Not only that, but the car Ace built as an eight-year-old boy in California still holds the record for the fastest pinewood derby car on record.

At home, he taught his two boys how to build pinewood derby cars.

Ever wanted to make that pinewood derby car run faster?

Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks article: "How can I make a pinewood derby car go faster?"

How can I make a pinewood derby car go faster?

Let's start with the basic fact that pinewood derby cars roll down a track under the influence of gravity.

On a pinewood derby car, it would be nearly impossible to do that because things like the wheels and axles are producing most of the drag and there is no way to eliminate them.

The forces affecting a pinewood derby car are gravity and inertia; the opposing forces are friction and air drag.

The pinewood derby car converts gravitational potential energy into translational kinetic energy (speed) plus rotational energy.

July 12: Etch-A-Sketch is Introduced How Singing Fish Work How can I make a pinewood derby car go faster?