Electron Raceway hosted its first “President’s Day Extravaganza”. The event featured a Vintage Econo Race (49-57 bodies mounted on Econo Chassis) and a Late Model NASCAR race (80 – Present – Either True Scale or OSCAR spec cars “legal”).
Nine slot-heads showed up at Electron Raceway for the President’s Day Extravaganza held on 2/19/24. Four visitors from Cottage Grove, Mark Hendersen, Dustin Hendersen, Shad Larkins and Eric Macauley were joined by five regulars. Since our visitors from Cottage Grove have not raced at Electron on a regular basis, there were many more offs than usual and as a result, total lap counts were down.
The race director, Rich apologizes for the scoring problems associated with TrakMate during the NASCAR race that resulted in re-running heats and adjusting heat lap totals as the race progressed. I am sure it was an “operator error” and will be addressed prior to the next race.
Editor’s Note: Yesterday, I tackled the timing and scoring issue. The problem was rather simple and it was associated with the “set-up” tab. I ran a “sample” race to insure that the system operated as it should. Issue resolved.
Race Summary
- In the Vintage Econo Race it was Rich, Mark and Lowell for first through third respectively
- In the NASCAR race it was Rich, Bob and Ron for first through third respectively. A shout-out goes to Dustin who finished fourth and gave Ron a real challenge for the number three podium spot.
The Vintage Econo class features a simple scratch-built design with tight specifications. No hinges are permitted, however, the chassis allows for a “rattle” or side to side motion. Power is provided by Deathstar or ProSlot 16Ds. Because of the tight specifications and the sealed motors, races are always close and competitive.
Vintage Econo Current Race
It became obvious early on that the race was going to be a Studebaker sweep. I believe that the “Stude” is the best body to use because it is low and light. In addition, these cars were piloted by experienced locals who are quite familiar with the nuances of Electron Raceway. In fact Studebakers finished in all four of the top spots.
Rich’s Studebaker was the quickest car in the field turning a 5.193 second lap. In the end, Rich outdistanced the field finishing with a lap count of 85.4. The other podium spots were hotly contested by other locals including Mark Colby, Lowell, Ron and Bob. All of these drivers turned fast laps in the 5.3-5.4 second range. Mark drove the most consistent race of this group resulting in a second place finish with 81.8 laps. Lowell was third only three sections behind Mark; Ron fourth only a half lap behind Lowell; and Bob fifth only two sections behind Ron.
Since the emphasis of local racing is on fun, the contests are paused to address mechanical problems and/or to swap out cars if necessary, without penalty. After the completion of his next to last heat, Dustin discovered a serious issue with his Mercury. One of the locals lent Dustin a Stude. With this ride, Dustin was quite competitive running a fast lap of 5.483 seconds and a lap total of 20.4 in his final heat. Note that if extrapolated, that heat total would have put Dustin in contention for a podium spot.
True Scale NASCAR is a relatively new addition to the rotation with only five contests under our belt. With the Daytona 500 run on Monday, February nineteenth it seemed fitting that the race in miniature was run at Electron Raceway as well, albeit on a road course.
As mentioned above, timing and scoring problems delayed the official start of the race and problems continued throughout the race. After each heat, lap totals were adjusted to reflect individual results. Lowell was anxious to run his NASCAR ride; however the delay would cause a rather late conclusion to the evening. With a very early work commitment, Lowell reluctantly packed up and headed for home. This left eight racers for the NASCAR event.
NASCAR Current Race
The NASCAR contest pitted the True Scale rides of Electron regulars against the OSCAR rides of our guests from the North. On the one hand, the OSCAR rides with their sophisticated hinged, scratch-built chassis should perform a bit better than their True Scale counterparts. On the other hand, Electron regulars had the advantage of knowing the nuances of the track.
Again, Rich’s car was the quickest (5.05 seconds) and he outdistanced the field to finish first with 90.8 laps. Bob’s Chevy was the next quickest (5.203 seconds) and finished an unchallenged second place with 85.7 laps. The race for the bottom step of the podium was between Ron, Dustin and Mark Colby. In the end, Ron finished third with 82.5 laps; Dustin fourth with 80.5 laps and Mark Colby fifth with 79.5 laps
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