Auto Race

Auto Race is an electrically-powered amusement ride at Kennywood Park where visitors operate miniature cars on a wooden track equipped with metal strips that supply power to the vehicles. Riders steer and control the speed of their own vehicle as it travels through the winding course.

This ride was built in 1930 by designer Harry Guy Traver as a replacement for an older roller coaster called the Racer. Modifications in the following decade altered the track layout to improve the guest experience.

The ride reflects early 20th-century enthusiasm for automobiles and racing culture. Visitors can experience hands-on control of vehicles, which was novel entertainment when such technology first became accessible to ordinary people.

Store your belongings in a locker before boarding to keep them safe during the ride. Children must meet the height requirement and should have adult supervision to ensure they can safely operate the vehicle controls.

This is the last operating ride of its kind in America, an original concept where guests actually steer and accelerate their own vehicles down the track. The mechanical system that powers the cars through electrical contact has remained largely unchanged since the ride's opening.