Ontrack

Sumter R/C Raceway is a family affair that will bring out your inner child.

Many describe it as “a bunch of grown men playing with toy cars.”

RC racing, or remote control car racing, has become a popular sport in Sumter and all over the Southeast. Some locals have even traveled to Japan to race.

Austin Snyder and his dad, Michael, own the dirt track at Sumter R/C Raceway, next to Shaw Air Force Base, for people to sign up and come race on the weekends.

The father-son duo started racing 22 years ago but at a different location in Dillon Park.

“Dad and I got in it about the same time. We are on our 22nd year now of playing with toy cars as grown men,” said Austin with a laugh.

The racetrack property is owned by Sumter County, but Austin and Michael own the equipment.

Like other RC enthusiasts, Austin has traveled all over to race his remote-control cars, from Myrtle Beach to Georgia and

North Carolina.

Austin said there are few racetracks still running.

“We are one of the fortunate ones who have been able to continue to run and keep our doors open for our racers,” he said.

Because so many tracks are opening, sometimes races overlap, which cuts attendance and participation at each spot.

Austin and Michael do not make money off their racers, Austin said, with racing fees going toward keeping the raceway updated.

“There is a couple of tracks that had to shut down just because of the property or they couldn’t afford to keep it open,” Austin said.

Austin said there are two ways to look at R/C racing: from the track crew's perspective and from the racer's perspective.

“As a track crew, we come out here every day, pick up trash, replace zip ties, fixing the barriers that we have. If it rains, we are out here pumping water and removing standing water from the track,” he said.

Austin said most people don’t realize how much work goes into running a remotecontrol car track.

Then from the racer perspective, some say it's about family and coming together as a community.

“It's more family orientated. We all come out here, and it's like a family reunion,” said Jeremy Lawrence, who came to Sumter R/C Raceway from Moncks Corner on a chilly Saturday in January to race.

Austin and his dad are surrounded by family on race days in ways that extend beyond their relationship. Sometimes Austin’s daughter joins him to race cars.

One piece of advice Austin had for new racers is to come into it with the top-tier parts for the cars.

“You don’t want to have sub-standard parts and have to constantly replace them. I’m not saying you need what I have, but having pretty good parts will save you hundreds of dollars,” Austin said.

He said some people can make six figures by R/C racing, mainly at bigger racetracks in different parts of the world.

“I have traveled to Japan to race; I have traveled to a lot of different places racing,” said Robin LeBeau, who is from Columbia and races in Sumter.

Racers are all ages. At Sumter R/C Raceway, trailers are parked with kids

Lawrence, the Moncks Corner racer, said “Racing! And hanging out with come from all over, new generation of racers will shapes the

“I want to see it grow through generations. I want my daughter’s kids to come out and race R/C cars with their mom and their grandpa, but I want it to stay fun,” Austin said.

Some might think the ins and outs of building and racing the small cars might simply involve buying a toy car from a store that could stand a chance against one of the cars out at Sumter R/C Raceway. Many racers will disagree.

Austin said he has put a lot of money into his cars. Another racer said he has most likely put in a little over $7,000 for some of his cars.

When it comes to building a remotecontrolled car for this type of racing, Austin said it’s all about what the driver wants out of it.

“Some parts might work for me, but for someone else they might not work great,” he said.

Austin showed off different tires, from the mini wheels to the much bigger wheels that have different types of treads.

He said there are different engines you can put in your car depending on whether you have a nitro car or an electric car.

Austin has a monitor that tells him the breakdown of the car from oil to speed, and he can log different cars in it. It also controls the car from steering left and right and gas and brake.

To Austin, it all comes down to what type of racing that racer wants to do to build the right type of car.

The world of RC racing is filled with classes based on skill level, but at Sumter R/C Raceway, they offer oval and dirt offroad at both 1/10 scale and 1/8 scale races.

While some places might have stricter rules, Austin said they are lenient.

“We just want to have fun out here,” Austin said.

And even though the racer's are competing against each other, Austin said each racer will help another when needed.

“You know in NASCAR if a racers car needs a specific part, they can’t just go up to their competition and ask for that part. But here, someone can walk in needing a part, and even though they would probably beat me, I would still give it to them,” Austin said.

He said the R/C world to him is about one thing.

“It really comes down to we are grown men and it gives us a chance to come out here and be a kid again," he said, "play with our toy cars and just have a blast."