3 Minutes on a Park Bench with Rachel Hannas Metz of Naskart

Patch partner Rachel Hannas Metz of Naskart told us about the new Montville location and shared her definition of success.

Patch: How did Naskart first get started?

Rachel Hannas Metz: Our owners were vacationing in warm, sunny Miami, and had visited a single level indoor racing track. Being from New England, and knowing that racing is a powerfully loved sport, they thought, why not go larger and greater? And of course within Southeastern CT! Tourism is booming in this area of New England.

Patch: Naskart's Montville location will be huge. When will it be opening?

Rachel Hannas Metz: December 16 we are finally opening our doors and yeah, we will be pretty huge! Just in time to burn off some holiday stress.

Patch: What's the best piece of business advice you have ever received?

Rachel Hannas Metz: I come from a background in social work, therefore even though my position as sales and marketing manager is focused on selling our experience, it also comes from a foundation of creating relationships with our family and friends that visit and work for Naskart. We are hiring the best of the best to extend our Naskart family.

Patch: Naskart's tracks have multiple levels. Can you tell us a bit about the set up?

Rachel Hannas Metz: Our tracks individually are each ¼ mile long -- when we combine the two to make a Super Track, which racers will have the ability to do, that makes it a ½ mile, which might not sound long. However, when you are racing at top speeds of 45 MPH a couple of feet off the ground, your adrenaline will be pumping. We have four levels of this with dramatic inclines. We will have 13 turns, unique in design. Our straightaways are 20 ft. in width, so you could have three karts passing each other. Up to 16 karts will be able to race at one time on each track. With safety being our top priority and focus on all design, manufacturing and creation, we have brought in European track installers that have worked around the clock to install these tracks. Our karts were designed and manufactured in Tennessee.

Patch: What is the key to running a successful entertainment business?

Rachel Hannas Metz: It's easy to find success when we have had a team of powerful creators, installers, designers in our Naskart family.

Patch: If you had to recommend three books, what would they be and why?

Rachel Hannas Metz: With the amount of time and energy I have been putting toward work, I love that you asked that question. Sounds kind of peaceful! "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein -- read to me by my loving parents, by me to my three kiddos, and as of recently turning the big 40, I could even say it's about me! Also, "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway -- a forever favorite. I have read it every year since it was mandatory at 14 years old in Lyme-Old Lyme High School -- who doesn’t love a romantic war story? And finally, and most recently, I was introduced to the teachings of Brene Brown. "Rising Strong" has become a bible to me. She writes for “those of us that are willing to fall, because we have learned how to rise.”

Patch: What is your definition of success?

Rachel Hannas Metz: Simple: my children -- Gwen, Peter and Griffin.

Patch: What are your plans for Thanksgiving?

Rachel Hannas Metz: Every year I enjoy the alone time with my close family. I stay in jammies all day with the kids. We cook together and enjoy the aromas as well as watching some football. I love to cook, and my children have begun to share the passion. These teachings and traditions make me very thankful!

Patch: What's the best thing about working at Naskart?

Rachel Hannas Metz: Growing up and still living on the CT shoreline, I have fallen in love with every season and the optimal opportunities that this area provides to get your family and friends together, put away those devices and spend quality fun together. Ask my kids: I love day trips, not just because they are usually tech free, but they're a way to make a memory within one day -- and within a small radius! CT provides a plurality of creative fun. Naskart is unique to the U.S. in this magnitude -- being a part of this growth is a thrill. Our Naskart family promises to extend this thrill to your families -- your biological families, friend families, or even your corporate families. We will be ready!

Patch: How can readers contact you to learn more about Naskart?

Rachel Hannas Metz: Please feel free to email me at rachel@naskartracing.com.