Racing to the Future™ 2026 Spring Rulebook

Please read this latest rule book closely. There are many changes for 2026.

  1. All cars participating in the competition, must be an HO Scale chassis and body (approximately 1:64th scale). Chassis classification will follow the rules listed below. All chassis types will race within the same class. Age groups will be the only grouping criteria, Elementary School, Middle School and High School. Please see below for examples of chassis types that are recommended. Modifications that allowed are listed below.
  2. Cars must not exceed 1-5/16th of an inch wide and no more than 6 inches long.
  3. Armatures (Motor) CANNOT measure less than 5.8 Ohms per pole in resistance. Any armature that measures less than 5.8 Ohms per pole will not pass technical inspection and will not be allowed to compete. See the “Parts Guideline” for what parts may be altered or changed. EXCEPTION- Lifelike T-Chassis cars in stock format will be permitted to compete. However, the Lifelike motor in the T chassis cannot be used in other chassis/cars.
  4. Any tires, wheels, magnets, motors, gears, pick up system and body is legal so long as it meets the requirements in Rule #2 and Rule #3. See the “Parts Guideline” on the Racing to the Future™ website for what parts may be altered or changed.
  5. Cars must only be powered by the track system. No additional power sources are allowed.
  6. Competing cars must have a complete body shell (Molded Plastic, Lexan or Similar Material, Metal or Cast Resin) mounted to the chassis and must complete each run/pass on the chassis.
  7. Any car that is deemed a hazard to the track, cars, drivers, racing officials or spectators will be disqualified from competition and not allowed to run. Race officials have final say as to what is deemed a hazard.
  8. All cars will be submitted to a pre-race tech inspection, prior to racing, to ensure that the width, length, armature restrictions and safety rules are being followed. Any car found in violation of these rules will have a chance to be repaired or changed by the driver/owner before the tech inspection ends and bracket creation begins the racing cycles start. If the car cannot be altered to comply with the rules or fails to meet the rules by the end of tech inspection/bracketing, it will be disqualified and not allowed to race.
  9. Stand ins or substitutes are allowed, if the stand in is from the same school and in the same age group and not entered to race with another car. This must be approved by the Race Officials and the student’s teacher/STLP Coordinator.
  10. Cars may be substituted, prior to the start of racing. The substitute car must pass inspection and must be done under the 1 minute rule (Racing Format Rule #6). If the car has already ran it’s first race it cannot be replaced by another car. Cars may be repaired, but are subject to the 1 minute rule (Racing Format Rule #6).

Racing Format:

  1. Races will be divided into 3 groups: Elementary School, Middle School and High School.
  2. After Student Racers Sign-In, their car and Car Entry Document are submitted to the Race Officials.
  3. Student Racer’s Cars will be tech inspected and impounded.
  4. A bracket for each age group will be randomly generated for each of the age groups.
  5. Student racers will compete by bracket pairing. First to the finish with no fouls is the winner. If both racers foul, the first to foul loses the race. The brackets will be a “Double Elimination” format. After 1st loss the Student Racer is moved to a secondary bracket and must race their way back to the main bracket. If a Student Racer loses a second time, they are out of the competition. Overall winner of the main bracket and overall winner of the secondary bracket will meet to race for the championship in a “Best of 3” (2 wins) series of races to determine the winner of their age group.
  6. Drivers will have 1 minute to have their car lined up and ready to race once they are called to the track. All drivers (and/or substitutes) must be ready when their age group is called to race. If the Student Racer is not ready and lined up for the called race, that driver will be marked as forfeiting that race/pass, the opposing driver receives a win.
  7. The race will be started with a Xmas tree lighted countdown: Red-Yellow-Yellow-Yellow-Green. Any driver jumping the start will trigger an automated “Foul Light” and forfeit their run and be counted as a loss. If both drivers foul, the first to foul loses the race. The first to foul will be displayed by the drag race system.
  8. Drivers/Cars will run one pass per race. The Winner will be displayed by the drag race system.

Track Details:

  1. The Racing to the Future™ drag strip is a Viper Scale Racing PVC commercial track with steel rail and power leads every 4 feet.
  2. A TrackMate DP2000 race management system will be used to control the Xmas tree and timing systems. The track is equipped with Pre-Stage/Stage capabilities (cars will be manually staged in the competition), a foul sensor, a speed trap and finish sensors. The system will post Reaction Time, Elapsed Time and Speed in Miles Per Hour of each lane and each pass.
  3. Power will be a commercial DC unit set at 24 Volts and 10 Amps.

Cars Approved for Racing to the Future™

BrandChassis Models & Notes
Aurora Model MotoringThunderJet* – Wild Ones* – Tuff Ones*
Aurora AFXAFX* – MagnaTraction* – Specialty 4-Gear* – G+ Super G+ – Super Magna-Traction (Cat’s Eyes, Blazin’ Brakes, Speed Shifters)
Auto World / Playing MantisThunderjet 500* & Thunderjet Ultra G*
XTraction* & Xtraction Ultra G*
4-Gear* – Super III – AMP Chassis (All 4 Versions)
Bulldog RacingSRT Chassis (6 Ohm Version Only)
Dash MotorsportsBlizzard* – Mondo* – I-Dash TJ – I-Dash-AS
Harden Creek Slot CarsHCS AMG Super 7 – (6 Ohm Versions Only)
JAG HobbiesJAG Chassis: TR-3***, DR-1***,
NC-2***, PR-5***, ST-7***, ST-8*** and RS-6***
JAG Chassis are available in a “GT” performance option. These “GT” chassis have 3.5 Ohm armatures and are NOT allowed.
Life-LikeFast-Trackers – M-Cars – T-Chassis**
Mattel / TycoTycoPro (I & II) – CurveHugger – HP2 – HP7 Magnum 440 – Magnum 440-X2 – HPX2****
ER NASCAR
Micro-Scalectric – JWL Racing –
Riggen – Cobramite – Dynabrute		These are older or European import brands that are competitive, but difficult and more expensive to purchase and are allowed but are best avoided for this competition.
RokarM-Cars – X-Chassis (AMRAC/Cox)
Tomy AFX / AFX RaceMastersTurbo – SRT – Super G+
Mega G 1.5 & 1.7
Mega G+ 1.5 & 1.7
WizzardWizzJet* – Patriot***** – Storm***** – Fusion*****
Wizzard chassis, Patriot, Storm and Fusion must use 5.8 Ohm or higher armatures.
Racing Designed Chassis: BSRT-G3 – Viper VSPEC
SlotTech – Hammer – Scratch Built		All of these “racing designed” chassis are allowed if they meet the 5.8 Ohm armature rule and the other rules listed above. When ordering any of the “racing designed” chassis, be sure to get the versions that have the 5.8 Ohm armature or higher.

*- These chassis are “Pancake” design and the out of the package versions usually run slower than the “Inline” style chassis. They can be made to run as fast but require additional parts and building efforts to match the speed from the “Inline” designs.

**- Lifelike T-Chassis may be raced in Stock form with the factory stock 3.5 armature. However, the Lifelike 3.5 Ohm motor in the T-Chassis CANNOT be used in other chassis/cars.

***- JAG Chassis are available in a “GT” performance option. These “GT” chassis have 3.5 Ohm armatures and are NOT allowed.

****- the Mattel / Tyco HPX2 battery powered race sets came with chassis (HPX2) that are NOT allowed in Racing to the Future™ competitions. The stock armature in these chassis are 3.0 Ohms and are NOT allowed. The Chassis may be raced if the armature is changed to the 5.8 Ohm or higher armature.

*****- Wizzard chassis Patriot, Storm and Fusion must use 5.8 Ohm or higher armatures. Make sure when ordering one of these chassis that you ask for the 5.8 Ohm armature or higher.

Racing to the Future™ Resources at the STLP State Championship Events

There will be volunteers at the STLP State Championship event to assist students in emergency repairs of their cars. These volunteers are there to assist and guide students in emergency repairs, not update, improve, tune or enhance the student’s entry. There will be some spare parts available for these emergency services, but it is the student’s responsibility to bring spare/repair parts for their cars. The volunteers will not have all parts for all of the variety of entries that may be at the event.

Resources and Reference Materials:

  1. Parts Guideline for Slot Car Chassis Modifications https://racingtothefuture.com/rttf-resource-pages/important-announcements-for-competitions/racing-to-the-future-parts-guideline-for-modifying-slot-cars/
  2. 5.8 Ohm Armature Rule Explanation https://racingtothefuture.com/rttf-resource-pages/important-announcements-for-competitions/the-5-8-ohm-armature-rule-explanation/
  3. Setting Up Your Car for Sensor Detection https://racingtothefuture.com/rttf-resource-pages/important-announcements-for-competitions/how-to-set-up-your-car-for-sensor-detection/

Racing to the Future™ Sponsors:

Speed Inc………………………………………………https://www.speedinc-slotcars.com
Auto World Slot Cars……………………………… https://www.autoworldstore.com
AFX Racing………………………………………………………..………. https://afxracing.com
Hardin Creek Slot Cars……………………………………..………………..www.hcslots.com
Viper Scale Racing……………………………………….…. https://viperscaleracing.com
JAG Hobbies……………………………………………….……………….www.jaghobbies.com
Super Tires…………………………………………………..…………… https://supertires.com