Track History
HISTORY of the track by Quentin Haines
(Written as a forum request seeking volunteers from the karting community. S.E. )
Twenty-plus years ago, some friends and I decided to build a go-kart racetrack, and we did. We bought some land and graded in a nice tri-oval dirt track. The land we purchased for the track was near Cardington, Ohio, so we decided to call our racetrack "Kartington Raceway."
Over the years, lights and grandstands were added and many Saturday nights were filled with racing action. Eventually my friends tired of the project and wanted out so my wife and I bought out their interests. The track sat unused for several years. Finally--and optimistically--my wife and I had the track paved to encourage its use and to cut down on the tremendous amount of work that's needed to prep a dirt track.
From 2003 through 2009, the now-paved Kartington Raceway went through a succession of managers with only ever middling success. The last three summers it has sat unused and is in danger of being taken back by Mother Nature. I don't have the time or the talent to run a kart track myself.
(Written as a forum request seeking volunteers from the karting community. S.E. )
Twenty-plus years ago, some friends and I decided to build a go-kart racetrack, and we did. We bought some land and graded in a nice tri-oval dirt track. The land we purchased for the track was near Cardington, Ohio, so we decided to call our racetrack "Kartington Raceway."
Over the years, lights and grandstands were added and many Saturday nights were filled with racing action. Eventually my friends tired of the project and wanted out so my wife and I bought out their interests. The track sat unused for several years. Finally--and optimistically--my wife and I had the track paved to encourage its use and to cut down on the tremendous amount of work that's needed to prep a dirt track.
From 2003 through 2009, the now-paved Kartington Raceway went through a succession of managers with only ever middling success. The last three summers it has sat unused and is in danger of being taken back by Mother Nature. I don't have the time or the talent to run a kart track myself.
L -->R. Scott Elkes and Quentin Haines (Track Founder)
Quentin and I personally meeting for the first time on Kartington's Clean-up Day.
We recently met through an internet karting forum in early September. However, our introduction process started in the mid-1960s due to a go kart track in Mansfield, Ohio. The track was Dart Kart Speedway, regarded as one of the finest kart racing facilities, ever.
Quentin was one of the thousands of spectators that watched the races. I raced there in 1965 as a competitor in the I.K.F. events and the International Karting Olympics. But, we did not meet there. What happened was, that we both carried away a little bit of the history of Dart Kart Speedway.
Mine was with an 8mm home movie taken by my father and brother at one of those I.K.F. events. Quentin's was the memories and the words he would write many years later about the Dart Kart Speedway owner, Micky Rupp, in a 2008 published article. No, we still have not met.
In 2012, I edited the film and published it on YouTube to share this rare movie of Dart Kart Speedway, that no longer exists, with the karting community.
The movie was out there on YouTube for many months with an occasional view here and there. Then, at the very end of August and the beginning of September, the views spiked up. Why? With YouTube tools, I was able to narrow it down to the Vintage Karting Forum. Then checking through the posts, I found Quentin had written a very nice post about the Dart Kart Speedway movie. I was able to email a thank you response to Quentin and we have since continued to correspond. Updated movie of
Dart Kart Speedway on Vimeo with bonus material and corrections.
Scott Elkes
We recently met through an internet karting forum in early September. However, our introduction process started in the mid-1960s due to a go kart track in Mansfield, Ohio. The track was Dart Kart Speedway, regarded as one of the finest kart racing facilities, ever.
Quentin was one of the thousands of spectators that watched the races. I raced there in 1965 as a competitor in the I.K.F. events and the International Karting Olympics. But, we did not meet there. What happened was, that we both carried away a little bit of the history of Dart Kart Speedway.
Mine was with an 8mm home movie taken by my father and brother at one of those I.K.F. events. Quentin's was the memories and the words he would write many years later about the Dart Kart Speedway owner, Micky Rupp, in a 2008 published article. No, we still have not met.
In 2012, I edited the film and published it on YouTube to share this rare movie of Dart Kart Speedway, that no longer exists, with the karting community.
The movie was out there on YouTube for many months with an occasional view here and there. Then, at the very end of August and the beginning of September, the views spiked up. Why? With YouTube tools, I was able to narrow it down to the Vintage Karting Forum. Then checking through the posts, I found Quentin had written a very nice post about the Dart Kart Speedway movie. I was able to email a thank you response to Quentin and we have since continued to correspond. Updated movie of
Dart Kart Speedway on Vimeo with bonus material and corrections.
Scott Elkes
Kartington Raceway in the background on Braden Speakman's October 28th re-opening event.
L-> R: Quentin Haines and Scott Elkes
L-> R: Quentin Haines and Scott Elkes
A better picture of what we look like. Now you can run from Quentin who might write an article about you or Scott taking a picture or video of you--and, placing on the Kartington Raceway website.
Great words, updated look of the Kartington Raceway Logo.
The old and it served Kartington well for many years.
And, welcoming the new. November 2012
Braden Speakman, Clean-up Day
Earlier this summer I got a call from a young fellow who wants to bring Kartington Raceway back to life. I gave him the keys to the place and said, "Go for it." Since then he got the place mowed and cleaned up some, but then he broke his foot at work. Now he is healed and wants to get back at it.
He--and I--are planning a work day at the track with the goal of getting the track and grounds ready to hold some "comeback" races yet this October.
[Generous people from the karting community volunteered their time to cleaning Kartington Raceway up in efforts to try to save this old kart track on September and October for the Oct. 28th Re-Opening race day. S. Elkes.]
Earlier this summer I got a call from a young fellow who wants to bring Kartington Raceway back to life. I gave him the keys to the place and said, "Go for it." Since then he got the place mowed and cleaned up some, but then he broke his foot at work. Now he is healed and wants to get back at it.
He--and I--are planning a work day at the track with the goal of getting the track and grounds ready to hold some "comeback" races yet this October.
[Generous people from the karting community volunteered their time to cleaning Kartington Raceway up in efforts to try to save this old kart track on September and October for the Oct. 28th Re-Opening race day. S. Elkes.]
Photos by Janice Elkes, unless otherwise noted
Photo by Scott Elkes
Established 1992