DRAPER, Utah — Motorsports racing is not for the faint of heart and is a sport fueled by the potential for danger and adrenaline.
A 13-year-old girl in Draper is already making a name for herself in the Kart racing world and has her eyes set on the big leagues.
Just a young 7th grader, Payton Anderson has been racing for over three years and has won Rookie of the Year twice and championships the last two years.
Her passion was ignited during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Me and my dad were just at home. We were bored," Anderson reflected. "So my dad took me to another indoor karting facility and I started getting the records there and stuff and doing progressively doing way better."
Before she's even reached the age of being eligible for a driver's license, Anderson has big dreams for her future in racing.
"I just want to keep progressing and racing," she said. "I just want to when I'm older, hopefully we get to F1 Indy."
Mike Beeny of Msquared Racing is Anderson's coach and sees a lot of potential for the young racer.
"She is always ready to go drive," he said. "So it's been a lot of fun working with her. It's really fun working with young drivers because they're so coachable."
Redline Racing is a new kart course that opens in Orem this weekend and is the perfect training course for future pros and hopefuls like Anderson.
"There's no other racing facility in Utah County that caters towards younger kids," said Berkelee Anderson. "Everyone from kids with a dream to college students blowing off steam, you can start racing here your first day."
Payton's dad and older sister helped build and run the new facility, in part because they believed in Payton's future in racing.
"My dad always says I'm his retirement," Payton laughed.
They hope other would-be racers can get in on the excitement along the way.
