How to score a pinewood derby
Decide how you'll score before race day and tell the parents. Most derby arguments start with a rule somebody made up at the finish line. These are the common methods and how to handle the awkward cases.
Free for up to 20 racers. Runs in Chrome or Edge, and keeps going when the Wi-Fi doesn't.
Place points
The most common method, and the simplest. Cars earn points for where they finish in each heat. Derby Dashboard gives first place as many points as there are lanes and last place 1, so on a 4-lane track that's 4, 3, 2 and 1. Add up all the heats and the most points wins.
Points work no matter how you call the finish, including a judge watching by eye. Paired with an every-lane rotation, they're about as fair as it gets.
Average time
Some groups rank cars by their average time over all their heats. It rewards a car that's fast every run, and it breaks most ties by itself. The catch is that you need an electronic finish line that times each lane.
Derby Dashboard can score by average time, but it doesn't connect to timers yet. We're actively working on support for USB track timers, and it's coming soon. If you're judging by eye, there are no times to average, so use points.
Cars that don't finish
Wheels come off. Cars jump the track. Settle ahead of time what a car that doesn't finish earns; Derby Dashboard lets you pick 0 or 1 point, and the judge marks it with one tap. A lot of groups also allow one quick repair and a re-run, which is easy to do in the app too.
Ties
When two cars cross together, the judge marks them as tied and they share the place. If it's too close to call, step through the camera replay frame by frame, or just run the heat again. Kids rarely mind racing twice.
Ties in the final standings are the harder ones. With points only, tied cars show as tied, and most groups settle a tie for a trophy with a quick run-off between those cars. If times were recorded, the app can break ties by average or best time instead. Whatever you choose, put it in writing before race day.
Showing the standings
Standings update the moment a heat is saved. On the Club plan, a leaderboard screen puts every race's standings on a projector or TV, and with Club Plus parents can follow along on their phones.
Questions
How are points scored in a pinewood derby?
Usually by place in each heat. In Derby Dashboard, first earns as many points as there are lanes and last earns 1, so a 4-lane heat awards 4, 3, 2 and 1. The most points over all heats wins.
Is points or time scoring better?
Points work with any way of calling the finish, including a judge. Time scoring needs an electronic timer. Both are fair with an every-lane rotation.
How many points does a car that doesn't finish get?
You decide before the race: 0 or 1 point. The judge marks the car with one tap.
How do we break a tie for first place?
Agree on it in advance. A run-off between the tied cars is the simplest. If times were recorded, the app can break ties by average or best time.
Sign-ups are coming soon
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