An annual FUN Franklin community event, emphasizing FUN where students design, build, decorate or race pinewood derby cars. There are two ways to participate:

Option #1 is Best In Show, which judges a car on the creativity, design and overall awesomeness. Your imagination is the only limitation! The Best In Show will include web published pictures of your amazing cars and commentary from Franklin Alumni.

Option #2 is a speed race. Cars meeting the design criteria are raced down a ramp. The fastest cars will face of in a final tournament style bracket.

It is a 7 by 2 1/2 inch long by 2 1/2 inch wide block of wood, 4 wheels, 4 axels and 2 axle mounts. It is a blank slate to create the design of your dreams.

We will be hosting some days on campus where volunteers will be able to assist students in working with their derby kits. We will have band saws, sandpaper, and some other tools. See the Derby Site for details.

In years past the Derby was held as part of a larger fall festival. As we ease back into in-person events we will be having a scaled down event focusing on the Derby with some limited additional activities. If you are able to donate time or money to expand the offerings please email franklinavederby@gmail.com.

The preliminary rounds are organized into groups or “heats.” the number of cars in each heat will depend on the number of entrants.

Once the heats are done the fastest cars will advance to the final which is a bracket style tournament.

The race cars will be busy racing! We ask that race cars not be entered into the style competition. You may, however purchase more than one kit to have an entry in each competition.

No, we welcome returning cars, other than prior race winners. Repaint it, decorate it, etc. You will need to pay the additional $10 registration fee to register your car for the race.

YES! Just register and drop off your car prior to the deadline and your car will race.

Absolutely! We are back in person this year. See the Derby main page for details.

These cars move fast, and sometimes can flip off the tracks or collide with other cars. The Derby Crew can not guarantee that we will be able to repair your car if it is damaged, nor can we stop the races or allow entrants to modify their cars mid competition.. Make sure any weights or structural elements are firmly attached. Any repairs that require more than a dab of glue and a couple of minutes time will likely be outside of the capabilities of the Derby Crew and the car may be disqualified.

Yes! Please email franklinavederby@gmail.com to work out a way to get your car to the competion.

We will not be selling custom orders in the store this year. Only our basic kit and a selection of pre-cuts.