By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

Instead of the giant roar of an explosive engine, these cars produce a small, tiny noise, kind of like a super-sized mosquito.

The basic idea is the same, though.

With slot cars, just as in NASCAR with those multi-ton behemoths, the goal is to go fast - really, really fast.

That goal is being achieved this week at the Raceworld Speedway in LaGrange, which is hosting the American Slot Racing Association national championship.

Slot-car racing enthusiasts from across the country have come to LaGrange this week to put their equipment and their driving skills to the test against the best the sport has to offer.

Today marks the third day of competition, and the action will wrap up Saturday.

Terry Kelly, who owns the Kelly Racing team, says slot-car racing bears a lot of similarities to Sprint Cup racing, even though the slot cars are smaller than the size of an adult hand.

“It’s just like NASCAR racing,” said Kelly, who drives his own car in addition to running a team. “First of all, you have to have top-flight equipment. Driving is a big part of it, but you have to have the equipment.”

As for the driving, Kelly said “you’ll see there’s a lot of skill, and it takes a lot of practice.”

Kelly also said that, like NASCAR, slot-car owners have to set their cars up differently for each track.

“Each track is different. Just like you go to Bristol, you go to Talladega, you go to whatever, it’s a whole different setup required,” Kelly said.

For these competitors, slot-car racing is clearly most than just a hobby.

They’re serious about their sport, and winning is important.

There are several heats in a race, with each driver having to run his car on every lane on the track. The winner is the driver whose car completes the most laps after all the heats are completed.

The key to piloting one of the miniature cars is to maximize speed without running off the track, or into the wall.

Every second counts, so if a driver has to take time to put his car back on the track, it’s costly.

“It’s very competitive,” Kelly said. “We’re friends, but it’s competition. We’re racing hard.”

The Raceworld Speedway, which has been at its current location on Vernon Road next to Weathers Honda for about four years, is hosting this event for the second straight year.

The business is owned by Steve Harrington and Shirley Harrington, who bought it from the previous owners six years ago.

Shirley Harrington serves as the track announcer, and Steve Harrington is one of the competitors this week, even though he’s just a few weeks removed from surgery for colon cancer.

“I tried it a week or so ago, and I couldn’t even run a complete race,” said Steve, who starts chemo-therapy next week.

On Thursday in one of the amateur divisions, though, he summoned up the endurance to finish third in one of the amateur divisions.

That was important, because the top-three finishers in each division win a plaque.

The Harrington’s son, Chad, is an accomplished racer who has won numerous titles, and he always enjoys testing his skill against the sport’s best.

Chad began racing in 2002, and he was hooked.

He travels across the country for competitions, and he also builds cars for himself and others.

“I don’t usually race here locally, so this is definitely fun,” Chad said. “We just enjoy doing it.”

Also, Chad’s son and daughter both race. Alex Harrington, Chad’s son, won a junior national title at the 2008 event.

“We have three generations of racers,” Shirley said. “They all love it.”

Raceworld Speedway has two tracks, one that’s built to maximize speed, and one that’s more like a road course.

The facility also has stations set up so the competitors can work on their cars.

Most of the time, the people who use the speedway are doing it for fun.

This week is fun, but these men are serious about their sport.

They even, as Kelly said, occasionally resort to “moving another car” out of the way.

“It happens,” Kelly said.

The only difference, Kelly said, is that “we don’t get hurt” when there’s a wreck.

Hurt feelings maybe, but no broken bones.

The racing continues today and Saturday in a number of different divisions.

On the web: www.race-world-speedway.com