"When Austin moves, he leaves his kart behind. How can he compete at the new track when he's driving a rental?"--Unedited summary from book.

Twelve-year-old friends Ted and Ashley are finally old enough to go to Kart Kamp in the summer, where they meet Gil Stevens, son of a famous driver, but soon Ted's competitive instincts start to get the better of him, and camp becomes less about learning than winning.

When his Aunt Lucy introduces Sheldon to the world of kart racing he is quickly hooked; the challenge of building a winning kart is irresistible, and so is the opportunity to take "Coal Roller," the local champion (and bully) down--and maybe he can even make his often-absent father proud.

Ted is sure his week at Kart Camp is going to be the best week ever. But when Jake, son of a famous race-car driver, shows up at camp, Ted's plans are thrown off track. Ted is convinced Jake is using unfair advantages to win races. Will Ted let his bias get the best of him in the race to the finish line?

Tony is used to being the best. With his old kart, he won every single race. But now he's twelve, and he's moved up to the next class of racing, TAG karts. Sure, he gets to drive a cool new kart that goes faster than anything he's ever driven. But he has to race against kids three years older than him, who aren't nice to him, and who have been driving TAG karts for years. How is Tony supposed to get used to losing? And when Jon, one of the older kids, invites him to practice, is Jon just setting Tony up for more embarrassment?

When Sheldon spends the day with his aunt, he has no idea he's about to enter the fast-paced world of go-kart racing. Sheldon's not keen on sports, but the combination of technical skill and adrenalin, along with an opposing bully, pulls him onto the track. Will Sheldon cross the finish line first, or will his dreams of go-kart racing break down?

Shawn gets to be a junior team member on Johnny Pride's stock car team. But when he arrives at the racetrack, it turns out he'll be helping Johnny's biggest competition, "Mean" Gene Pederson. Shawn realizes that appearances aren't everything. Maybe there's more to Mean Gene than a bad reputation.