At this new racing simulator lounge in Cary, it’s all about motor sports. Look inside
The business’ name makes it obvious, but just one step inside Apex Racing Lab, and it’s clear the place is a paradise for lovers of motor sports.
Owner John DiCostanzo, himself a racer and fan of the sport, infused racing or cars into every detail of the new simulated racing lounge in Cary. In addition to Apex Racing Lab’s high-quality simulators for kids and adults, it boasts a cocktail bar, a conference room and even a retail shop.
“This has the potential to be the Topgolf of sim racing,” DiCostanzo said. “That’s what I’m shooting for.”
There are other Triangle businesses that offer sim racing, but “nobody’s taken it to this level, that I’ve seen,” DiCostanzo said.
What happens in Asheville doesn’t stay in Asheville
In February 2022, DiCostanzo — then a pre-sales engineer for an electronic storage devices manufacturer called Pure Storage — was taking some time off work. He and his wife, Katie, decided to visit Asheville to celebrate her birthday.
While she was getting pampered at the spa, DiCostanzo made his way to a sim racing facility called The Track at Asheville.
“Immediately, I’m like, lightning bolt. This is what I’m gonna do,” DiCostanzo said.
Even before they returned home, DiCostanzo and his wife were brainstorming business names. They landed on Apex Racing.
“When you’re racing, you always want to try and hit the apex of a corner,” DiCostanzo said. “That’s the fastest way around a racetrack.”
Rather than speeding into the hunt for a retail space to house a sim racing business, DiCostanzo decided to test drive the idea by converting his 24-foot-long, air-conditioned trailer into a sim racing trailer. He installed four sim racing bays and started hauling the trailer to car shows and events in the region.
When the International Motor Sports Association series held an event at the Virginia International Raceway in August, racing simulators inside DiCostanzo’s trailer were packed. The same thing happened when he went to Cars and Coffee Morrisville, where the trailer was a big box in a sea of Maseratis, Ferraris and other sleek machines.
“My people, right? They loved it,” DiCostanzo said. “Sold! We’re building a store.”
DiCostanzo found a location at Cary’s MacGregor Village, but getting the lease signed was no easy — or quick — process. In June 2023, after 11 months of back-and-forth, Apex Racing Lab had a permanent home.
It’s all in the details
Construction began in January to transform the nearly 5,700-square-foot former office into a racing simulator lounge, literally from the ground up. (The red-and-gray speckled floor is an epoxy, the kind of thing you’d find in a fancy garage.)
Everything about Apex Racing Lab is related to motor sports.
TVs show only racing, no other sports, even if there isn’t a live event happening.
The coffee table near the kid-friendly simulators, custom made by Rescued Wood Rehab, a woodworking company based in Fuquay-Varina, has matchbox cars epoxied in the top.
Cocktails pay homage to drivers including Dale Earnhardt.
Retired NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace’s 1999 Daytona car sits prominently near the front door, greeting all who enter.
A decorative piece of lighting that hangs above the garage door by the conference room is made from the rear bumper of a Corvette.
DiCostanzo even included a shop inside Apex Racing Lab, where customers can purchase merchandise and racing safety equipment.
“If you love motor sports, you love motor sports,” DiCostanzo said. “And there’s a lot of people like me out there. And we would rather come in here. You don’t even have to sim race. You can come in here and have a beer and just talk cars, talk racing, watch a race.”
I feel the need, the need for speed
The main attraction of Apex Racing Lab is the 16 simulators (12 for adults, four for children), built by a Montreal-based company called Advanced SimRacing. The seats are approved by the FIA, the governing body of motor sports, and steering wheels were made by MPI, a company founded by former professional driver Max Papis.
“Our steering wheels can come off our sims and go into a stock car, and you can go race at Daytona with it,” DiCostanzo said.
The simulators are open to racing newbies and pros alike, and customers can race on Formula 1, NASCAR and even Mario Kart tracks. They can walk in or reserve simulators online to race against friends and family (trash-talking via headsets optional). Competitive leagues are also available for the more serious drivers.
“That’s really what it boils down to, is, this facility was designed to build a community,” DiCostanzo said. “We have all these racing products, but community is what I’m shooting for.”
Apex Racing Lab is located at 107 Edinburgh South Drive, suite 106E in Cary’s MacGregor Village.
This story was originally published July 25, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "At this new racing simulator lounge in Cary, it’s all about motor sports. Look inside."
