The PRI team attended the Cup Karts North America Grand Nationals 8 at New Castle Motorsports Park (IN) earlier this month, which included a unique new event, the "Outta the Box Challenge," created by PRI member and PRI Show exhibitor Briggs & Stratton. Associate Editor A.J. Hecht was on hand to document the race, which put a spotlight on not just the drivers but the teams and crews supporting them.

Imagine going to the Super Bowl for your first football game, Game 7 of the World Series for your first visit to an MLB ballpark, the Wimbledon final for your first tennis match.

That was essentially my introduction to the world of karting, the Cup Karts North America (CKNA) Grands 8, held earlier this month at New Castle Motorsports Park (NCMP), located about an hour East of PRI HQ in Indianapolis.

With 585 drivers and 627 entries spread across nine categories, it's among the largest karting events in the country and the result of explosive growth in the four-cycle karting world. In just two years, the Grands have grown from around 400 entries in 2022 to the 600-plus entrants that descended on NCMP to compete for the title this year. Although the NCMP grounds are expansive, the host facility--owned by former Rolex 24 at Daytona winner and IndyCar driver Mark Dismore--seemingly used every square inch of the facility to accommodate the record-breaking field.

Walking through the massive paddock, you could see that it was a diverse field, too, drawing entries from across the United States—36 of them, to be exact—and a handful of countries, including drivers from as far north as New Brunswick, Canada, and as far south as New Zealand. The age range was, somehow, equally expansive. Entrants in the Kid Kart class were as young as 5, and the oldest driver--competing in the aptly named "Legends" class--was 74.

However, each driver and kart had something in common: the Briggs & Stratton 206 racing engine. Each participant---whether they were 5 or 74, from Australia or Alabama--pulled onto the track with power from the same engine, providing an even, affordable playing field that puts the performance in the hands of the drivers and their teams.

With that in mind, Briggs & Stratton and CKNA brass came up with a different kind of race, one that put the crews and team support in a spotlight usually reserved for the drivers.

True to its name, the "Outta the Box" Challenge had some unusual, albeit simple, rules. Unlike a typical race—karting or otherwise—the starting grid would not be determined on the track. No, this time it would be settled in the pits.

The brainchild of Dan Roche, director of product for motorsports and turf at Briggs & Stratton, the event challenged teams to take a Briggs Racing 206 engine straight "outta the box," install it and race it.

"It was really a way to celebrate the teamwork that goes on with these race teams and put a spotlight on the mechanical side," Roche said. "We also wanted to demonstrate how easy it is to install the Briggs 206 on a traditional kart and get it running. So, we figured why not make it part of the race?"

Early in the afternoon, participants gathered in the pits with their engine-less chassis, tools, tables and anything else they would need to make the install go as smoothly as possible. Once settled into their stations, they gathered for a relatively informal "drivers" meeting, one that included four crew members from each team. In front of a pile of brand-new, still-in-the-box engines--all hand-numbered with marker--CKNA National Director and Co-founder Greg Jasperson gave a loose run-down of the rules.

The rules:

• Teams will randomly draw for their engine.
• DO NOT open the box until the horn blows.
• Once the horn blows, the timer starts. First to start their engine wins. This will set the starting lineup.
• Penalties will be assessed in tech for any missed items or components. Engines will be sealed.
• DO NOT open the box until the horn blows.
• Teams will get a 10-minute session on track to break in the engine.
• Prior to the race, there will be a 10-minute practice, followed by a 10-minute chassis-tuning window.
• DO NOT open the box until the horn blows.
• 12-lap race, grid set by build-off results.
• DO NOT open the box until the horn blows.

Once the rules were firmly established, teams randomly pulled a number and took their corresponding engine back to their temporary workstations, ready to get wrenching. The participants had clearly thought through the process, all neatly preparing and organizing their tools and instruments ahead of the horn, streamlining the build process as much as possible. One team I noticed seemed ready for anything, but at the last second, realized they had missed one key detail: a boxcutter.  

A few moments later, the horn blew, and chaos broke out. Teams scrambled for tools and parts, barking orders at one another as they thrashed on the bright orange Briggs engines. Then, moments later, the first engine roared to life, faster than just about everybody—except for maybe the crews themselves—thought possible.

"They were done a lot faster than I thought," Roche said. "We had no idea that they could get it done in under 5 minutes."

The winning time was a few ticks under 3 minutes.

Although surprising, the lightning-fast install proved the very thing Roche and Briggs & Stratton intended to showcase.

"It tells me that there's a lot of unsung heroes that work in the background," he said. "We've got one name on the cart, one guy or gal sitting in the cart, but there's often a team of people behind it.

"This event really put a spotlight on the fact that they have to plan on how to do this. This took a lot of innovation and creativity and preparation," he added, noting the process normally takes about two hours on your own.

With the build-off settled, the action turned to the track, and it was every bit as chaotic as the off-track portion. (You can watch the whole race here.)

Under the lights, North Carolina's Caleb Gafrarar rolled off the grid first thanks to his MGM team, who secured him the pole position with their quick and precise install--but a problem on the second lap meant he would not be the first-ever winner of the "Outta the Box" Challenge.

Clashes continued throughout the field, culminating in a last-lap collision that claimed leader James Overbeck with only two corners left in the race. The melee left the door open for Camryn Reed, who won the inaugural race after taking the white flag in seventh position. Although the race was mostly for bragging rights, Reed was able to take the Briggs Racing 206 engine home with her, along with the memories of a hard-fought win.

Ultimately, that's why Briggs & Stratton was eager to support the Grands 8 in such a unique way, Roche said, along with its usual, ubiquitous presence in the paddock.

"We're in a position to build engines and there's not that many companies that do that," he said. "We're just very honored to be in that position and to take some of our engines and use them to help make family memories.

"Everyone here is racing Briggs and that's really important from a brand perspective," Roche continued. "But it's really about us giving back and giving families something to wrap their free time around that is productive, that is difficult, is challenging and super rewarding."

For more information on CKNA, visit cupkarts.com.

For more information on Briggs & Stratton, visit briggsracing.com.