FastTrax opens with go-kart racing, duck-pin bowling in south Fort Myers

FastTrax Entertainment center, a multimillion-dollar, two-story entertainment venue, has the green light to begin go-kart racing, opening Sept. 5.

Owners Pat and Lisa Ciniello said they were thrilled to finally get these electric cars moving.

Since announcing the project in August 2023, almost two years have passed. The project’s seeds were planted even longer ago than that, but COVID-19 in 2020 and Hurricane Ian in September 2022 each prompted the family to push the pause button on developing the 63,000-square-foot facility.

FastTrax is at 14501 Global Parkway in south Fort Myers, off Treeline Avenue and just across the parking lot from HeadPinz, its sibling 49,000-square-foot bowling alley and entertainment center.

Together, they combine for more than 100,000 square feet of entertainment.

“It took a lot longer than we anticipated,” said Pat Ciniello, a lifelong bowling aficionado from New Jersey who, because of changing trends in youth activities, wanted to add indoor car racing to the arsenal of entertainment options.

FastTrax also has duck-pin bowling, two floors of arcade games, virtual reality, a sports bar and a room that can be booked for private parties.

Nemo’s Trackside, the in-house restaurant, serves made-to-order food.

FastTrax Entertainment center launches with about 110 employees, a number that could grow.

“We’re really excited about it,” Pat Ciniello said. “It’s been a long journey.”

“We wanted to do something incredible for the community,” said Lisa Ciniello. “People are coming from miles around. I think we’re going to draw from far away. You can have a nice dinner and watch racing. Look at this. We’re super excited.”

The original FastTrax operated at 17455 Summerlin Road. That amusement park and go-kart track has since closed, and the real estate is on the market for $10 million.

“We realized it would be better to have the concept indoors,” Pat Ciniello said. “We don’t have to worry about the elements indoors.”

Jacob Elliott, director of marketing and training for FastTrax, said the go-karts should appeal to all ages. The center has 40 BizKart Eco Volt GT cars for adults and 14 for juniors. There’s a red track for beginners and a blue track for experts, or the two tracks can be combined. A shorter track for children ages 4 to 8 will feature kiddie cars, which are on order and expected to arrive around Sept. 15.

“These things are the most energetic and fun attractions that you’re ever going to see across the country,” Elliott said. “There’s a lot of different attractions here.”