Here today, gone tomorrow.
These words not only describe the Yard Kart Nationals race taking place Tuesday night at the Johnson County Fairgrounds, but the dirt track on which it is run.
Martinsville resident Matt Monday, the founder, host and promoter of the Sprint Kart Showdown, says it will take anywhere from five to six hours to get the 500-foot oval constructed and race-ready.
Weather permitting, the process begins at 8 o’clock this morning. In the evening, heat races will eventually pare the 35 contestants to the 20 qualified for the main event.
“This is the Go Kart version of sprint car. Short track, big horsepower and open rules,” Monday said. “You’ve got a lot of flexibility to do what you want. Twenty guys on a 500-foot track with too much horsepower and not enough traction …”
This marks the second consecutive year Monday has brought Yard Kart to the fairgrounds. A first-place check of $1,000 provides plenty of motivation, as 44-year-old Gosport resident Kerry Kinser knows well.
He won last summer’s event.
“Just to show up and build a track, that’s quite a feat. They did a really good job last year of getting it smooth. I was amazed by it,” Kinser said. “There’s a lot that goes into it. Where you start in your heat race. Last year, the car was set up perfect, and everything worked.
“I really liked that track. If you were a pretty good driver, you could make up ground. You don’t use all the horsepower; you’ve got to finesse it.”
Drivers must be 18 or older.
Yard Kart racing, defined by those running it as grassroots short-track sprint racing at its very finest, was started by Monday four years ago and continues to grow in popularity, thanks in part to social media.
The Yard Kart Nationals site on Facebook is updated regularly, providing photographs, information on upcoming events and other news. The group currently has over 3,000 members and adds more daily.
Many of the past races are available to watch on YouTube, including Kinser’s checkered-flag effort at the county fairgrounds in 2023.
Monday, who finished 11th in last summer’s race, hopes for a better performance tonight. The same holds true for 2014 Roncalli graduate Daniel Trickle, who failed to qualify for the main event.
“I did not do very well,” said the 28-year-old Trickle, laughing. “The race is kind of like a chess game. You have to read the track conditions and predict what other people are going to do.”
Trickle is 6-foot-2, 160 pounds. The kart he’s driving weighs around 140 pounds, making for roughly 300 pounds overall as the kart tops out at speeds of 40 to 45 miles per hour during racing.
But, first, a track must be built — a process Monday reveals will include three or four operators navigating equipment such as a bulldozer, skid steer, roller and a tractor/water trailer.
Josh Thacker is the primary track builder. And yes, he’ll be competing as well, having finished 14th here last year.
“As the night goes on, the track gets faster, and the racing gets closer,” Trickle said. “It’s mainly just a lot of good people getting together and having a good time. There’s a lot of camaraderie there.”
IF YOU GO
Yard Kart Nationals / Sprint Car Showdown
When: Tuesday (pit entry at 4 p.m., driver meeting at 6 p.m., racing at 7 p.m.
Where: Johnson County Fairgrounds
Cost: $10 grandstand, $20 pit pass, $30 race entry
