articles

Meet K1 Speed! RUN Don't Walk to One of Our FAVE Summer Spots

June 17, 2021


One of the best days so far this summer!

I don’t know about you but if my kids aren’t in summer camps then I’m are trying to find fun things to do with them.  Well I found one at K1 Speed in Concord!! I know, you’re thinking Concord?!?!? That’s on the other side of Charlotte!! Well, let me tell you, it only took me 30 minutes to get there, straight up I-485!  K1 Speed is an all-electric indoor go-kart racing center!


We got there right at 12:00 on a Wednesday and we were the only ones there!! 2 small family groups came in while we were there but there’s plenty of space and plenty of races!  The first thing you do, after ogling and drooling over the really cool race cars, race memorabilia and games on display, is to fill out a contact form for racing. You’ve probably done something like this at other places so it’s pretty easy.  Just pay for an $8 membership and you will receive your own headsock, no need to worry about using their helmets, that you can keep and use the next time you go. No need to have special clothes or shoes (although I would personally recommend NOT wearing white shorts, lol!) and you’re off!



You will go through a small orientation where you learn the rules of racing, what each flag means (I would suggest familiarizing yourself and your kids with the flags before you go, it’s a lot of info and you will need to remember what each flag means), pick a helmet and they will direct you to which go-kart you will use.  Note that they have Junior and Adult races (which you will choose when signing in) based on the height of your child. The Junior racers race each other (and the Adult racers race each other) with carts that are slower than the adult carts. If you’re child is small they have extra foot pedals they can put on to make it easier.



We had an absolute blast! My 9 year old daughter got to race the junior carts with my 12 year old son. Then I got to race the adults carts with my 12 year old son, I LOVED it!! It’s worth getting out of our comfort zone for sure!! You will even get a workout! The carts are real go-karts and so you have to put a little muscle into steering (not to mention tightening your core to hang on!). You also have to be able to press the gas with your right foot and brake with your left. I rarely used the brake for 2 reason, 1) I’m a little bit chicken and 2) I just eased off of the gas before making a turn.  My son is fearless so needless to say I got lapped!



The staff is super friendly and helpful!  They were patient and answered all of our questions. The manager was great, he announced the racers like a real professional!!  They even have a snack bar with plans for a full kitchen in the near future.  They are open Monday-Thursday 12:00-10:00 pm, Friday 11:00 am -11:00 pm, Saturday 10:00-Midnight and Sunday 10:00 am - 9:00 pm. Pricing is $22 for 1 race or $38 for 2 races or $48 for 3 races (this does not include the $8 membership, one-time fee and good for ALL locations, see website for locations). They also have a K1 Speed Pass that includes 2 races, your membership, and t-shirt for $55! OR they have a weekday special $42 for 3 races (Monday-Thursday, AND you can purchase these passes in advance and go any day, you only have to purchase the package Mon-Thur).

Here at South Charlotte Macaroni Kid we have even created a Find Your Family Fun Challenge bucket list style and K1 Speed is participating!  Vist 12 out of the 16 locations on our form, including K1 Speed, turn it in by August 5th, and you’re entered to win an amazing prize package. More details and to print your copy click here

And as a bonus, we hit up Bad Daddy’s (on the same road as K1 Speed) on the way out for burgers and hot dogs!  Yummy!!  Get out there and have some fun!!




Theresa Joiner

South Charlotte Macaroni Kid account rep/writer

Mother of 3