High Speeds on Main Street

By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
At 190 feet in length, Duane Jarvis owns and operates one of the largest slot car tracks in the world. Main Street Racing opened its doors six months ago at 55 Main Street in Windsor, Vt.

The site, home to the former Paradise Bike Shop, has been completely transformed. “We came in and gutted everything out.” explained Jarvis “I needed the open space.”

The overhaul was much needed, as the giant eight car track takes up the majority of the store. Built by hand using raw materials, Jarvis built the track with the help of a friend who owned a CNC router large enough to carve out the individual slots. The track runs 32nd or 24th scale vehicles, with all the engines kept in stock, but Jarvis also offers tires and other accessories for sale behind the counter.

Jarvis, former owner of Jarvis Machine in Claremont, is enjoying his retirement. After retiring from his CNC machine shop, he opened a car wash eight months ago which sits behind Main Street Racing. “I opened the car wash business and that makes the money, this is just the cream on top,” he said.

He spends much of his time now racing slot cars and teaching people who come in for the first time.

Long before Jarvis built the track that now stands in his store, he would have people come to the large track he had built at his house to race.”We used to have people come up to the house on Wednesday nights to race,” he explained. The following took off, and now those same people come down to the store to race during the week.

He first fell in love with slot car racing when he was given a track for Christmas at the age of five-years-old. “It’s all about finesse,” Jarvis explained as cars zipped around the track. “Everyone wants to go fast, but if you go too quickly around the corners, you’re going to wipe out.” Jarvis would lend a hand to people who had lost control of their car and set them back into place.

Racing slot cars takes a steady hand and patience. People visit the shop to spend time practicing before each race, trying to get their name on the leaderboard. The board, a flat screen TV near the entrance, shows which place each contestant stands over the weeks a series takes place. Two large TVs hang above the track and show each car’s time to keep record of where each car stands. An infrared camera sits above the starting line and often documents photo finish results for the neck and neck races.

According to Jarvis, people travel from across the state to come and race at his track. The shop even features stands for people to come sit and spectate each race.

The races, particularly an event Jarvis calls Friday Night Lights, are open to the public. “Come down, we’ve got cars anyone can just come in for their first time, zero experience, and race,” he said. Jarvis encourages people who have never tried their hand at slot car racing to come down and practice with everyone and sign up for a race.

Main Street Racing offers a place for people who share a love of motor sports and models alike to congregate. The opportunities for someone to practice this hobby are few and far between in this area. Friday Night Lights is held every Friday at 6 PM.