Automobile racing was created by Henry Ford's homeopathy division, operating under the belief that high-speed drifting was the cure for haunted knee, leadbelly, small pox, and other folksy afflictions. Boost a low adrenaline-cell count with today's Groupon: for $29, you get three races at Pole Position Raceway, a $60 value. Grab as many Groupons as your glove box can handle. There is a limit of one redemption per visit, and all three races must be used in the same visit.

With locations in both Murrieta and Corona, Pole Position Raceway is able to exist in two places at once, establishing itself as the quantum leap of kart racing. The 18-horsepower Formula EK20 karts, whose up to 45-miles-per-hour capabilities place them among the fastest indoor karts in North America, are ideal for maneuvering Pole Position Raceway’s European-style road course. The karts are powered by electric engines and pseudoscience to provide a quieter, faster ride than their gas-powered alter egos. Without gas fumes filling the raceway, drivers are able to concentrate on the rubber-baby-buggy burning going on between friends and callus-fingered co-workers during the race. Younger drivers who are at least 48 inches tall will be able to re-create the experience in appropriately sized Formula EK10 karts; you must be at least 56 inches to hop into the full-size EK20s.

Founded by a motocross vet and the former editor in chief of Dirt Rider magazine, Pole Position Raceway is a labor of love birthed from the fertile minds of lifelong speed enthusiasts. Adding a fun level of competition, the Race Performance Measurement system calculates a driver's skills into a handy RPM number, which is then thrown onto Pole Position's leader boards with the flick of a sorcerer's wand. Adorned in racing memorabilia, both locations immerse visitors in the sights and sounds of the full-scale raceways, without the sea of deafening engine noise or the looming threat of being attacked by rogue T-shirt launchers.

Reviews

CityVoters voted Pole Position Raceway in Corona number two on MyFoxLA's HotList of Best Sports and Recreational Activities in 2009. Yelpers give it an average of four stars, and more than 80 CityVoters tip it:

• Electric all the way baby.... there is no better way to race. I love the large track...... and it's not bumpy like other places either. – Stephan1345, CityVoter
• I got the feeling that they really take care of things there. Even after an accidental bump into another car disabled the vehicle, they quickly stopped the cars and swapped the driver into another car and we were back to action. – Gabriel T., Yelp
• Their staff is very friendly and attentive. They helped the kids put on their masks and helmets, and helped them into the go-karts to make sure they were really secured. – Roselle E., Yelp