Maximum Velocity

what do you do when your nephew sends you an email from halfway around the world asking for help on a pinewood derby car which needs to race in less than a week?
if you’re the simonster, the first thing you do is curse out your brother for waiting this long to start building the car.
the second thing you do is google how championship-​winning pinewood derby cars are made. evidently it’s all about physics: minimize rolling friction while maximizing gravitational push. competitors can go absolutely bonkers trying to make their cars go faster, including tungsten weights, precision-​machined wheels/​axles, super slick finishes, etc.
since i had to send the parts halfway around the world, i really wanted a shop that had everything i needed and would be able to ship it immediately. maximum velocity conveniently already assembles that best go-​fast components into kits, so all i had to do is combine a speed kit with some weights and decals to give my nephew the fundamentals of a cool, fast car.
elisa, one of the owners, was super helpful, and placing my order including next-​day international shipping was a cinch.
unfortunately with such time and distance constraints, i’ll have to leave it up to my non mechanically-​inclined brother to help my nephew assemble and tune the car this year, but you can bet that next year uncle simonster is going to custom engineer the fastest car on the track and kick all the other kids’ butts!!!
oops, i mean i’m going to help my nephew have as much fun as possible…
=P