Slot cars are scale models of actual vehicles (or fictional ones) and come in three sizes: 1/24th, 1/32nd and HO (1/64th, like Hot Wheels). Metal strips next to the slot power their little motors and the voltage—along with speed, braking, etc—can be adjusted with the handheld speed controllers connected to the track. Depressing the trigger on the controller sends more power to the track and the car speeds up; letting up on the trigger decreases the amount of current and the car slows down. The trick is to race fast enough to beat the other racers (“I win! I win”) but to keep enough control that your car doesn’t come unseated from the slot during sharp turns. Speeds can be so high on some tracks that momentum will launch a car across the room if it escapes the groove at a critical moment. ‘You’ll shoot your eye out’ applies to slot racing just like it does for everything in life. There are plastic and die-cast cars, highly customizable and models are available to suit any and all auto tastes: Formula-1, NASCAR, roadsters and even television themed set were marketed for whichever car enjoyed stardom for a while (think Knight Rider and Starsky & Hutch).

Slot racers (or slot cars) had their heyday in the 1960s and 70s but they are significantly older than that. In fact, the first of such models date to the beginning of the 20th century with slot racers running around a circular track on modified train rails, powered by transformers. The next few decades brought slot cars with their own internal combustion engines and it wasn’t until the mid-50s that the electrical version was widely accepted.

In the 1940s, slot racing was slowly gaining support as a hobby and more elaborate tracks (some complete with trackside scenery) became available to hobbyists. New wiring in the tracks allowed multiple lanes and crossovers. The handheld controls worked like telegraph keys, adjusting the voltage to the track. Enthusiasts looked to build-your-own slot cars and tracks, often devoting large areas of the basement, backyard and spare rooms to the ever-expanding raceways. After appearing in Model Maker magazine, slot racing received considerable attention both in America and abroad. Slot racetracks moved out of the basement and into commercial venues that brought aficionados together for hours of slot racing fun. The commercial tracks had the advantage of being bigger and wilder than anything a single hobbyist could ever build alone and fostered league tournaments.

By the late 70s, slot racing wasn’t as trendy any more; the accoutrements had become too involved and expensive for the casual dabbler. Serious slot racers never gave up on their beloved hobby and there are many clubs and associations going strong today. New innovations take advantage of digital technology to create bigger, more realistic tracks and highly detailed cars—and not just cars: if it can trot, run, glide, motor, fly or slide, it can certainly be put on a slot track and made to race against others of its kind.