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)

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.

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)

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?

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!