Indoor Go-Kart Track Blazes Way for Family Entertainment in Crestwood

Mike Johnson, owner of Crestwood's new Pole Position Raceway St. Louis, said there's been a steady crowd of curious customers trying out his electric go-karts since its opening on March 18.

It took just a few months to transform the 56,000-square-foot Value City department store into an indoor track. The renovated facility includes tracks for adult and youth riders, arcade games, and rooms for meetings and special events.

Karts can travel up to 45 mph, though their acceleration is much faster than the average car.

"(If you keep it floored) you will hurt yourself," Johnson previously advised Patch. "Be prepared to hit the brakes."

During a tour of the new facility on Friday, Johnson added a second piece of advice: don't be timid about using your steering wheel during the course's many turns.

Johnson knows a thing or two about driving--he's a former race car driver, and currently manages race teams in the NASCAR-owned Grand-Am Roles Series since 2000, according to a news release from Pole Position.

"Racing is in my blood--it's something I've been doing for 20 years," he said in the release. "This is my chance to combine my love for racing with my love for my hometown of St. Louis where this is already so much racing history."

He hopes it will be a destination for families. The facility offers group racing and membership packages, in addition to services for birthday parties, bachelor parties, team building and other corporate events.

Pole Position Raceway St. Louis has chosen the St. Louis Chapter of Autism Speaks as its official charity, and are planning a fundraiser in the near future.

For more information, contact Pole Position Raceway at 314-925-7545 or visit PolePositionRaceway.com.

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