The quick version
Take one finger flick on your turn; any finger is allowed. Note your car's starting position before shooting. If it flips or leaves the track, return it to that position and end your turn.
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Prepare the table
Join the six straights and ten curves into a complete flat loop on a stable table, with the starting-grid straight easy to reach. Fit the supplied safety rails. Keep all sections fully supported. Give each player a distinct car disc and three lap boxes on paper.
Choose a direction. Each player takes a solo qualifying lap, counting flicks. Fewer flicks earns an earlier starting-grid place; tied players repeat qualifying until separated. Place discs in the grid order. Use that same player order each round of turns throughout the race, regardless of current position.
Play a turn
Take one finger flick on your turn; any finger is allowed. Note your car's starting position before shooting. If it flips or leaves the track, return it to that position and end your turn. If you knock an opponent off, restore both cars to their previous positions and end your turn. A legal bump that keeps cars upright on the track stays as it landed.
A disc touching a rail or another car may be shifted sideways by one disc thickness before the shot to give finger room; do not use this to move forward. Follow the full circuit in its chosen direction. The published rule allows a jump crossing no more than two track sections; longer shortcuts are invalid and return the shooting car. Mark a lap only after the car travels around the entire circuit and crosses the start line forward.
Finish and score
The first car crossing the finish after three full laps wins immediately. If the group wants all positions, remaining racers keep taking their turns, skipping finished drivers. The supplied race points are ten, eight, six, five, four, three, two and one for first through eighth. One race can stand alone; points matter only if a series was agreed before the first qualifier.
Host the first game
Leave room to walk around rather than reaching over the track or bracing on the table. Reddit's The Glee of PitchCar discussion highlights its lively shared spectacle and substantial standing space. Agree the base penalties before the first lap: community versions differ on flips and collisions. Use the printed base rules below consistently.
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Ideas & Twists
Choose a variation together before you start.
PitchCar · See main rules
Original STUDplay house twistNo jumping
Every shot must follow the track surface. Any airborne shortcut that skips a section returns the car to its starting position and ends the turn. This makes controlled cornering more valuable.
PitchCar · See main rules
Original STUDplay house twistOne retry token
Give each player one paper token. Immediately after an off-track or flipped shot that moved no opponent, discard it to restore the car and flick once again. The second shot is final. A token cannot undo a collision and gives no points if unused.
PitchCar · See main rules
Original STUDplay house twistInside-line rails
Before qualifying, move one safety rail from the outside of a chosen curve to its inside wherever the supplied fittings allow. Everyone races that same fixed course. Qualify anew so the altered bounce is part of the contest.
PitchCar · See main rules
Original STUDplay house twistTwo-flick pit stop
Mark one straight with a paper pit sign beside the track. Once during the race, each player must end a turn fully on that straight and skip their next flick to service the car. Mark the pit stop on their lap sheet; a driver cannot finish until serviced.
PitchCar · See main rules
Original STUDplay house twistAlternating hands
Mark three lap boxes with dominant, other and dominant hand. Each lap's flicks use its assigned hand. If a shot crosses the line, switch hand on the next turn. Allow each player to choose their comfortable starting hand before qualifying.
About this guide
Requires the named physical game and its supplied components. Rules are paraphrased teaching guidance; keep the box's cards and reference diagrams beside the table. Original STUDplay house twists are optional, untested suggestions rather than publisher rules. Agree one before setup; unchanged rules still apply.
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