Outlaw Pinewood Derby Rules

It almost flies in the face of what an Outlaw Pinewood Derby should be. Free of rules, to let your imagination and engineering skills run wild and come up with the fastest, most unique and all around awesome cars you can. Hosting my own Outlaw Pinewood Derby, I have come to realize there are some necessary rules and others you may want to include to increase the fun for all participants. I’ve created a list of 12 rules to consider when setting up an event, these are for you to pick an choose from, I don’t use all of these myself but they are helpful to think of when coming up with your own requirements.


Key Rules for Outlaw Pinewood Derby Success:

  1. Dimensional Guidelines and Track Compatibility:

    • Keep car dimensions within specific limits: Width (2.75"), Length (7"), Height (4.5"), with a bottom clearance of at least 3/8th of an inch to ensure cars fit standard tracks.

  2. Lubrication Limitations:

    • Prohibit lubricating oil on wheels which may damage wood tracks; allow powdered graphite or silicone.

  3. Combustible Material Ban:

    • Strictly exclude anything combustible to maintain safety standards, especially crucial as most rental locations have similar requirements.

  4. No Interference Rule:

    • Cars must not interfere with other derby cars to promote fair competition and avoid strategic advantages.

  5. Starting Post Limitation:

    • Cars may not extend past the starting post to ensure fair positioning and prevent potential advantages.

  6. Finish Line Determination:

    • If no car crosses the finish line, the one that traveled farthest wins, acknowledging the unpredictable nature of Outlaw cars.

  7. Quick Setup Requirement:

    • Cars must be race-ready within 1 minute, aiding in the smooth progression of races and maintaining a consistent pace.

  8. Repair Window:

    • Racers are allowed to make repairs between heats, recognizing that Outlaw cars can experience breakdowns and require pit time.

  9. Intact Finish Line Crossing:

    • Cars must cross the finish line intact, no specially created starting blocks or equipment left behind, ensuring a fair and level playing field.

  10. Energy Source Restrictions:

    • No direct energy applied to wheels, emphasizing reliance on gravity for movement or some unique build that propels the car.

  11. Kit-Built Requirement:

    • Cars must be built using a Pinewood Derby kit as the base to ensure standardized materials and fair competition. Rules including how much must be used, or look at my other post about interesting materials that can also be used to construct your car.

  12. Exclusionary Components:

    • This is purely how you want to run your outlaw derby but methods people have used include magnets, compressed air, springs, electric motors or fluid reservoirs. Think if you want to restrict the use of any of these as sources or energy to make the cars move.