of traction magnets and a special motor magnet design that minimizes downforce. These cars can also be a handful but the newly minted Hot Wheels “Maximum Leeway” Lexan bodies seemed to help keep the cars firmly planted even at 15v.

Retro-Viper chassis with a replica Hot Wheels “Maximum Leeway” late-model Lexan dirt-track bodies.

This race and perhaps this car would be the most competitive of the day with nearly every driver winning at least one heat. Martha Elderon won her second heat race of the day in the first segment on the Blue lane. Besting second and third place by two laps–Go, Martha!

In the end, Expert Driver George Peters would come from behind and steal the show from the hard-charging Jerry Pearson in second. Kevin Webster bagged the final podium spot and some valuable points needed to maintain his lead in the series. (Details)

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	George Peters	115	13	421.945
2	Jerry Pearson	111	11	460.299
3	Kevin Webster	103	7	435.335
4	Eric Lane	101	6	457.765
5	Jordan Walker	100	5	443.116
6	Martha Elderon	95	4	467.995
*	Steve Stewart	120	16	406.225

Race 3: MegaG 1.7 Whelen/SK Modifieds (18v)

MegaG 1.7 Whelen/SK Modifieds 3D-printed bodies available from MTS 3D Hobbies on eBay and Shapeways.

Another “drifting” type of car with good power and speed. These cars are a hoot on the oval and this race was also very competitive. We would lose two drivers prior to the start of Race 3 but it didn’t get any easier for anybody. We dropped down to three lanes, running just the Yellow, Green, and Red lanes freeing up two drivers to marshal.

New Sportsman driver, Eric Lane would bag his second heat win of the day in this one by winning segment four, less than a second ahead of 2nd place finisher, Jordan Walker. Close racing, indeed.

This race was also a heated battle between the two Expert drivers, George Peters and Home Cook’n. George fought valiantly and even won the final segment in convincing fashion. However, losing four laps in the first segment in the Green lane would prove a bit too much to overtake Home Cook’n for the overall win. Also very close racing in the Sportsman class, for sure. (Details)

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	George Peters	85	13	333.192
2	Jordan Walker	77	11	340.254
3	Kevin Webster	77	7	356.492
4	Eric Lane	74	6	355.435
*	Steve Stewart	90	16	308.313

Race 4: Viper Jets (SPEC-JET) (12v)

The final race of the day was the venerable Viper Jet under HOPRA SPEC-JET rules and requiring fuel stops at 28-laps. These cars are way fun and on an oval course, even more fun. Super fast and way more “stuck” than any of the previous cars, this one was a battle throughout.

Current Junior of the Year, Jordan Walker, led this one until 4th segment when George Peters took over the race lead with a nice second-place finish and his usual crafty pit-stop strategies. Going into the final segment, George was done with his rotation at 86-laps, tied with Jordan Walker sitting second overall. Would 86-laps be enough for the win?

Box-Stock Viper Jets with Harden Creek NAStruck F-150 Lexan bodies.

Only Kevin Webster and Home Cook’n had a shot at bumping the two drivers off the podium. Kevin went into the final segment with 58-laps, Home Cook’n with 60. In the end, Home Cook’n prevailed with a 30-lap total in the final round. Kevin Webster would end up with 88-laps, bagging second overall and therefore winning the final race of the day. Kevin didn’t win any heats, he just methodically focused on getting laps and managing fuel perfectly.

Not to be outdone by the more experienced drivers, Eric Lane would quietly and brilliantly win the final segment of this race. Going into the final heat with 52-laps, he knew he wasn’t in contention for the overall but he was on a mission. Eric ended the race with a perfect 30-lap score and clicked off the fastest lap of that segment in the process–Go, Eric! (Details)

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Kevin Webster	88	13	317.783
2	George Peters	86	11	274.427
3	Jordan Walker	86	7	296.738
4	Eric Lane	82	6	301.782
*	Steve Stewart	90	16	275.327

Wow! I was a bit apprehensive about the car lineup for this oval round of the series. Typically, most slot car drivers don’t enjoy the more difficult-to-drive cars. This group not only enjoyed the “fast & loose” cars, but they also drove them extremely well–very impressive driving by all!

Series Standings Summary

Going into the final round of the 2022 IROC Champs Series, Kevin Webster has a nearly unassailable points lead in the Sportsman class with steady appearances and strong race results.

George Peters has pretty much locked up the 2022 IROC Championship win in the Expert standings. With only one round left, he only needs to show up and finish a couple of races to take home yet another massive trophy.

IROC Championship Series Points Standings After Round 3:

Sportsman Class

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	Kevin Webster	961	98	7612.257
2	Jerry Pearson	641	75	5416.834
3	Eric Lane	915	69	7651.906
4	Jordan Walker	372	29	1608.379
5	Martha Elderon	204	9	1020.019

Expert Class

Place	Name	Laps	Points	Total Time
1	George Peters	1034	153	7457.567
2	Brad Sandahl	360	42	3331.948
*	Steve Stewart	1064	189	7336.991

The final round of the series is tentatively slated for November 26, 2022 and will be contested on the SR3 Road Course. Though track management is considering a slightly different layout. Stay tuned for more details on the Round 4 finale.

* Home Cook’n results are not factored in the series points. Owning the track means enjoying a massive advantage. And even more so when you build or maintain many of the IROC cars being contested.

Okay, shut up and drive!