Lil 500 Go-Karts closes after over 50 years of racing memories

MAITLAND, Fla. - The line stretched down the block at Lil 500 Go-Karts. Open since 1968, Saturday was the racetrack's last day in operation. 

"I feel pretty sad," said visitor Adam Swain, "Pretty sad."

Randy Kline's parents started the Fern Park track 53 years ago and passed it down through the family.

Watching the karts take their final laps, Kline is feeling sentimental. 

"Oh my gosh," he said. "We've all been crying for the last week!"

Kline says the years have taken their toll, and he's retiring. 

There's no one in the next generation to run the business, and he says prospective buyers haven't realized the work that goes into running the track. 

"That's just the way it is," he said. "It's a very rough business."

With the track shutting down, Kline says the big question for him and his family is what happens next. 

"My brother-in-law says he and my sister will take a two-week vacation, and then we'll all get back together and say ‘OK, what do we want to do?’"

Fans young and old came down for a final spin around the track on Saturday. 

The track closed at 7 p.m.

Gavin Houser and his family moved to North Carolina 10 years ago, but he's happy he could be here one last time. 

"It's definitely really sentimental to me," he said. "I'm sure the stories and everything will live on for a long time."