Off the Grid now offering go-kart racing
Published 8:15 am Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Contributed PhotoParticipants get ready to try out Off the Grid’s newest attraction: go-kart racing. The track has banked turns and even an S-turn right in the middle to keep things interesting.
Contributed PhotoCo-owner Monie McCoury said the track is the latest in a series of efforts to provide a wide variety of thrill-seeking activities for the tri-cities community.
Off the Grid has unveiled its latest attraction, bringing more excitement and thrills right from the start. You will have to catch them first, however.
Co-owner Monie McCoury said the park recently opened its new Motor Speedway, a paved track where participants can race genuine racing cars from Italy.
“We wanted to bring another adrenaline activity to the tri-cities,” McCoury said.
He said the idea originally started out as a dirt track, but the maintenance and general safety hazard due to the dust flying around prompted Off the Grid to pave it all instead.
The track is a standard, oval-shaped course like official speedways, but with a twist: they added an S-turn in the middle of it.
In addition to the full-fledged racing karts, the attraction will also feature a pace car drivers cannot pass, just like official races like in Bristol.
“This allows for very technical driving and high speeds,” he said. “They can reach up to 50 miles per hour. […] They are sleek, sporty, the right weight and powerful.”
He said the track is just one of many ideas the company constantly looks at as it continues to grow as a thrill park.
“We do not want to be known for just one thing,” McCoury said.
The philosophy of going as intense as they can goes into the design phase as well. When planning for this attraction began about a year ago, he said they did not want to settle for a simple “put-put go-kart track.”
“We want them to tell everyone they know about us,” he said.
He said there is thrill in simply coming up with attraction ideas, but seeing it all come together, like when they got to test the new go-karts out, is incredible.
“It is an adrenaline rush,” he said. “You have to be a driver to drive these. These are full-blown racing karts.”
Currently, the park has 10 karts, and the attraction costs about $19 a person.
The attraction has been open for a few days, and McCoury said they have already received overwhelmingly positive reviews.
“We do everything as extreme as we can possibly do it,” McCoury said.
For more information, contact Off the Grid at 423-707-6022 or by visiting them at 1825 Highway 19E North.
