... make one of the front wheels significantly higher so that it won't touch the track. This will reduce friction (3 wheels contacting instead of 4) and give you a faster car if you can align it correctly to go strait. Also, take lot's of extra time on the axels (sanding and polishing). I was working with some guys that went through a routine with about 15 different grades of sandpaper/polishing cloth (from rough to very fine). Thought that would be a waste of time, but my kid's car won that year, so it seemed to help.