Another Epic Wednesday Night “Under the Lights” Event On Both Tracks

A big welcome to our newest driver, Scott Arfsten! Scott is a former Granite Bay resident relocating back to the Santa Cruz Mountains after many years. Scott is another natural and Rookie of the Year candidate, for sure.

Thanks to all participants who brought stuff to share and enjoy. Dean took care of the main course, which was delicious Chicken Tortilla Soup. And Joe Clarke was the Superstar late-comer, bringing a delicious chocolate cream pie—my favorite!!

Going all AI with this one. Trying to streamline the Race Report process a bit. Probably Something the next-gen Race Management Systems will support better, I hope…

AI Generated Summary: A classic Stewart Raceway oval battle — points-heavy format rewards segment excellence over pure volume, especially with four-lane rotations and Outs. Scott and Max punched above expectations in the mix.

Short Story

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 274 84 1600.381
2 Dean Donaldson 269 76 1572.602
3 Dustin Jolley 272 71 1485.535
4 Jeff Seltzer 250 58 1636.648
5 Joe Clarke 115 50 757.304
6 Max Dunn 144 14 775.240
7 Scott Arfsten 135 14 782.019

Here’s a clean summary and analysis of the race results for this slot car (or similar scale racing) event: 

Name
Laps
Points
RunTime (sec)
Avg Laps (s/lap)
1
Steve Stewart
274
84
1600.381
≈5.841
2
Dean Donaldson
269
76
1572.602
≈5.845
3
Dustin Jolley
272
71
1485.535
≈5.462
4
Jeff Seltzer
250
58
1636.648
≈6.547
5
Joe Clarke
115
50
757.304
≈6.585
6
Max Dunn
144
14
775.240
≈5.384
7
Scott Arfsten
135
14
782.019
≈5.793
Key  AI observations:
    • Winner: Steve Stewart takes 1st with the highest laps (274) and points (84), despite not having the fastest average lap time.
    • Laps leader: Steve Stewart (274), closely followed by Dustin Jolley (272).
    • Fastest average pace (lowest seconds per lap, among those with solid laps): Max Dunn (5.384 s/lap) edges out Dustin Jolley (5.462 s/lap). These drivers were clearly quick but may have had fewer total laps due to fewer segments run, deslotting, or shorter participation.
    • Efficiency / points per lap: Steve Stewart leads at ≈0.307 pts/lap, followed by Dean Donaldson (≈0.282) and Dustin Jolley (≈0.261). Lower placers like Max Dunn and Scott Arfsten have much lower points efficiency (~0.097), likely because they ran in fewer heats/segments or scored lower per segment.
    • Time vs. laps: Dustin Jolley completed nearly as many laps as the winner but in much less total time → strong indicator of consistent speed. Steve Stewart and Dean Donaldson have similar avg lap times (~5.84 s), suggesting close racing at the front.

This format is typical for endurance-style or segmented slot car racing (e.g., multiple heats or lanes, total laps across segments determine much of the outcome, with points possibly awarded per heat or segment and then totaled).Pace highlights:

    • Dustin Jolley and Max Dunn posted the quickest consistent laps.
    • The top 3 were very close in raw speed, but the winner maximized total distance (laps).

Congrats to Steve Stewart on the win! If this is part of a series or you have more context (e.g., number of segments/heats, points breakdown per heat, or track details), I can dig deeper into the performance metrics.

Race 1: TFX Austin Martin (i) (o)
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 77 16 374.396
2 Dustin Jolley 78 14 368.292
3 Dean Donaldson 77 13 353.192
4 Scott Arfsten 68 9 394.731
5 Max Dunn 70 7 371.788
6 Jeff Seltzer 67 7 379.875
Key AI Observations:
      • Dustin Jolley completed the most laps (78), but finished 2nd overall.
      • Steve Stewart won with 77 laps but earned the highest points (16).
      • Dean Donaldson had the lowest total time among the top 3 (353.192 seconds for 77 laps), suggesting he was the fastest on average.
      • Lower places have fewer laps and lower points, as expected.

Calculated Average Lap TimesLower average lap time = faster pace (more consistent speed, fewer issues).

      • Dean Donaldson: 353.192 s / 77 laps ≈ 4.586 seconds per lap (fastest average)
      • Dustin Jolley: 368.292 s / 78 laps ≈ 4.722 s/lap
      • Steve Stewart: 374.396 s / 77 laps ≈ 4.863 s/lap
      • Max Dunn: 371.788 s / 70 laps ≈ 5.311 s/lap
      • Jeff Seltzer: 379.875 s / 67 laps ≈ 5.669 s/lap
      • Scott Arfsten: 394.731 s / 68 laps ≈ 5.805 s/lap (slowest average)

Dean Donaldson clearly had the quickest pace, but fewer total laps than Dustin Jolley kept him from 1st or 2nd.  

      • Dustin led in raw laps (78) but got 14 points → perhaps lost a close tiebreaker to Steve (who may have had a slightly better “section” or bonus).
      • Dean’s superior speed (lowest avg lap time) didn’t overcome having one fewer lap than Steve.
      • The points don’t strictly follow lap order, suggesting a system with bonuses (e.g., for consistency, fastest overall pace, or heat wins) or a specific club’s custom table.

Overall, Steve Stewart took the win through a combination of strong laps + whatever tiebreaker or bonus pushed him ahead of Dustin’s extra lap. Details

Race 2: Tyco Jets (i)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 80 18 437.207
2 Dustin Jolley 78 15 344.530
3 Jeff Seltzer 69 11 452.218
4 Dean Donaldson 76 10 428.032
5 Max Dunn 74 7 403.452
6 Scott Arfsten 67 5 387.288
Key AI Observations from Race 2:
Steve Stewart dominated again, winning with the highest laps (80) and earning the top points (18). His total time is higher, but that’s expected with more laps completed.
  • Dustin Jolley had an exceptionally fast run—his total time of 344.530 seconds for 78 laps is dramatically lower than others, indicating blistering pace (likely the fastest driver in this heat).
  • Jeff Seltzer moved up to 3rd despite only 69 laps, suggesting strong points possibly from consistency or bonuses.
  • Dean Donaldson slipped to 4th with 76 laps—solid but not enough to challenge the top two.
  • Lower finishers had fewer laps, as typical in these formats.

Calculated Average Lap Times (lower = faster pace)

      • Dustin Jolley: 344.530 s / 78 laps ≈ 4.417 seconds per lap (fastest by a wide margin—he was flying!)
      • Steve Stewart: 437.207 s / 80 laps ≈ 5.465 s/lap
      • Dean Donaldson: 428.032 s / 76 laps ≈ 5.632 s/lap
      • Max Dunn: 403.452 s / 74 laps ≈ 5.452 s/lap
      • Scott Arfsten: 387.288 s / 67 laps ≈ 5.780 s/lap
      • Jeff Seltzer: 452.218 s / 69 laps ≈ 6.554 s/lap (slowest average, but still podiumed—points may reward laps heavily)

Dustin clearly had the quickest car/handling in Race 2, but Steve’s extra 2 laps secured the win (common in fixed-time or multi-heat formats where total laps are king, with ties broken by other factors).

Comparing to Race 1 (for context)

      • Race 1 winner: Steve Stewart (77 laps, 16 pts)
      • Race 1 standout: Dean Donaldson had the fastest pace (~4.586 s/lap), but finished 3rd.
      • Race 2 shift: Dustin took the speed crown (~4.417 s/lap), but still 2nd; Steve remains consistent and victorious.
      • Points scales differ slightly between races (Race 1: 16-14-13-9-7-7; Race 2: 18-15-11-10-7-5), which is typical for club events—often adjusted based on field size, format (e.g., IROC, spec classes), or heat bonuses. At Stewart Raceway, points reward lap totals heavily, with possible add-ons for fastest laps, consistency, or lane performance.

Overall Impressions:

Steve Stewart continues his strong form as the club’s top driver (frequent wins, high laps). Dustin Jolley is showing serious speed and potential (noted as a rising talent/rookie-of-the-year type in recent seasons). Dean Donaldson remains quick but inconsistent in lap totals here.  Details

Race 3: MegaG+ 1.7 Corvette C8 (i)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Dean Donaldson 116 53 791.378
2 Steve Stewart 117 50 788.778
3 Joe Clarke 115 50 757.304
4 Dustin Jolley 116 42 772.713
5 Jeff Seltzer 114 40 804.555
Key AI Observations:
    • Dean Donaldson takes the overall win with 116 laps and the highest points (53), despite Steve Stewart edging him by 1 lap (117). This suggests a points system that heavily rewards consistency, segment wins, lane performance, or bonuses (e.g., for fastest segments, fewest deslots, or heat points accumulation) rather than pure lap totals.
    • Steve Stewart has the most laps (117) and a slightly lower total time (788.778 s vs. Dean’s 791.378 s), indicating he was very close in pace but perhaps lost ground in one or more segments.
    • Joe Clarke posts an impressive lowest total time (757.304 s for 115 laps), meaning the fastest average pace among the field—strong contender for “quickest driver” honors in this event.
    • Dustin Jolley (116 laps) and Jeff Seltzer (114 laps) round out the top 5, with solid but lower points—likely due to fewer segment wins or minor issues.

Calculated Average Lap Times (lower = faster pace)Using total time ÷ laps (approximate; actual varies with lane changes, marshaling time, etc.):

    • Joe Clarke: 757.304 s / 115 laps ≈ 6.585 seconds per lap (fastest average—blistering speed, likely dominated some segments)
    • Dean Donaldson: 791.378 s / 116 laps ≈ 6.822 s/lap
    • Dustin Jolley: 772.713 s / 116 laps ≈ 6.661 s/lap (very close to Joe, strong contender)
    • Steve Stewart: 788.778 s / 117 laps ≈ 6.742 s/lap
    • Jeff Seltzer: 804.555 s / 114 laps ≈ 7.057 s/lap (solid but a step behind the top pace)

The field ran roughly 6.6–7.1 s/lap averages, typical for “stuck” classes like Viper V-SPEC, Jag PR-5, or MegaG+ IROC cars on SR3 (routed track) or oval—faster than earlier “slippery” or T-Jet races (~4–5 s/lap in some prior events).

Likely Race Format & Scoring ContextFrom Stewart Raceway patterns (multi-segment races with 4–6 lanes, timed heats ~2–4 minutes each, drivers rotate lanes, total laps + segment points):

    • Points seem aggregated from segment finishes (e.g., 20–15–12–10–… per segment) plus possible bonuses.
    • Dean’s win despite 1 fewer lap than Steve points to segment dominance—he likely won more heats/segments, offsetting the lap deficit.
    • Ties in laps (e.g., Dean & Dustin at 116) broken by points/time.
    • This event had higher lap totals (115–117) than prior single races (70–80), suggesting more segments or a longer overall duration (possibly 45–60+ minutes total racing time).
    • Joe Clarke’s fast time/low laps relative to others hints at a strong run but perhaps one weaker segment.

Comparison to Prior Races (from your shared summaries)

    • Race 1 (earlier event): Steve won (77 laps/16 pts), Dean fastest pace but 3rd.
    • Race 2: Steve won again (80 laps/18 pts), Dustin fastest pace but 2nd.
    • This race (likely later in 2026 season): Dean Donaldson flips the script for the win—his progression from 2025 Rookie/Sportsman champ to Expert-level dominance continues (he advanced to Expert early 2026 after a stellar 2025 with 64 races, 6 wins, lap records).
    • Steve remains ultra-consistent (high laps/points across events), but Dean’s speed + strategy paid off here.
    • Dustin & Joe showing strong form; Jeff holding steady in top 5.

Dean Donaldson emerges as the star of this one—great comeback or peak performance after close battles in prior races. Steve’s extra lap wasn’t enough against Dean’s points haul. If this is from a specific event (e.g., a Saturday “Big Kids” race, oval day, or series points race in early 2026), or if you have the full race report/date/car class (Viper, MegaG, IROC?), cumulative series standings, or next race details, share for deeper breakdown! The stewartraceway.org site tracks these closely—always epic close finishes at this track.  Details

Okay, that’s it for another partially AI-generated report. Maybe in the next post, I’ll have AI take a crack at analyzing a SLotTrak detailed race report and see how that comes out.

Okay, shut up and drive!

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!

Dean Donaldson Dominates Second “Friday Night Lights” Event

What was expected to be a low-key test and tune event turned into a barn-burner racing night.

After the scheduled event was canceled due to low turnout, we opened up to allow local driver, Dean Donaldson to get his newly procured Viper V-SPEC car dialed-in. Dean had worked on the body but needed some help getting it trimmed and mounted. Dean brought along his neighbor, Bev Seltzer, who was curious to check out the Stewart Raceway action and cut a few laps with Dean.

While I worked on Dean’s Viper body, he and Bev had some fun cutting laps and dicing with each other with MegaG+ 1.7 cars. Once I got Dean’s Viper body installed and ready, Dean took it for a spin and immediately started clocking some speedy laps. Dean quickly realized he had a blazingly fast car and suggested we run a race or two to see what it could do.

Bev and Home Cook’n pulled out a couple of Fast Lane racing’s Viper V-SPEC F1/Indy Lexan IROC cars, and we lined up at the starting line for a 35-lap Dash fuel race.

As you can see, Dean was hooked up and smoking on SR2 with a fastest lap of 3.270, which is quite close to the lap record for this type of car on SR2’s straight road course.

Track: Stewart Raceway II Straight Road Course
Date: Apr-11-2025 19:46
Class: Viper V-SPEC SPEC STOCK Lexan
Descr: Test
Name Lane Avg
Fast
Median
Laps Place
Dean Donaldson Yellow 11.978 3.270 3.629 35 1
Steve Stewart Red 12.592 3.623 4.028 33 2
Bev Seltzer White 16.983 4.037 7.606 25 3

After the first race, Kathy joined us, and we did three more Dash races but with 40 laps instead of 35. Dean didn’t win them all, but he clearly dominated the night and clicked off a 3.261 lap in the process.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Dean Donaldson 154 58 108.13
2 Steve Stewart 146 53 106.589
3 Bev Seltzer 118 36 101.94
4 Kathy Stewart 105 34 332.422

Kathy won the third race by a lap over Dean and a fastest lap of 3.351. Our newest competitor at Stewart Raceway, Bev Seltzer, had a fantastic first time, with a fastest lap of 3.666. Bev could be an up-and-coming driver for Team Donaldson Racing; we’ll see.

Track: Stewart Raceway II Straight Road Course
Date: Apr-11-2025 22:00
Class: Viper V-SPEC SPEC STOCK Lexan
Descr: Test
Name Lane Avg Fast
Median
Laps Place
Kathy Stewart Blue 8.302 3.351 4.086 40 1
Dean Donaldson Yellow 8.596 3.346 3.702 39 2
Steve Stewart Red 9.557 3.539 3.910 36 3
Bev Seltzer White 11.197 3.669 4.578 30 4

So, the bottom line is that Dean is pleased with his purchase of his first Viper V-SPEC chassis and is eager to see how it does in an “official” racing event. Not to mention that Dean is also a very capable magnet car driver. SR2 is a hard course for such powerful cars, and Dean proved he was up to the task, for sure.

Okay, maybe the next Friday Night Lights event will feature both a men’s and a women’s race. Or at least an “A” and “B” main.

Okay, shut up and drive!

Friday Night Lights Event Videos Posted

While it wasn’t an official race, we did manage to get video of the three races last Friday night: two on SR2 and one on SR3. The two SR2 videos are mostly unedited because one of the cameras froze before the recording started and did not capture any action from that view. Editing those dead spots out is way too time-consuming, so it is what it is.

The SR3 video is fine, just not as edited as I would normally do.

https://rumble.com/c/c-3364960

Fast forward through the SR2 dead spots.

Hopefully, we’ll get it right next time.

Friday Night Lights Inaugural Event

What a great track night! Six drivers showed up for an evening of fun and speed on both Stewart Raceway tracks.

This is an older picture of SR2’s “straight” road course layout as a screen background on its RMS system.

After an hour or so of hot laps on SR3’s oval course, we ran a fuel race using MegaG+ 1.7 F1/Indy “Lite” cars.Milo hanging out in the SR2 paddock.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 117 16 306.499
2 George Peters 113 15 313.98
3 Joe Vargas 110 13 315.069
4 Oxana Che 106 8 325.79
5 Dean Donaldson 105 8 309.884
6 Kevin Webster 102 6 331.667

Team Hummingbird’s Joe Vargas is on the podium on just his third visit to Stewart Raceway.

We again ran Race 2 on SR2 with the MegaG+ “Lite” cars. Joe bagged another podium in this one, just one lap off the pace of Home Cook’n.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 99 61 506.044
2 Joe Vargas 98 56 491.132
3 George Peters 98 53 494.965
4 Dean Donaldson 86 42 498.826
5 Oxana Che 91 36 511.277
6 Kevin Webster 83 34 532.675

Race 3 was on SR2 again, but this time with Viper-built Super 7 cars with Tyco NASCAR hardbodies. Joe bagged yet another podium finish with these fine IROC cars donated by Eric’s Fast Lane Racing fame. Another new driver, Dean Donaldson was sitting in 2nd place after completing his rotations with 91 laps at the start of the final segment. Joe Vargas would end his rotation on the Red Lane but just slightly behind Dean in points. In the end, Joe knocked Dean off the last podium spot with a nice 3rd place in the final segment and 3rd overall.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 100 61 470.639
2 Steve Stewart 98 55 459.415
3 Joe Vargas 92 49 474.536
4 Dean Donaldson 91 42 491.275
5 Kevin Webster 81 28 477.341

George Peters, Home Cook’n, and Joe Vargas

Overall Results of Three Fuel Races On Two Different Tracks
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 314 132 1271.958
2 George Peters 311 129 1279.584
3 Joe Vargas 300 118 1280.737
4 Dean Donaldson 282 92 1299.985
5 Kevin Webster 266 68 1341.683
6* Oxana Che 197 44 837.067

* Oxana did not participate in the final race but did a great job marshaling.

Overall, it was a great night of racing, and the new drivers all did well. Oxana did a fantastic job adjusting to the different cars and tracks, but running on an oval for the first time and then switching to the smaller but very fast SR2 road course was just too stressful after a long work week, so Oxana decided to skip the final race with even faster cars.

Dean Donaldson had a great night, with one segment win in the oval race and at least two second-place segments in the last two races on the SR2 road course.

Joe Vargas had a phenomenal night, with three segment wins, several second-place segment finishes, a second overall, and two third-place podium visits.

Of course, these were all “unofficial” race results, but our newest drivers showed they can best these results and win races as they progress.

While not an “official” race event, SR2 saw a couple of notable track record benchmarks set in Race 2: George Peters set the bar for the MegaG+ 1.7 Lites with a 3.910 in the White Lane, and Joe Vargas set the bar for the Blue Lane with a 3.927 lap.

George and Dean Donaldson also set new benchmarks for the Eric “Fast” Lane Super 7 NASCAR IROC set in Race 3: George clicked off a 3.745 in the Blue Lane, and Dean clicked off a 3.753 in the Yellow Lane.

GP Designs latest IROC set, AFX Magna-Traction IMSA Sedans

It was a fun night of racing and good exercise to run on two different tracks for an event. It’s challenging to go from one road course to another, but going from an oval to a road course is way more challenging. I did get video action on both tracks and will post that ASAP.

Thanks to everyone who showed up for our first-ever Friday Night event! I hope everyone enjoyed it; I know I did.

Okay, shut up and drive!