A few years ago when searching for pinewood derby wheels, I came across Scouting America coloured wheels that glow under black lights (UV light). At the time that were prohibitively expensive to import so I filed the thought away.
Fast forward to a couple of years ago, and our derby had grown to the point where we were struggling to fit everyone into a weekend, and we contemplated adding evening sessions. To make these sessions special, we decided to give a glow-in-the-dark derby a go and I imported some coloured wheels.
We encouraged participants to paint their cars in fluorescent paints, and dress up in clothes or accessories that would glow under UV lights. We rigged up a string of UV LEDs down the length of the track, and setup UV lights over our car judging table. Some coloured disco lights added to the effect.
The cars looks awesome zooming down the track, lit up in the nearly dark hall. Here are some photos of our glow sessions from the last 3 years.
