Published on July 10 in Highlands Today, a newspaper covering the Sebring/Avon Park, FL area.
Father and son duo, Derick and Rudy Couso, opened Fast Trax Slot Car Raceway in Avon Park in January. (Photo Dorothy L. Harris / Highlands Today)
Speeding back a retro hobby to a new generation, Fast Trax Slot Car Raceway in Avon Park offers affordable, indoor racing for all age groups. Owners Rudy and Derick Couso are a father and son team excited about introducing this engaging hobby to our local area.
“Slot car racing came out in the 1960s,” Rudy Couso said. Derick Couso raced when he was a child, but then tracks began disappearing, relegating this hobby to history. Now a renewed interest in slot car racing has emerged and tracks are beginning to re-open.
Rudy Couso always wanted to open a raceway and eventually found a track in Georgia. After purchasing the 200 foot, eight-lane, color-coded, high-speed track, he transported it back to Avon Park, opening Fast Trax Slot Car Raceway in January. “This is one of the fastest tracks in Florida and it is right here in Avon Park,” Derick Couso said.
As the only slot car racing dealer from Orlando to Miami, Rudy noted, “It’s good, clean fun for all ages.” Hobbyists come from all over Florida and other states to participate.
Brian Ambrose of Bradenton had raced the night before at Fast Eddie’s Slot Car Raceway in Pinellas Park and then traveled to Avon Park to race at Fast Trax. Ambrose, who admits to owning hundreds of slot cars, has raced in Chicago, Atlanta, New Jersey, San Francisco, Dallas and San Antonio.
Joking he’s 20 years-new-to-the-hobby, Ambrose showed his collection of hand-cut, scratch-built, brass and flexi-chassis Formula One cars. “There’s a lot more to this hobby than people realize,” he said.
Read the rest of the article HERE.
