Buckle up. Indoor go-kart race track opens in Tri-Cities

Test your stamina and speed at a new indoor Tri-Cities raceway.

DirtKart in Kennewick marked its first weekend at the site of a former indoor baseball and softball training center at the Mid-Town Plaza.

It’s the Tri-Cities’ first indoor race track.

Earlier in the week General Manager Dave Johnson was working up a sweat painting and building to put the final touches on the track at 2203 W. Fourth Ave. off Vancouver Street.

“Right in time for Water Follies. Right in time for the fair,” he said.

Johnson told the Herald the job getting the track up and running is a natural fit. He used to race autocross and National Racing Alliance drag racing before he worked in private security contracting.

He said that this indoor track is something special for the Tri-Cities.

When you are zipping around the corners — you’ll be on clay, not dirt. The track is watered constantly with a special gel solution that keeps the moisture in the dirt instead of blowing dirty clouds around the arena.

“You don’t want rocks — because they’d fly everywhere,” Johnson said.

He said that the go-karts have more horsepower than many others.

But no worries — no matter how many times you crash, Johnson says that you get to finish all the laps in your race, as long as the crash was not intentional.

Twenty five laps cost $20. For each additional 25 laps, you save $1 off the base price.

The facility also can be rented for private parties in the style of Chuck E Cheese for adults.

For $40 per person with an eight-person minimum, a party package will include a race, pizza and soda and a private room to eat with a view of the ‘gnarliest corner of the track.’

There will be a strict no drinking-and-driving policy, and no alcohol will be served at the facility, Johnson said.

That policy will be enforced, he said, so plan to arrive sober. And kids are welcome as spectators. Drivers must be at least 56 inches tall to drive but there is no cost for people who watch.

“It is going to spread like a wildfire,” Johnson said. “Everyone I mentioned it to, their eyebrows raise.”

The DirtKart chain is spreading rapidly.

The first DirtKart was opened in Spokane in late 2019 by Brycen Tarr, owner of the WheelMan auto shop in Spokane.

Tarr soon added a DirtKart in Post Falls, Idaho, in September 2020, followed by DirtKart in Boise in mid-March and DirtKart in Tempe, Ariz., on June 14.

Tarr, who couldn’t be reached about his Tri-Cities opening, has a history in the regional racing industry.

He formerly operated the Spokane County Raceway and bought the Hermiston Oval Raceway in 2012. He apparently took it to new levels with creativity such as school bus races, according to the East Oregonian. He ran the track until 2016.

Tarr also had his hand in working with the Yakima Speedway and Wenatchee Valley Super Oval.

Reservations are encouraged at the Kennewick track but walk-ins also are welcome. Hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Email Allison Stormo at astormo@tricityherald.com to share news about your business opening, closing or other changes.