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Pinewood Derby Stories and Photos from Maximum Velocity
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PINEWOOD DERBY MEMORY Magic Car?
Our local church race was interesting this year -- for me anyway. I usually try to build a nice car, but since I started hosting the event I haven't been very careful to make it fast so that someone else can win. This year I was so rushed I didn't even sand my car -- only rough cut. About a half hour before I had to go to the race, I cut the tab off the Awana wheels, sanded around the edges to make sure they were smooth, and placed several drops of NyOil II on each axle (contrary to instructions). I then installed the axles in the original holes, made sure they had some side clearance (but I didn't measure it), and added weights (not too accurately). The car weighed in light at 4.7 ounces.
So, what a surprise it was to see my car running first! Not only was it faster than the stock cars I raced, but it was faster than the times posted by the modified cars. I saw the car fishtail on a couple of races, so I can only imagine what the car could have done with tighter tolerances and more weight. Luck? Hmmm.
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