Thanks for the battery tips! They sell Peak packs at the track (for $10 more than TQ unfortunately) and a lot of people like them. I noticed TQ has 2400mah 45c packs for $20, that means same speed & power but less runtime right? I'm on a super tight budget at the moment and hoping to get as close to $60 for 2xpacks as possible.

The track is concrete and pretty new so it has yet to be "broken in". The offroad track is nearby so it's pretty dusty, definitely not high traction. Here's a video of the 1st Mini race: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10154227998575215

and the track layout: