A Tradition of Excellence

As you dig your heels into the wonderful world of Pinewood Derby® racing keep in mind that the pinewood derby is a wonderful opportunity for both adults and children to learn a great deal about the Laws of Physics and have some serious fun along the way. After all, the pine wood derby is all about Gravity Driven Cars. You can bend or stretch the rules all you want. But you can't break the Laws of Physics. The challenge is to achieve maximum speed using Physics as your fuel and Gravity as your engine. It's important that you make sure you fully understand and stay within the rules of the race while pushing the envelope. But equally important is understanding what the rules don't say. This is where the fun starts. You can exploit your creativity and knowledge of physical law to your benefit.

TOP

Look for these inspirational guys scattered throughout the site. They will have important information or links that will help you learn along the way. You'll find there aren't really any tricks, secrets or magic ingredients that will make your car faster than the next guy. Any advantage is gained as a result of physics and good ol' elbow grease.

“Opportunity is missed by most people
because it is dressed in overalls
and looks like work.”
—Thomas Alva Edison

So whether this is your first time or if you're a seasoned trophy holder your first stop should be my EDGE-ucation page. Download the Lectures and test your knowledge.

Hodges Hobby House (WinDerby) is dedicated to helping kids and parents understand how to achieve maximum speed by combining quality craftsmanship and knowledge of physics to win the Pinewood Derby®. We take a lot of pride in providing derby enthusiasts of all ages with the best pine wood derby supplies and accessories on the market. I also try to provide the service and knowledge to achieve this goal. WinDerby has, literally, tens of thousands of satisfied customers (a great many with shiny new trophies). I attribute much of our success to the skill of the builders, their knowledge of physics and the valuable customer feedback for new and improved products.

We strive to build the finest "Made in the USA" pine wood derby supplies and accessories to keep you in the winner's circle year after year. Our lathe turned speed wheels and speed axles are among the best and fastest in the industry. I, personally, turn each and every one of our wheels and polish every axle to ensure hand crafted quality.No mass production here!

TOP

Every one of my Speed Wheels are hand polished and finished off with my WinDerby™ Exclusive SlickSilver™ Pro Bore Treatment. SlickSilver™ is a wheel bore treatment that I developed using my proprietary blend of Graphite and Molybdenum. My process creates a wheel bore finish that is ultra smooth, ultra slick and shines like a mirror!

We use the Official BSA Pinewood Derby® wheels and axles right out of the box. For Open Class and Outlaw competition, we offer custom machined speed wheels and speed axles as well. Our GM-Lube is the Original Custom Blend of Graphite and Moly created by Hugh Hodges.

IMPORTANT: The products and construction techniques described are all developed to improve the performance of your pine wood derby cars. Please consult your local racing rules as some of the methods and / or products may be not be allowed.

I have to share with you a site that is dedicated to dispelling myth and assumptions regarding the Physics of Gravity Driven Cars. Dr. John Jobe has written a book called "The Physics of the Pinewood Derby - With Engineering Applications". I was blown away with his 15 years of research and practical application of mathematics. This may be a little too technical for the casual derby builder. But anyone with even a hint of curiosity about how things REALLY work will find his works fascinating.
Dr. Jobe is publishing a series of lectures based on his research and hands-on lab experimentation. They are written in an easy to understand format. You can download them for FREE at:

http://www.pinewoodderbyphysics.com/lectures.shtml
Check them out.

If the lectures only wet your whistle then the book will keep you up all night. This will be a great resource for both the novice and the pro to expand their thinking and learn a great deal.