Published March 27, 2025
Quick Tips for a Fast Car
By John Segner; Lead Interactive Developer
It’s the smallest spectacle in racing is back — our annual Pinewood Derby! Every year, race fans show off their pinewood cars and watch them zip down Indiana’s longest derby track to the finish line.
Many fans take their need for speed to the next level by competing in the Pinewood Derby Championship Race Day!
If you’re creating a car for race day, there are several things you can do while building your car to scientifically maximize its potential speed.
Ready? On your mark, get set, build!
- Make your car heavy and centered.
Fast cars are as heavy as the rules allow — for the official race day, that means no more than 5 ounces.
To go fast, your car needs to start with as much potential energy as possible. During the race, your car converts some of that potential energy into kinetic energy (speed), and some is lost to friction. So, it’s important that your car is as heavy as possible.
It’s also important to keep your car’s weight balanced toward the center. Cars with a center of gravity too far back or too far to the side tend to crash more on our track.
- Minimize friction.
Most of the axels that come with your car kit will have rough burs. These burs increase the amount of friction that may slow your car down.
Sand these rough spots off, polish the axels until they’re smooth and shiny and lubricate them with graphite. Lubrication has the biggest impact on speed.
- Lift one wheel so your car runs on three wheels.
It takes energy to get your car’s wheels spinning. If you lift one wheel and run on just three, the energy that would go toward getting the fourth wheel to spin can help your speed instead.
- Adjust your car’s steering so it pulls slightly to one side.
Cars with perfectly centered steering tend to bounce around during the race. The best adjustment for our track is to pull about 1/2 inch over 4 feet. During the race, your car will ride smoothly along the rail.
- Design with aerodynamics in mind!
If your car is doing everything else right to go fast, in theory, you can go a bit faster by reducing the car’s frontal area. Looking at the car’s profile from the front, try to make it as small as possible.
- Have fun designing your car!
How your car looks doesn’t have a big impact on how fast it is, so go wild! Our stock of donated cars includes the Batmobile, a tank, the Delorian from “Back to the Future” and a Winnebago — all of which have won lots of races.
Visit our Race Day and Best in Show Contest page for more information on Race Day car regulations.
Happy building, and good luck!
