Pinewood derby heat charts, explained
If parents argue about anything at a derby, it's usually the lanes. A heat chart where every car runs every lane once takes that argument off the table. This page shows how the rotation works and how many heats it takes, with two example charts for a 4-lane track.
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Why every car should run every lane
No two lanes on a track are the same. One has a joint that's a hair off, another has a guide strip that rubs. Most tracks have a lane that's a little quicker, and everybody figures out which one by the third heat.
So give every car one run in each lane. Whatever the lanes are doing, every car gets the same deal, and the totals come down to the cars. It's the most common way to run a pinewood derby, and it's what Derby Dashboard calls "Every lane."
How many heats it takes
One heat per car, as long as you have at least as many cars as lanes. Each heat fills every lane, and each car comes up once for every lane on the track. A few examples:
- 8 cars on a 4-lane track: 8 heats, 4 runs each
- 12 cars on a 4-lane track: 12 heats
- 15 cars on a 6-lane track: 15 heats, 6 runs each
- 3 cars on a 4-lane track: 4 heats, with one lane empty every time
For a time estimate, multiply the heats by how long one heat really takes, counting from loading the cars to having the gate ready again. A minute to a minute and a half is typical, and it creeps up when the kids are young and the pit crew is chatty. Derby Dashboard assumes 75 seconds until you tell it otherwise, and after a few heats it offers the average you're actually running.
Example: 8 cars on a 4-lane track
| Heat | Lane 1 | Lane 2 | Lane 3 | Lane 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Car 1 | Car 3 | Car 5 | Car 7 |
| 2 | Car 2 | Car 4 | Car 6 | Car 8 |
| 3 | Car 3 | Car 5 | Car 7 | Car 1 |
| 4 | Car 4 | Car 6 | Car 8 | Car 2 |
| 5 | Car 5 | Car 7 | Car 1 | Car 3 |
| 6 | Car 6 | Car 8 | Car 2 | Car 4 |
| 7 | Car 7 | Car 1 | Car 3 | Car 5 |
| 8 | Car 8 | Car 2 | Car 4 | Car 6 |
Read down any lane and each car shows up once. Read across and you see who races together. The cars are spread out on purpose: car 1 meets cars 3, 5 and 7 instead of only its neighbors, so everyone sees a wider mix of opponents.
Example: 6 cars on a 4-lane track
| Heat | Lane 1 | Lane 2 | Lane 3 | Lane 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Car 1 | Car 2 | Car 3 | Car 4 |
| 2 | Car 2 | Car 3 | Car 4 | Car 5 |
| 3 | Car 3 | Car 4 | Car 5 | Car 6 |
| 4 | Car 4 | Car 5 | Car 6 | Car 1 |
| 5 | Car 5 | Car 6 | Car 1 | Car 2 |
| 6 | Car 6 | Car 1 | Car 2 | Car 3 |
Six doesn't divide evenly by four, and that's fine. Every car still gets exactly one run in each lane.
Letting the app do it
You don't need to draw any of this by hand. Check the cars in as they pass inspection, and only those cars go into the schedule, so a no-show doesn't leave a hole in heat 9. In Race setup, pick "Every lane" for each den or club. The app shuffles the starting order first, so nobody can line their kid up against the slowest cars, and every car still gets every lane.
The schedule prints or saves as a PDF with a box to tick off each heat, and the big screen shows who's on deck so racers are ready when their heat comes up.
If you have time for more racing
One run per lane is the minimum. A round robin goes through the rotation two or more times in a different order, so cars race more often and against more of the field. Rounds with a cut and elimination brackets are the other common options; the race formats guide goes through them.
Questions
How many heats does a pinewood derby take?
If every car runs once in every lane, one heat per car, as long as there are at least as many cars as lanes. Eight cars on a 4-lane track take 8 heats; 20 cars take 20.
What if we have fewer cars than lanes?
Every car still gets one run in every lane, and some heats have an empty lane. Three cars on a 4-lane track take 4 heats.
Can each den have its own heat chart?
Yes. Make each den, club or age group its own race. Each one gets its own chart and its own standings, and you can send the fastest cars to a final afterward.
Can we print the heat chart?
Yes. The schedule prints or saves as a PDF, with every heat and the cars in each lane.
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