Sarah Fisher is known for taking risks. At age 19, she became the youngest race car driver to compete in the Indianapolis 500, and the third woman to ever race in the event. After 25 years of successful racing, Fisher announced her retirement in 2010 and decided to turn her efforts toward business. Her most recent endeavor, Speedway Indoor Karting, quickly became the hottest go karting track in the Indianapolis area, bringing people of all ages a thrilling indoor course, the 1911 Grill, office space and a dual-purpose conference room – all in one location. To ensure that everyone was entertained no matter where they were in the 52,000 square-foot venue, Fisher turned to local integration firm Custom Audio Designs to install more than 60 SpeakerCraft speakers throughout the venue, providing patrons with a robust audio experience.
“We had installed an A/V system in a previous building that Sarah Fisher owned,” Owner of Custom Audio Designs Curt Edwards explained. “When she needed her family’s new speedway business equipped with a state-of-the-art sound system, she remembered our previous work and called us for the job. To provide full-bodied audio throughout the entire venue, we mainly relied on SpeakerCraft.”
To ensure that the mood could be set in each area of Speedway Indoor Karting through background music, Edwards and his team divided the large venue into four zones of audio. Installed throughout the space are 40 OE5 SpeakerCraft surface mount speakers and 24 Profile CRS8 in-ceiling speakers powered by four SpeakerCraft SC1650 16 channel Power Amps. With a Yamaha stereo receiver and Sonos interface, Fisher and her staff can operate all of the audio through an app on their mobile devices.
“They primarily use the speakers for music throughout the venue, including inside the restaurant, bar and lobby area of the racetrack,” Edwards continued. “The interface allows Fisher and her staff to play music through any internet radio platform, but they typically use Pandora.”
According to Fisher, it’s extremely beneficial to be able to select diverse music stations for specific areas throughout Speedway Indoor Karting. “We try and provide different atmospheres to reach various clientele,” she said. “For example, the downstairs area of the restaurant is very family friendly, whereas we offer a full bar upstairs. The music in each location sets the tone for how patrons are going to experience their day or night of karting.”
In addition to the food, beverage and entertainment aspect of Speedway Indoor Karting, Custom Audio Designs also installed equipment into the dual-purpose conference room that can be converted from one large room into two smaller spaces with a moveable wall. Each of the two spaces offers its own Dalite 106” motorized screen and Epson SVGA Projector. To ensure that the room’s equipment is protected from power hiccups, two Panamax M8EX surge protectors were incorporated.
“The building is 52,000-square feet, so I was thrilled to be able to get the system installed on time,” Edwards added. “We had to wire the facility from top to bottom and it was definitely a challenge, but when you stand back and see the end result it’s a great feeling. It all came together and worked perfectly, so everyone was incredibly happy.”
Edwards continued, “A main highlight is that the system is straightforward and it works. It is seamless on both ends, and is easy for the entire team to operate through their tablets. I’ve had nothing but positive comments about all of the A/V equipment that has gone into the speedway, and the SpeakerCraft audio system plays a large role in this success.”