Tracks:  Most slot car hobbyists these days run only on plastic track layouts.  Wood tracks with slots cut by a router and copper tape or flat braided steel or copper wire to carry the current are still very much with us.  However, only a tiny percentage of today’s slot car hobbyists will feel the need or have the tools, skill, and desire to build one.  Wood track racing is a subject for another entire article.  For our purposes here, we are talking about racing on plastic tracks. 

In general, you can have good racing on any plastic track layout you want to build, but a couple of factors will make the racing better.  First, your track will be much easier to drive if you avoid using “inner” curves.  These are the tightest-radius curves in each manufacturer’s track system.  Less skilled and experienced drivers of all ages often have problems with them, and they can be especially difficult for children.  In addition, many cars have a hard time getting around the tightest of turns.  In some cases their guides may bind in the slot.  If you have to use inner curves to make your track design work or to fit a reasonable lap length into a restricted space try to use them as sparingly as possible, preferably no more than 45 degrees of inner curve in any one place.  Second, you will find that any kind of special track section that prevents cars from passing at a particular point, such as “squeeze” tracks or lane change sections, often cause a lot of crashes and frustration.  This is because most home layouts don’t give drivers room to get a good run on the other car to make a clean pass before entering the special section.  As a play value item for children who love crashing they are fine, but in organized racing they just get in the way.