Race enthusiasts have their eyes on the prize at the first-ever Hot Rod Cup Challenge, which runs for the next three months at Beachwood Place’s American Hot Rod Racer. After contestants build their very own remote-controlled model cars, they’re awarded licenses to compete in three-lap races. The faster the RC, the more points kids rack up. “When you’ve got nine-year-olds racing, they hit the curves and each other’s cars,” laughs co-owner Jack Prause. “The cars take a real beating.”

An electronic scoreboard keeps track of all racers’ times and rankings. At the end of January scores are tallied, and the person with the most points snags the top prize: $1,000 or a pair of tickets to the Daytona 500. “When you tell [the kids] they’re getting licenses, they’re like, ‘Mom! Look what I’ve got!’” says Prause. “It makes your day.” www.americanhotrodracer.com for more information.
Mondays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sundays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Starts: Oct. 22. Continues through Jan. 29, 2007

This article appears in Oct 17-24, 2007.