In one of Andretti Karting’s rooms, four separate go-kart tracks tilt, turn and overlap each other — awaiting the Johnson County riders who will soon navigate their suspended terrain.
In the main lobby, around 130 arcade games flash and buzz. A multi-level laser tag course sits behind one set of closed doors, and an interactive movie theater with laser guns and tilting seats lives in another. Not to mention duck pin bowling and virtual reality experiences.
Andretti Indoor Karting and Games is a $40 million, roughly 95,000 square foot entertainment center that’s about to open in Overland Park. It’s been more than two years since the project was first announced, but on Nov. 18 it will finally open at 11610 Nall Ave. on the Aspiria campus formerly known as the Sprint World Headquarters.
This will be the 12th location for the Florida-based company, named after and made in partnership with the famous family of racers.
While there’s still some work to do before opening day , The Star got an exclusive sneak peek at the project, which will employ 270 hourly employees in the community. (It’s currently hiring.)
Andretti offers multiple activities, but its main attractions are the massive racecourses.
Tom Prioli, director of karting, designed the Overland Park courses. Its two adult tracks, one junior track, and one “mini Mario” course for the littlest racers overlap and zig-zag past each other. Parts of the courses are elevated and run over, under and around each other.
“We definitely put our own unique twist on it for Overland Park and Kansas City,” Prioli said. “It’s just a very unique experience that we don’t have anywhere else.”
This track has more spiral turns than any other track previously created by Andretti. Spiral turns, Prioli explained, are the elevated runs that lead to tilted loops around the track.
The two adult tracks are a quarter-mile long, and the junior track is about 350 feet. Age and height determines whether a racer can ride on the adult, junior, or mini Mario track.
Karts race up to 35 miles per hour. To ensure safety, track marshals can reduce the speed or stop karts at any time via remote control.
Each track is separated by dividing arms, which can be opened up on designated days. The Frankenstein-like track is dubbed “Supertrack” — reportedly a big hit with avid racers.
“People love the Supertrack, like the dedicated people,” said Samantha LaMagna, director of marketing for Andretti.
Stepping outside the racing area, LaMagna pointed to a multilevel VR station with stationary headsets that dangle from the ceiling. Beneath it, a circle of control stations.
“There’s games for all ages,” LaMagna said, explaining that there’s zombie shooter games, Angry Birds, a pirate game and more.
“Some of them are a little scary,” said manager Shelby McGrath. “They’re very realistic.”
Professional racing simulators designed specifically for Andretti sit inside the arcade, with a realistic seat disguised as a race car and a screen to immerse guests into the game.
“It’s amazing how we’ve grown,” said LaMagna, who’s been with the company for 16 years. “We just keep stepping it up, stepping it up, stepping it up.”
A two-level, doomsday cowboy-themed laser tag course sits in its own corner of the facility.
Nearby is what LaMagna said is her favorite attraction — the 7DX Motion Theater. Guests are immersed into a storyline and given laser guns that shoot at different characters. The seats tilt and rumble as the game progresses. Fans along the screen blow wind, timed with whatever is happening in the attraction.
Several lanes of duckpin bowling live in a separate corner of the facility.
The space has a restaurant and bar, with a spacious outdoor patio that opens up via a garage-style door in the winter.
On the menu: brisket mac and cheese, quesadillas, nachos, a jasmine rice bowl and more.
Andretti offers a variety of signature cocktails and mocktails, including a Dusted Gummy Bear cocktail for kids, which comes with edible glitter.
Before Andretti opens to the public Nov. 18 at 4 p.m., guests can reserve a spot for a free sneak preview, which begins the same day at 11 a.m. More tickets for the preview are released every day.
After that, its hours will be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to midnight Sundays. Hours may extend over the summer.
To view pricing, visit Andretti’s website at andrettikarting.com/overlandpark/pricing. Pricing varies by attraction. For adult racing, it starts at $20.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.kansascity.com ’
