Creating The Ruleset For Your Pinewood Derby Race

[DerbyDad4Hire]

I have been in the Pinewood Derby business since 2008. I started off league racing then started running my own league races. I helped build the PDDR. I ran the East Coast Derby League. I created the NPWDRL and built it into the largest racing league. I now run PinewoodDerbyRacing.com. I have hosted the National Championships since 2009. i guess the point I am making is that I understand how to run a successful pinewood derby event.

The NUMBER 1 issue in pinewood derby is the rulesets that are created. If you have to tear cars down and make judgement calls then you have created a bad rule and you have created an unfair advantage for those running the race.

Help me make a list of the WORST rules. I will start it.

1. GRAPHITE ONLY- Why? There is absolutely no reason for this rule. Oil is readily available. How to use oil is detailed right here for FREE. It is FILTHY and creates a mess on the track and anywhere you apply it. It promotes CHEATING. If you are treating your axles with ANYTHING other than graphite then you are cheating. If the rules say dry lube only and you spray anything WET on the axle then it is CHEATING.
2. 4 wheels touching- They even take this a step further and say they all have to be FLAT on the surface. This rule can actually be enforced but the tech in time is absurd and the number of cars let through illegally can be very high. This is a major source of cheating and a huge advantage to the cars that get through illegally.
   
3. No bent axles- Why??? There is no argument for this rule that holds any water at all. I thought the point is to make a fast car. You need a way to tune the car and very few people can drill the axle holes with the right angles to make up for this nonsense rule.
4. Only light sanding of the wheels (no machining)- Wheel rules MUST BE DEFINED. How can you say for sure if a wheel was machined or sanded?
5. Must be 1 3/4" between the wheels- A better rule is must fit the track and roll freely.
6. Must use wood block provided and slots- Absolutely ridiculous rule and completely unenforceable unless you brand the block. The slots can be miserable to use also and much easier to let people be creative.
7. No washers- I can understand if this was something you had to make major modifications to use but come on... ANYONE can add a washer. Makes the build more simple and the car perform better.

What are your thoughts?

 

[T-Bone Racing]

This is all so true. Just to chime in here, I personally dislike it when the rules say absolutely no machining of the wheels. I think that it’s fair to be able to remove the double step, or remove some material do get it to weigh like a BASX wheel. Not as important as the ones up top, but that’s my opinion.

 

[Jupiter 2.9]

The 1 3/4" minimum between wheels "to insure the car will clear the center guide rail".
It seems to contradict itself.
Where is it measured ? If you have cant for steer the top is wider than the bottom.
Is it the body, the hub or the wheel face or at the true minimum point?
It depends on who is inspecting at the time of check in & may involve an uncomfortable conversation for one of the parties.
And the official plastic gauge tool measures 1.78. Just sayin
I'm nervous every time.

 

[Jupiter 2.9]

Must use axle slots provided
I kind of get that, but really is it rule worthy.

 

[T-Bone Racing]

Must use axle slots provided
I kind of get that, but really is it rule worthy.

I thought about that one. In my opinion, you should always be able to drill your own.

 

[AJBinVA]

Must use wood provided with kit.

There are just such terrible inconsistencies with the kit wood and once you paint it how can you really verify. Just seems silly.

 

[Thinkin'Bout Racin]

John,

You have a great start to the list of bad rules! (That sounds kind of strange when I read it)

I will add this:
7) No washers attached to the side of the car.

And you are correct when you say that bad rules are a Pinewood Derby’s enemy. They need to be clear and concise with no ambiguity. Easily understood, and enforceable with little to no need to disassemble a car.

 

[Bubblegum]

Not really a rule but when packs, councils, and districts each have a different set of rules for me to follow.

Also they simply regurgitate the same incorrect rule each year. The standard wheel base right out of the box is different than the rule requirement. Which one do I follow?

 

[T-Bone Racing]

Another one that I hate, that is pretty uncommon I think, is that all four wheels must spin. In a districts race, the guy running it said that we had to get the NDFW to spin, and I had to take the front fender off for it to have enough clearance. I checked the rules several times, and it didn’t say that, but still, It’s a bad rule in my opinion.

 

[DerbyDad4Hire]

Another one that I hate, that is pretty uncommon I think, is that all four wheels must spin. In a districts race, the guy running it said that we had to get the NDFW to spin, and I had to take the front fender off for it to have enough clearance. I checked the rules several times, and it didn’t say that, but still, It’s a bad rule in my opinion.

That is the first time I have ever heard this one! I love it when they make stuff up at tech in.

 

[T-Bone Racing]

That is the first time I have ever heard this one! I love it when they make stuff up at tech in.

It wasn’t even at check in. The car passed inspection, and right before the car was about to race, they told us. That really made me feel as if they were making rules up as they go.

 

[Brian Stanley]

Another one that I hate, that is pretty uncommon I think, is that all four wheels must spin. In a districts race, the guy running it said that we had to get the NDFW to spin, and I had to take the front fender off for it to have enough clearance. I checked the rules several times, and it didn’t say that, but still, It’s a bad rule in my opinion.

I've been concerned in the past that the wheels "must be free-wheeling" could be interpreted this way.

 

[OneSpartan]

From our council's rule set..."axle heads shall not include any feature intended to provide an interface with a tool"

I really dislike that rule.

 

[Thinkin'Bout Racin]

From our council's rule set..."axle heads shall not include any feature intended to provide an interface with a tool"

I really dislike that rule.

Does that mean that ALL stock BSA axles are illegal? They all have a “nail head” which interface with an axle pulling pliers. One could make that argument based on the rule quote above.

 

[OneSpartan]

Does that mean that ALL stock BSA axles are illegal? They all have a “nail head” which interface with an axle pulling pliers. One could make that argument based on the rule quote above.

Exactly. And its just one of many rules in their eight page rule set that make my head spin.

 

[Jimmy & his 2 Kids]

Wow, I don’t even race Scouts and am starting to have anxieties and nightmares about this. The rules in our local churches Awana... use the parts out of the box. It’s glorious. Lol

Though they did add a couple simple rules... but still... I can’t imagine racing Scout races at the various levels and trying to resist strangling someone.

 

[Craigs Cruzer]

Boy Scout Troop set up a rule that kids have 1 hour to build their car before it it raced - with box kits handed out on the spot. For some reason, they couldn’t get enough scouts interested to actually hold the race.

 

[Mojo Racing]

Boy Scout Troop set up a rule that kids have 1 hour to build their car before it it raced - with box kits handed out on the spot. For some reason, they couldn’t get enough scouts interested to actually hold the race.

People try to get that to happen at end of year league races too. No interest.

When I coach cub packs, one thing I say is, " If you build the car fast, it is going to go slow."

Most of the time, that is true, even on league levels.