Information, Format, & Racing Rules:

2026 Tempest Raceway Leagues will kick off on Friday, March 13th, 2026 with League 1! Drivers are required to be present by 6:15pm for the Drivers Meeting. The 5 week season costs $450 and takes place every Friday for 5 weeks at Tempest Raceway, utilizing NJMP’s rental kart fleet. Entries are capped at 15 drivers and participants MUST purchase the entire 5 week season! No walk-ins will be permitted.

Participating Racers unlock a special $20 practice rate on race days from 3pm-6pm based on availability.

In the event of inclement weather, league events could potentially be postponed or cancelled for a given week. There is a Make Up day built into the schedule. NJMP will work proactively to run all scheduled races however if this isn’t possible, races will be credited as Arrive & Drive sessions.

League 1:

• Race 1- March 13th,2026
• Race 2- March 20th,2026
• Race 3-March 27th,2026
• Race 4- April 3rd,2026
• Race 5- April 10th,2026
• Make Up Date – April 17th,2026

A podium ceremony will be held at the conclusion of each night of racing where Top 3 Drivers from both the Sprint and Final will be celebrated.

Results from all position based races are used to attribute points to drivers. These points accumulate throughout the 5 weeks of racing, and the driver with the most points at the conclusion will be deemed the Winner of the season. 1st Place will receive a $450 NJMP Gift Card, 2nd Place will receive $200, and 3rd Place will receive $100.

Point Structure: 

   Sprint                                  Final

Pole Position, the fastest Qualifying lap, will earn 2 bonus points. The fastest race laps from both the Sprint & Final will also earn 1 bonus point each.

Each week drivers will run 4 sessions:

● Round 1(R1) - 10 Min Practice

● Round 2(R2) - 12 Lap Qualifying (Scored by Fastest Lap Time)

● Round 3(R3) - 12 Lap Sprint (Scored by Position)

● Round 4(R4) - 20 Lap Final (Scored by Position)

Tiebreakers: Ties will be resolved in the following ways; To resolve any ties while setting up races & driver order for R1 and R2 the driver that scored more points the previous week would be given the position. For scenarios where drivers run the same lap time in qualifying, the tied driver’s next fastest lap times will be compared. Finally, if a tie appears in the final standings it will be broken by comparing the number of Final wins, then by the number of Pole Positions earned if needed.

Kart Selection: All karts for league sessions will be selected using a random number generator(RNG) app. Drivers are responsible for adapting and getting the most out of the equipment underneath them. There will not be kart swaps unless there is a significant mechanical failure. For Qualifying and Sprint races only(R2 & R3), drivers should not have repeat karts. It will always be the responsibility of the driver to communicate about duplicate karts to race officials.

Start/Restart Procedure: All race starts and restarts will be single file. Drivers are able to accelerate at the drop of the green flag but cannot initiate a pass or ‘jump out of line’ until they pass the Start/Finish line. The leader will follow the inside tram lines. Jump starts or leaving the tram lines early will result in a drive through penalty.

Driving Standards and Passing: It is always the responsibility of the passing driver to initiate a safe pass attempt. In order to establish position a driver must achieve significant overlap on the driver they are attempting to pass BY the time the leading driver turns in for a given corner. Position being established simultaneously to turn-in occurring will consistently be called in the favor of the chasing driver. Once position has been established both karts must leave at least one kart width of racing surface for the other until the attempt fails or is completed. It will always be illegal to run a fellow competitor off the track to complete a pass. While we encourage the art of defensive driving to maintain a position, blocking will not be tolerated. Drivers may make one defensive move, but may not make a second reactionary move. The blue flag will be used for lapped traffic in position based races. Race others how you want to be raced.

Penalties: Actions that will be penalized are as follows; Passing under yellow, unsportsmanlike conduct, reckless driving, dive bombing or turning down, blocking, consistent(intentional) bumping, incident responsibility, or avoidable contact. Furthermore, neglect for safety, excessive aggression, or corner cutting will never be accepted and may result in the immediate loss of driving privileges. A scenario on track involving two or more karts where sole or majority fault cannot be laid upon a single driver may be ruled a Racing Incident.

Rolled up Black Flag(Black Stick) pointed at the driver = WARNING - STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING!

Open/Waved Black Flag AND your kart number displayed on the number board = DRIVE THROUGH PENALTY!

Drivers have 3 laps to serve a penalty once signaled. If penalties occur in the closing lap(s) of a session the driver in the wrong will be scored behind the driver they wronged. If a driver blatantly ignores a penalty they will be scored last in the session and parked for the evening.

Generally, if you make a mistake and you allow the driver you wronged to regain their position you can ‘clear’ a pending penalty. Repeat or intentional infractions will not be afforded this privilege.

Cautions: Local yellows will be used regularly during competition events. NJMP, like every official racing series or venue, mandates NO PASSING under any variety of yellow flag. Drivers are required to decrease speed(relatively) by lifting or checking up if needed, and increase alertness. These actions work to ensure all parties involved in the incident, staff working on recovery, fellow competitors, and you, are able to safely navigate the scenario. Drivers that make passes under yellow, or intentionally disregard safety when passing through a yellow, will be swiftly assessed a penalty.

The Race Director will only throw a full course caution during sessions for safety, to address significant failure with a kart or the track, or to solve an IT/Timing Issue. If a Full Course caution is called Black Flags will be waved by all marshalls. In this scenario all drivers are to enter the pit lane and park to await further instruction. If Red Flags are waved drivers are expected to safely stop wherever they are on track.

Safety Rules & Community Commitments:

All drivers are expected to always ‘have a way out’ of whatever scenario that is unfolding to protect themselves and their fellow competitors. The vast majority of the time this way out is simply using the brakes to check up.

Instead of just focusing on what you are doing, utilize situational awareness to determine what those around you are doing & predict their inputs/moves. The further you look down the track the easier it is to make proactive decisions to not only mitigate safety risks, but capitalize on opportunities and make passes.

All drivers and spectators are expected to operate with respect and sportsmanship on and off the track. Behavior that contradicts or threatens the community based environment will not be tolerated.

The Race Director holds the right to determine if a racer is not healthy enough to continue racing.

Only the driver themselves should be in any area designated as a hot zone. Furthermore, only drivers should address any concerns or problems they have with the Race Director. This should always be done at an appropriate time and with respect.

In the event an individual arrives after the Drivers Meeting(6:30pm) New Jersey Motorsports Park reserves the right to refuse those individual(s) the ability to participate.

All drivers will be held responsible for any damages that may incur during their league sessions. The NJMP Karting Protection Plan is highly recommended for any inexperienced drivers. Protection plans can be added at the time of registration or in person.

All participants must be 5ft tall and 13 years of age. If a participant is under the age of 18, a legal parent or guardian must be present to sign our minor waiver form. Please be sure to wear closed toed shoes!