Pole Position Raceway

All the people complaining about the karts spinning out or poor kart performance, well they just don’t know how to drive. My uncle, cousin, and I have gone 4 times now and are becoming pros. We all average 31 seconds a lap and rarely even touch the brakes when driving. Don’t blame the karts because you can’t drive, this place is great and all the staff helps and is friendly. Price is high but if you can drive and compete like we do now, well it’s fun.

We were told it would be 15 minutes and we finally got called a hour and a half later. If we were told that it would be an hour + I would’ve been fine with that and would not have expected to be called prior to that time. Don’t get me wrong. When we finally got to race, it was fun but I do not plan on returning. The 15 minutes and hour and half later thing left a bad impression on me.

These are not your typical go karts. These things are very fast. They sound like you’re driving a Ferarri. The karts are so fast that I could feel myself straining through the turns to keep it on a proper line with the immense g-​force that I was experiencing. When I went, I went with my brother and father during the weekday and we were basically the only ones there. So, as a method of making it more competitive, they had a worker race with us each time which was a great measuring tool.
I would love to go here weekly, but my only complaint is that it is pricey. The price is worth it for the speed.

I find it darkly amusing that Unilocal is asking me if a picture of Fredbird holding a «Let faster cart pass» sign is «helpful.» Yes, Unilocal,that would have been helpful, but I suspect that Fredbird stole or hid that sign, because it’s definitely not in use at Pole Position.
Came here with two friends my age, and two kids, ages 10 and 12, to kill some time over Christmas break. We signed up for one «adult» race as full speed and then two «mixed» races so we could compete against the boys. This place is much the same as a lot of these high speed electric kart places, with very low, reasonably high powered karts — to the point where braking while turning is enough to cause the car to spin out (although a lot of that owes to only having rear brakes). Either way, at full speed, you do have to brake, and you do have to think about how you’re racing. And because of that speed, there are people who aren’t going to push maximum speed… and you, by the way, are stuck behind those people, and they won’t let you pass. This is where Fredbird’s sign comes in. Even though the safety video clearly covers how to recognize and obey a «move over» signal, there was no one monitoring the race to deliver such instructions. It’s not fun when you’re just stuck behind people, waiting for them to screw up so you can somehow sneak around them. Although, I suppose that does make it in to an excellent Formula 1 analog…
The slower speed races are anti-​climactic for an adult who has raced at full speed. You can plant the throttle and NEVER LIFT the entire race, which is similarly not exciting. I was literally holding my brake leg up to my chest to avoid even accidentally brushing on it, so important was every shred of speed I could coax out of the kart. And yes, there are still people who are using the brakes and lifting off the throttle in corners, slowing everyone down and causing pile ups and aggressive behavior. Such as me t-​boning my friend’s son. Sorry, man. But again, no one is watching the races to get slow pokes to move over so people who are more comfortable with driving fast, or are just in faster karts, can enjoy themselves.
On top of all of that, this place really isn’t cheap. I spent ~$ 70 for 3 races, and while it’s fun to tear around in karts, it’s also pretty frustrating to be constantly held up behind slower karts because the race isn’t being managed properly. I’ve done a couple of these, whether Pole Position or K1 Speed, and it’s never been run this «poorly» — I wouldn’t come back to this one. The boys had fun, which is really why we came, but when you offer an «adult» mode that neither boy was old enough to take part in… it needs to be fun for those «adults» too.

For starters, James H. Who gave a bad review is off his rocker. I don’t understand what he is complaining about! Not a single person came out of their cars holding their wrists or complaining about anything. Please don’t take anything he said to be true.
This was my first time doing something like this and it was a lot of fun. This place is very clean too. From the bathrooms to the main gallery area, very clean. The karts are fast and the staff does a great job with helping everyone but still letting people let loose a little bit. The price seems a little steep for such a short race, but I don’t have anything to compare it to either. There are great deals out there which makes it more affordable. Overall I had a great time!

Wow. Worst experience I’ve ever had with a business and the worse go kart racing and I’ve been on dozens of tracks. First, everyone that raced had wrists that hurt after just one race. Not sure what caused the wrist pain, but after the race you could look out and see every driver flexing their wrists as if in pain, so whatever caused this needs to be fixed since it’s effecting everyone, maybe it’s the track or the cars are poor? Who knows. My girlfriend is still complaining about shoulder pain days after racing on the gokarts and she never complains about anything. Second, the cars vary greatly, some have decent tires but others have so little traction that you’ll hit the wall on almost every turn which is frustrating if you’re trying to compete with friends. They also require wearing full motorcycle helmets with covered face mask which becomes very hot when racing indoors and seems pointless, there is no wind and we are indoors, why do we need masks covering our eyes and face? And on top of that you overcharged my credit card by more than $ 50, almost $ 150 for 4 races.
UPDATE: Owner stalked me on Facebook and messaged me! After over a dozen messages I had to block him! WOW Guess I was right about how horrible this place is.

Went for an adult’s birthday party. They do have a few adult beverages, by the way, but you can’t drink ’til you’re done racing and no drinks before, or the system locks you out.
They have electronic sign-​up, then you pay, wait for your group to get called, watch the safety video, get in your car, wait to be released onto track with the next group.
There are cool electronic screens where you can see the speed and placement (1^st, 2^nd, etc.) of each racer, based on the Racer Name they chose when they logged in.

This is super fun way to burn off some competitive energy against friends! I could see this become a regular thing if I was a local but sadly I’m not. I took my cousin for fun while we were in town and it was a blast!
The reason for 4 stars is the expense to time ratio: $ 56 for two guys to race ten laps. That’s about $ 3 a lap or $ 28 for ten minutes of fun, in my book that’s expensive! Maybe it’s better if you are a member or have some group discount. Buy I guess that’s how they get people to sign up for a membership.
The experience was good and the staff lacked personality but did their jobs well, it was the end of the day so maybe they were ready to go home. The cars were turned down on speed because it was our first time there which is understandable. But while racing it felt plenty fast. Our fastest time was 36:02 so try to beat that (probably won’t be that hard, lol).
Overall good time, was it worth the coin… ehhh, yeah I guess because me and my cus’ are still talking trash about next time we go! Go check them out and see for yourself!

Even though it’s a little pricey, it’s a blast. The course is always fun, kept safe, and the karts are FAST!

I’ve been four times so far and each time I can’t wait to go back. Staff is friendly and helpful. Haven’t had a chance to race a Grand Prix yet but soon enough. Highly recommend to anyone who is into cars and/​or racing.

This place is awesome! Karts are super fast and course is fun and they change it up every so often! The downside is the price is a little high and they are very strict on the bumping. It’s a narrow track, how you pass without some running?

Pole Position is a blast.
I won a family package at an event and took my children (11 and 8), they thought it would be a good time, it was. We have been twice now and it is a great time.
If you just walk in, your race is going to be about 10 minutes on the track. The track is a Grand Prix layout that offers turns and a long straight where you can get going pretty well. If you are thinking about go carts, with lawn mower engines, um, no. These are electric karts with a top speed around 20 mph. Sitting an inch off the ground, 20 is quick enough.
Safety is up front and the staff does an excellent job keeping everyone safe. In our first visit, there were three families on the track at once. Maybe three riders under 10, some young teens, and some dads. The staff helped some of the younger ones off the wall, and everyone had a great time and left the track smiling. Your «finish» is based on fastest lap, so even though I passed you, You may still «win».
I cannot say enough about how nice and efficient the staff is. They were always on the ball with keeping the racers safe and race fun being the top priority.
Our second visit was for a birthday party. The event planner was a great help. Im my two visits I also saw a group of firefighters and what looked like a bachelor party. It is a great place for groups.
Some notes
They are in an ex-​K-​mart between Crestwood Plaza (RIP) and Elm on the south side of Watson. Plenty of parking. With safety comes height restrictions. If you are planning a child event, make sure your guests are 48″ tall or taller.
When the karts are racing, it can get loud. Hey you are a foot away from the racing.
Plan for about 20 minutes of prep before racing. You will need to watch the safety video, get your race grouped together, get a helmet, and get everyone in their car before the green flag drops.

We scheduled a team building incentive at work and decided to give Pole Position Raceway a shot for a fun night. I used my handy Unilocal app to map me to the location which is easy to find off Watson Rd.
The facility has a very large parking lot so plenty of space. They have a very cool indy car right as you walk in. The indoor road track is straight ahead of you and the check in counter is to the left. You do have to fill out a waiver and you are responsible if you drive like a fool and destroy the cart but for the most part, you would have to be pretty careless to destroy one. (Definitely not saying it can’t be done). They split us into groups and once they call your name you go into a little area that you pick out your helmet watch a video on how to drive the cart. Once that is done then you are taken to the «Pit Area» to get your car. They assign a vehicle number to you so it’s not a race to pick a cart, you get in the numbered cart that was displayed on the monitor.
The seats are adjustable and they do have a full 5 point seat harness. Tighten up, you will need it later. These cars are computer controlled. Also electric not gas so there are not fumes being indoors which is nice. Once they start you out of the pits the computer is controlling you speed. Basically you are about 1.5 mph exiting the pits until all cars are on the track. Then they will release you to fly around the track.
Surprisingly the cars are pretty fast for what you would normally expect out of a «Open to the public» go carts. These are race carts. You can absolutely spin the cart out or slide into the wall (done it) because of the speed going into a corner. You very much have to finesse the car around the track to hold a fast speed.
It is set up similar to the real thing. We purchased the 3 session package, which means 1 practice session, 1 qualifying session and 1 race session. You can have an additional practice session if you wish, for a fee of coarse.
Anyway, had a great time. Can’t wait to go back. If you go, let me know if you can beat my lap of 26.80!!!