Weekly Stock Car Expert Division
Here’s a race‑report write‑up based on the official results from Pacific Slot Car Raceways (Nascar Expert, Twister, 09/26/2025) (pacificslotcarraceways.com)
Twister – Nascar Expert – September 26, 2025
Track: Twister
Format: Single (all in one heat)
Top 7 Finishers
| Pos | Driver | Total laps / score | Best lap | Best lane | Notes / comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aaron Rothstein | 297.62 | 4.650 s | Blue | Dominant showing, taking the win with a clear margin |
| 2 | Leonard Strand | 285.82 | 4.747 s | Orange | Solid runner-up effort, but couldn’t match the leader’s pace |
| 3 | Shawn Sweeney | 284.05 | 4.869 s | Purple | Secured a podium spot, staying close to 2nd |
| 4 | Piper Clark | 283.42 | 4.861 s | Blue | Just behind Sweeney, a strong 4th place run |
| 5 | Mike Wilson | 283.00 | 4.734 s | Black | Very close in lap count with Clark, missed out on top 4 by format |
| 6 | Chris Alden | 259.00 | 4.672 s | Blue | Mid‑pack paced run |
| 7 | Bill Clemans | 249.54 | 5.005 s | Purple | Struggled a bit, particularly in lap pace |
Race Narrative & Analysis
From the drop of the green, Aaron Rothstein looked to be in a class of his own. His best lap of 4.650 s on the blue lane was a notch faster than anyone else managed all day, and he put together consistent laps to amass a commanding 297.62 in total — nearly 12 laps ahead of Leonard Strand, who settled for 2nd with 285.82.
Leonard drove a clean race — no big mistakes — but the gap to Rothstein shows that Rothstein probably had the equipment, line, or consistency advantage (or a combination) that was just too much for the field this day.
Shawn Sweeney’s 3rd place comes with credit. His best lap (4.869 s) was off the top pace, but his consistency and ability to hold position against Piper Clark kept him in the top‑3. Piper, in 4th, was only a fraction of a lap behind Sweeney — she showed she had the pace (4.861 s) to run with the leaders, but perhaps lost out by a few laps over the course.
It was tight for 4th and 5th: Mike Wilson put down a very strong lap of 4.734 s (which is actually faster than Sweeney’s best), but the total laps fell just a bit short, so he had to settle for 5th. That tells me he had bursts of speed but couldn’t sustain the consistency over the heat.
The bottom half of the field had more challenges. Chris Alden with 259 laps was solid but out of reach of the top 5, and Bill Clemans, while hanging in there, struggled with pace (5.005 s best lap) which likely compounded into more lost laps.
One thing to note: in a single‑heat format on Twister, lane draw and track transitions are critical since all drivers share the same heat. The “best lane” column shows which lane the driver turned in their best lap: Rothstein’s best was in Blue, Strand’s in Orange, Sweeney in Purple, etc. Some drivers may have had an advantage when they hit their strongest lane. Rothstein’s ability to post his best lap when likely in a favorable lane (and do so while under traffic) suggests he managed transitions well.
Takeaways & Highlights
- Aaron Rothstein was untouchable today — clean, fast, and far ahead on total laps.
- Leonard Strand and Shawn Sweeney drove solid races and earned podium hardware.
- The 4th/5th battle (Piper vs Mike) was tight, and a few laps’ consistency separated them.
- Best lap times do not always translate to final placing — consistency, traffic management, and minimizing mistakes are key.
- Lane draw timing likely played a role — maximizing strongest lanes and managing the lane transitions with minimal lost time is a skill on Twister.