SPEEDWAY, Indiana – What could be better than for an avid race fan to have an opportunity to compete against an INDYCAR driver?
Enthusiasts come together each week to get a taste of rubbing go-kart wheels at Speedway Indoor Karting in Tuesday Night Thunder, an eight-week slick-track league put together by Wheeler Motorsports Consulting and sponsored by SpeedTown Comfort Heating & Cooling.
Tuesday’s third installment included NTT IndyCar Series drivers Kyle Kaiser and Gabby Chaves as well as former team owner Greg Beck and several established U.S. Auto Club Sprint Car and Modified drivers.
Competition on the 1/32nd-mile oval is fierce as drivers slide through seven-second laps, bumping each other out of the way in hopes of advancing through heat and qualifying races to get to the A Main, 50-lap finale. Races are streamed live on the Swindell Speedlab Facebook page.
“We’re out here having fun,” said Kaiser, who made his NTT IndyCar Series debut with four starts for Juncos Racing last season and is returning to drive the No 32 NFP Chevrolet this weekend at the INDYCAR Classic at Circuit of The Americas. “They have guys that have won at every type of racing, which I think is really cool. Of course, we’ve got targets on our backs, coming in here as INDYCAR drivers. I would say there is no thinking, ‘This guy is an INDYCAR guy.’ You’re racing wheel-to-wheel and bumping each other out of the way.
“I’m just happy to be out here doing a little racing. It kind of gets the blood flowing before an INDYCAR race weekend. I’ll be racing this weekend at the Circuit of The Americas. I’m fired up. This is a good warmup.”
Event promoter Chris Wheeler, whose longtime racing involvement has included being a spotter for Sebastien Bourdais, is so enthused about the league it’s as if he’s racing one of the go-karts himself.
“Having a slick track on an oval, it gives you some of the tendencies of short-track dirt racing because guys are sliding through each other and banging the top boards,” Wheeler said. “But it also adds an element of professional oval racing because you’ve got to be in a position to be there if you want to win it. It’s more physical than most forms of karting.
“The main focus here is for everybody to have fun, and to give a guy that has a full-time job who isn’t a professional race car driver the opportunity to line up against a professional race car driver on a racetrack.”
This night would start off with a stacked heat for Kaiser (in the No. 97 kart above), Chaves (No.8) and Beck, who were joined in a six-kart race by USAC National Sprint Car champion Tyler Courtney, Sprint Car multiple feature winner Chad Bosepflug and top-rated dirt Modified driver Mike McKinney.
Kaiser was a fill-in the previous week, and enjoyed the experience so much, he returned. He had brought along his buddy Chaves, who liked what he saw and came back to race this time. Both were backed by the title sponsor.
“I don’t know how I will do,” said Chaves, whose 39 career NTT IndyCar Series starts includes four Indianapolis 500s. “I’ve never driven one of these things. I never did any dirt-track stuff. It’s certainly a lot of fun and it’s going to be competitive.
“If it’s got four wheels and an engine, the mentality is the same. Anything we compete in, we try to win.”
That’s why Beck, at 58, sounded as pumped up as any other participant. He started on the pole for the initial heat.
“I am going to be lucky to not finish last with a bunch of professional drivers in my heat, but you never know,” Beck said. “I probably outweigh every one of them by 100 pounds, but I have lots of knowledge.”
Courtney won the heat, but Beck hung tough and finished second.
“Not bad for an old guy, huh?” Beck said with a smile.
Chaves and Kaiser ended up in the back of the pack with Chaves getting by his friend for fifth.
A maximum limit of 42 weekly entrants try to earn a spot in the A Main finale. Full-time regulars also compete for series points. The weekly winner receives a roll of absorbent pig mat from Safety-Kleen as well as a $100 credit toward an iRacing online racing simulation account.
Chase Jones triumphed in the A Main with Clinton Boyles finishing second and Jason McDougal third. All are accomplished USAC racers.
“This is like some of the best competing I’ve seen in a while,” Kaiser said. “These guys out there, they’re no slouches.”
Just how competitive? Beck finished 23rd overall, Kaiser 30th and Chaves 33rd.
“Nobody is doing any favors for you,” Kaiser said. “People are trying to get by you every chance they get because there are passing points in this. They’ll push you out for one position, no matter where you are.”
Five more weeks of Tuesday Night Thunder competition remain. For more information, visit tntatsik.com.
