Chances are, you’ve seen the phrase “the Pros at Pinewood Pro” around the site.

We consider Brad Barnett, one of the most knowledgeable Pinewood and Brick Derby™ race PROs, to be among the very best of them. Brad’s love for all things derby racing extends over nearly 40 years and his expertise is far from limited to the namesake Pinewood Derby. Get to know Brad below for his racing history and his insightful advice for racers of all ages and experience.

How long have you been involved with derby racing?

My son joined Trail Life in 2015, and I was excited to find out that they race pine cars, too. His first car was fast. It won its first heat, but broke an axle on the second. The next year he built a cool engine out of LEGO™, and we decided to build a car around it. So we attached LEGO™ plates to a pine body, he built a really cool LEGO™ pine car, and won Judges Choice. I've been running our area race since 2018, and I run about six races a year for various groups and organizations.

Describe your earliest derby racing memory.

My earliest memories of Pinewood Derby are in Cub Scouts almost 40 years ago. I remember building cars with my dad. In fact, I remember one year, we chiseled out the bottom of the car and installed a tube of mercury to try to make it faster. I have a letter I wrote to my aunt in 1988 about finishing 2nd in our race and my plans for the next year.

Share three tips you think every derby racer should know.

The first tip I would give is to know your race rules. You definitely don't want to build a car that gets disqualified before the first race. 

Next, I would encourage anyone building their first car to watch Mark Rober's EASY Pinewood Derby Car WINS using Science!!! video on YouTube. He does a great job explaining the scientific concepts of racing in ways that kids can understand while keeping parents entertained. 

Lastly, I would encourage parents to let their kids completely exercise their creativity and build a car that reflects their personality. It doesn't matter if their first car is fast. If they don't enjoy building their first car, they won't enjoy the next one. And losing often gets healthy competitive energy flowing for next year! 

As a bonus tip: encourage your child to support the other racers. Cheer for each other. Chant their names. High-five. Those will be better memories than a trophy.

Where are some of the biggest challenges in the derby racing process, from ideation to race day?

I think the hardest part of planning a race is delegating roles to other parents and older kids so everything runs smoothly. I've found that the biggest job is what I call Marshals: they assist cars who don't finish, collect cars from the finish line, carry them back to the staging lanes, place them back in their position, and collect cars for the next heat. If you can have your Lead Marshal gathering cars three heats in advance, your race will run much faster.

Can you disclose your best speed secret?

My favorite speed secret is actually a tool - Pinewood Pro's PRO Axle Hole Driller Tool. If you don't have to use the axle slots, I highly recommend drilling axle holes. And if your rules allow, the Axle Driller Tool makes it easy to cant your rear axles and raise a front wheel to get an advantage over your competitors.

For even more speed secrets and expert advice, check out our Winning Secrets series. Feeling inspired? Start planning your next car here!