NIGHT MOVES : Slot-Car Racers Put a Sometime Fad Back on Track : A dozen or so new local venues, such as Cruzin’ in Tarzana, beckon to enthusiasts.
The slightly nerdy hobby of slot-car racing was originally confined to garages and rumpus rooms, and perhaps rightly so.
But the ‘50s fad, which has drifted in and out of popularity over the years, has resurfaced, spawning about a dozen new storefront race tracks across the city where drivers go shoulder-to-shoulder, their plastic cars whizzing around elaborate courses. Cruzin’, in Tarzana, is one such spot.
It’s a wide, bright room with paintings of race cars on the walls. There is a beginner’s figure-8, an intermediate track and the big one, the Blue King, with looping turns and computerized timing for the fanatics. There’s even a drag strip complete with Christmas-tree starting lights.
“It’s a fun hobby and it’s less expensive than lots of other hobbies,” said Jeffrey Bernstein, 23, a Cruzin’ regular who has been racing slot cars since he was 9. “When you get into competitions and there are lots of other drivers, that’s when it gets fun.”
Cruzin’ opens in the evenings on weekdays and for most of the day and nights on weekends. Some nights, the truly serious racers show up with custom cars that travel up to 67 m.p.h. and cost as much as $300. On other nights, or on weekends, you’re likely to see a birthday party’s worth of kids scampering around or a couple adult novices taking a few spins--perhaps around an electronic memory lane--with rented cars that occasionally fly out of their slots to thwack! against the side walls. It can be an hour of childhood recaptured.
“We get people who say, ‘I used to do this 20 years ago,’ ” said Bob Scott, the manager. “And we get people who have never even heard of this before.”
Track rental costs about $9 an hour. It’s another $1 to rent a car and a controller. For those who aren’t driven to drive, there are video machines in a side room and a jukebox along the far wall that plays rock ‘n’ roll.
Summer is the best time to drop by Cruzin’ because it’s not as busy when the weather is warm and many people would rather be outdoors. On a recent Thursday evening, one of the regulars was testing his car on the drag strip while a couple others perused high-tech parts at the counter. The air conditioning was superb.
But don’t expect to simply cool your heels. You’ll probably want to do some racing because slot cars don’t make for much of a spectator sport.
“The cars go so fast you lose track of them,” Scott explained.
Perhaps what sets Cruzin’ apart from other Valley tracks, such as Checkered Flag in Reseda and Fast Tracks in Sunland, is that it’s on a stretch of Ventura Boulevard that may well be the entertainment center of the southwest Valley. If pool’s your game, Society Billiard Cafe lies just down the way. Next door is Corbin Bowl, which also offers karaoke on Tuesday and Friday evenings.
What more do you need?
Where and When
Location: Cruzin’, 19620 Ventura Blvd. Unit D, Tarzana.
Hours: 5-11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 3 p.m.-midnight Friday, 11 a.m.-midnight Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday. Plenty of parking in back.
Price: Track rental costs $3 for the first 15 minutes, $2 every 15 minutes thereafter. $1 car and controller rental.
Call: (818) 345-9457.
