Track Attack

Whether gunning sleek cars or driving small karts as career engine jockeys or weekend wheel junkies, the heart of a racer beats just as furiously fast on speedways indoors and out.

To them, bless their souped-up souls, we dedicate the sage raceway ruminations to follow:

"You win some, lose some and wreck some."

-- Dale Earnhardt Sr.

No wreckage ever litters this track, though, as they go around ... and around ... and around again ... on the quarter-mile layout of straightaways and hairpin curves -- co-designed by NASCAR kingpin Kurt Busch, no less -- at Pole Position Raceway.

"It's certainly cheaper than full-blown racing and just as easy to really get into," says 23-year-old Kirk Babbington, just off the course, placing third in a five-car field, sweat spread across his forehead, a once-crisp white dress shirt and dark slacks now a bit more, well, broken in. An after-work stream of need-for-speed fiends files in to follow him. "I come a couple times a week, it's a real blast."

"Racing is a matter of spirit, not strength."

-- Janet Guthrie

(Track update: The new crew's out there now, in warm-up mode, casually maneuvering, breezing past the barriers ... )

"Kart-racing is a young sport in the United States right now, a way to get both kids and adults involved in racing. It lets people experience their dream of driving a race car," says Bryan Kroten, director of sales and marketing for Pole Position, which opened in late December, tucked just behind the Palms. "The sensation of a 45-mile-per-hour car, you're grinding up against your friends and competitors, the adrenaline rushing through you is incredible."

"Auto-racing, bull-fighting and mountain-climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games."

-- Ernest Hemingway

(Track update: They're weaving now, swerving, speedometers climbing ... )

A Hard Rock for the go-kart set, Pole Position is crammed with raceway memorabilia, including genuine race cars, and sports several relaxation rooms such as lounges and arcade areas to enhance its speedway theme. It's all dressing for the centerpiece course and the 58 Italian-designed electric karts -- no oil leaks, no gas, no exhaust fumes -- pulsing with 18-horsepower engines.

"I want to be a race car passenger, just a guy who bugs the driver: 'Say man, can I turn on the radio? You should slow down. Why do we gotta keep going in circles? Can I put my feet out the window?' "

-- Mitch Hedberg

(Track update: They're tire-screeching now, approaching zoooooom levels ... )

"We can send up to 13 at a time, we send everybody out at slower speeds, then we build them up to the top speed of 45 (mph), depending on whether people are crashing or not," says race controller Adonis Lewis, flag in hand. "If they start crashing into barriers or each other, we'll let them know to calm down."

"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough."

-- Mario Andretti

(Track update: BLAM! Wipeout! Cool! A car bounces big-time off the barriers -- no injuries, a pair of the 1,000 hard plastic blocks cushions the harmless crash -- as Lewis halts the vehicles via remote and sprints over to rearrange the black-and-yellow guardrails ... )

"Al Unser is bringing his son here to teach him how to race -- that's the ultimate validation," says Kroten, stressing that all first-time drivers must attend a pre-race safety briefing and are carefully monitored on their maiden run. Sliding behind the wheel requires a height of at least 48 inches (usually 8 to 10 years old).

A "speed sheet" records drivers' stats in a computer over repeat visits to compare against other racers. "In our database, our fastest driver is a 13-year-old kid," Kroten says.

"It is useless to put on your brakes when you're upside down."

-- Paul Newman

(Track update: They're coasting now ... slowing .... crawling ... and ... stop.)

"On the weekends, it's packed out there," says Babbington, sweat drying on his forehead. "What's cool is that you can go as fast as you want in here and not get in trouble."

"If you ain't first, you're last!"

-- Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell), "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby"

Contact reporter Steve Bornfeld at sbornfeld@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0256.