Palmetto, FL — Twenty years ago, brothers Jon and Brad Baytos left behind their St. Petersburg warehouses to build something larger — a 17-acre motorsport complex in north Palmetto. They laid a 1.1-mile circuit, a 9,100-square-foot garage and 24 bays, creating the Group Four Test Track.
Designed for testing and training rather than crowds, the facility served as a hands-on lab for Formula Ford teams and young drivers learning the mechanics of open-wheel racing.
In the fall of 2007 racing industry veterans Dan and John Andersen of New Jersey’s Andersen Racing acquired the property. The brothers saw in it what the Baytos brothers had first imagined: an outdoor home for development, mentorship and the future of open-wheel racing.
The Andersens resurfaced the road course, added a full-service 8,000-square-foot garage and maintenance facility and constructed 24 private bays for individual teams. They named the new facility Andersen RacePark, and under their direction it thrived as a training ground and regional center for karting and open-wheel development.
By the early 2010s, the park was hosting the “Road to Indy” development series in conjunction with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg—a partnership steered by Andersen Promotions, which went on to organize the event for more than a decade. The facility became a proving ground for aspiring racers, with drivers as young as five years old taking their first laps in entry-level karts and working their way toward more powerful machines.
The facility expanded its karting operations significantly over time. In 2009, Andersen Racing elevated its karting programming to the national level by bringing in seasoned racers and coaches. The site nurtured future motorsport stars; notable names such as Oliver Askew and Kyle Kirkwood passed through the “kart-to-car” pipeline.
Under the management of Dan’s son-in-law Eddie Kish, general public engagement flourished touting Andersen RacePark as a top local karting venue, offering both rental and club nights enjoyable for all skill levels.
Today the track’s story is carried forward by a new generation under a new name — T4 KartPlex.
In April 2024, the facility underwent a management and branding transition: new management partnered with Tillotson Racing LTD, re-launching the venue as T4 KartPlex. This reimagining underscored a shift towards broader entertainment and family appeal while preserving the track’s competitive edge and developmental mission. Today, T4 KartPlex carries the foundation laid by Dan Andersen, Manatee County’s very own motorsport icon.
“Dan (Andersen) built a place where young drivers could learn the craft the right way with discipline and respect for the sport,” says Jake Mottaz, general manager of T4 KartPlex. “Our goal is to honor that foundation while expanding what this facility can offer to families, racers and local families looking for something new and fun to do outdoors.”
The Man Behind the Movement
To understand the Palmetto track you have to understand Dan Andersen — a builder, mentor and true driving force in American open-wheel racing. In 1991 he co-founded the U.S. F2000 National Championship, giving young drivers a ladder to climb toward the big leagues. By the early 2000s his teams — from Andersen/Kish Racing to Andersen Walko Racing — were fielding cars across multiple national series, sharpening raw talent into professional poise.
His influence went far beyond team ownership. Andersen became a finishing-school mentor, guiding future Indy 500 names such as Dan Wheldon, Sam Hornish Jr., Alex Barron and Buddy Rice. He taught them racing skills, of course — the line, the patience, the discipline — but also the business: how to carry themselves, find sponsors and last. When he founded Andersen Promotions in 2010 he built a system — the Road to Indy — that gave hundreds of kids a path forward.
And while his reputation grew on the national stage, he planted roots in Manatee County through his construction firm, Andersen Interior Contractors, and the growing motorsport ecosystem he created. Andersen’s fingerprints are everywhere — in the pit crews he trained, the races he organized and the community that grew up around the track.
Looking Ahead
T4 KartPlex sits at a crossroads — both literally and figuratively. It’s a rare surviving patch of racing heritage in a region being swallowed by rooftops and retail. Urban sprawl presses in from all sides, threatening the quiet roar that has defined this corner of Palmetto for three decades. The facility sits within a special economic zone, protected by Manatee County, but paper protection is no guarantee when developers come calling.
That’s why the new stewards of T4 KartPlex see their mission as more than business. They’re keeping alive the lessons motorsport gives. It teaches responsibility, respect and consequence — how to brake before the corner, own your mistakes and trust your instincts at 60 miles per hour. It’s physical, social and far more intense than even the latest XBox race simulator.
Florida has always been a state of speed — from the Daytona 500 to the St. Pete Grand Prix — but Manatee County’s contribution runs deeper than headlines. The county gave the sport a family, a factory for talent and now a future worth defending.
T4 KartPlex isn’t just carrying forward a legacy. It is the legacy — a local treasure born of asphalt and ambition that still reminds anyone who steps on the throttle what it feels like to truly move.
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