Outdoor
★★★★☆
Thompson Raceway Park is an outdoor karting track in Thompson, Ohio. Karting is wheel-to-wheel racing at ground level — quick, affordable, and the discipline most pro drivers came up through. With around 20 tracks inside a 75-mile radius, Thompson sits in a genuine pocket of racing — easy to build a road trip around. The front office picks up at (440) 298-1350; pair that with the map and directions here to plan the trip. New to karting? Our guides walk through your first session, what to wear, and how race days are run.
Know Before You Go
- Open-track days
- Outdoor karting venues run open practice and arrive-and-drive sessions weekly. Pricing varies from $25 per session at rental tracks to $200+ per day for own-kart.
- Weather impact
- Outdoor karting closes for rain at most rental facilities. Sprint racing continues on wet tires for race weekends. Check forecast — sessions get bumped or refunded.
- Kart classes
- Look for rental karts (low-power 4-stroke), shifter karts (6-speed 125cc), TaG (touch-and-go ignition 100-125cc), and kid karts (50-60cc). Each class has its own day.
- Race series
- Most outdoor tracks host a club championship plus a regional or national series. Entry-level club racing is the cheap way to start — usually $50-150 per race day.