Danica for a Day

Icame to the hollowed-out carcass of a big-box store in Horsham to chase a tip that the go-karts at Speed Raceway went up to 70 mph. That was an exaggeration - they go up to 45 mph - but I discovered 45 feels a lot like 70 when you're just inches off the ground and navigating hairpin turns.

The track opened in August at the site of the former Walmart on Blair Mill Road. What makes the indoor location unique is that the cars are all-electric, so you don't have to worry about passing out from gas fumes as you do your best Ayrton Senna or Danica Patrick imitation.

One of my favorite parts of the experience was coming up with my own racer name - Lois Fast Lane - that would appear on the track's leaderboard. Daily News photographer Steve Falk suggested S Car Go. Corey Asplundh, 25, who manages the raceway for his dad, Carl (who co-owns it), said the most popular name is Racer X.

GENTLEMEN, MEET

YOUR OPPONENTS

While the clientele is diverse, the track is most popular with young men, like Dan Kim, 31, of North Wales. Go-karts allow him to branch out in his favorite sport - racing. He races a 2009 BMW M3 on outdoor tracks on the weekends, but during the week, he's at Speed Raceway. He estimates he's come about 60 times since it's opened to race the "awesome" electric go-karts. "The torque is immediate," he said, "and you don't smell gas."

While eight or nine racers might go around the track at once, the goal isn't to be first across the finish line. It's to clock the fastest single lap time during the 14-lap race.

The average lap time is around 21 or 22 seconds. Racer Kim told me his best time was 18.05.

FIRST, GEAR

All racers are required to wear helmets, which the track provides - along with clean, laundered "head socks" (do rags) for hygiene.

As I geared up, I noticed a pile of new men's and women's sneakers and laundered socks, which the employees said were loaners for those who have obviously never gone go-kart racing before. "We have a lot of people who come in flip-flops and high heels," one employee said.

In a moment of utter humiliation, a member of the pit crew gave me a booster seat for my go-kart. At least I was put in an adult kart. There are smaller versions for kids that go up to 25 mph.

GO, DOG, GO

Before I slid down into the driver's seat, a member of the "pit crew" explained the various

colored flags to me, although I only cared about the green one (Go!) and the black one (You're bad! You can only get two of those before being kicked off the track).

Because the cars are electric, the pit crew has the ability to control their speed, shut one car down or shut a whole race down. During the first two laps, the crew capped my speed so I could get a feel for the track. But when lap three hit, they let me open it up and I floored it, taking Asplundh's advice to try and stay off of the brake.

There were moments on some of the hairpin turns where I wondered how the laws of physics were allowing all four of my wheels to remain on the track, but I was never scared.

Despite being so low to the ground, I was high: on adrenaline and on my own imagination. I was a Formula One racer, even if just for a short time in my own mind.

STOP, DOG, STOP

Like most good things, the 14 laps each racer gets for $20 go fast. After the race, you get a printout that details your stats.

There were only two people in my race. I was second. My best lap time clocked at 22.9.

IF YOU GO-KART

Speed Raceway is open noon-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, noon-11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday. It has two go-kart tracks plus slot car racing, arcade racing games and two party rooms. The Horsham track is loosely associated with a Speed Raceway location in Denver. Asplundh Sr. is set to open another local indoor track, in Cinnaminson, by the end of 2012.