When 411 Motor Speedway’s Tanya McCarter became a grandmother nine years ago, an idea was born with the arrival of grandbaby Colton. That idea evolved into the Racing Rascals program at the Seymour, Tennessee, dirt track.
“I had this dream,” McCarter said, “that children born into racing could play together at the racetrack in a safe environment while their parents enjoyed what they loved, too — whether it was driving, working in the pits, or being fans in the stands.”
McCarter’s dream finally came to fruition this past weekend at 411 Motor Speedway. Kids two to 12 years old were fed a meal, given snacks and drinks, played games, and had their own meet and greet with drivers. The track turned a suite into a clubhouse, where two adults watched the kids full-time. Parents enrolled their children into Racing Rascals for $30 for the day.
“We don’t call it a day care,” said McCarter. “These kids are here for the racing. We make it all about racing. We have drivers in uniform come up to visit them. The kids see them as stars — it’s the best thing ever to see how they react.”
The Racing Rascals offer non-stop activities for children. Kids build Lego race cars, draw and color pictures of race cars, and, of course, watch the races from their own private suite. Early in their stay, they view racing movies on a TV.
“We’ll be taking them down to meet the drivers and get autographs at the drivers’ meeting,” McCarter said. “Drivers last weekend invited the Racing Rascals to sit in their cars. We haven’t done that yet, but it’s on our agenda.”
The Racing Rascals also receive gifts, which include die-cast cars, T-shirts, and goody bags with toys.
In addition, to the Racing Rascals, 411 Motor Speedway will continue the Kid Zone program.
“Kids in the grandstand can interact with kids in the pits in the Kid Zone, which is geared to older children,” McCarter said. “They are our next racers, and they are more involved in racing.”
Kid Zone participants enjoy events, too, such as playing cornhole or throwing water balloons at a lineup of officials.
Tanya McCarter now has five grandchildren — Colton, Bristol, Kallen, Callie, and newborn McKenna. McCarter hopes they enjoy the sport as the rest of the family.
“Racing is a family sport, and we want it to be fun for the kids,” said McCarter. “We want parents to know they can bring their children to the track and have them in a program where they are safe and can have fun with other racing children. Parents can also sit in on any program, if they like.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
