FOR A GOOD CAUSE:

The cars were lined up for the race, minus the sound of revving engines and the waving of a checkered flag.

With the flick of a switch, the Mighty Dolphin Nation Y-Guides sent their pine wood derby cars zooming down the track.

The featured attraction at the YMCA of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa fundraiser last week was the annual father-son pine car derby, but more than 150 families participated in activities that also included a bake sale, silent auction and classic car display.

The event raised more than $5,000 for the YMCA’s programs, in addition to providing scholarships for children and families in the community needing financial help.

Child-care programs, homework assistance at local schools for kids at risk of being retained, volunteer mentoring for foster children and health and fitness programs are all services the YMCA provides.

The Y-Guides, formerly known as Indian Guides, is a father-son program formed in 1926 that was “based upon the strong qualities of American Indian culture and life,” according to the group’s website.

Bill Mais and his son, Scott, 7, built their car from the bag of parts each team is given. That bag includes a block of wood, wheels and some screws. The rest is up to them.

Safety comes first, Mais said, so while what the car will look like is discussed between the two, dad does most of the work. Scott helped out when he could, sanding and priming the car, and though originally they thought it would be shaped like a rocket, after they were done with it, they agreed it looked more like a pencil. So, Scott and his dad painted it yellow, put a green stripe on one end with a pink eraser at the top and “The Flying Pencil” was ready to go.

Well, almost. Mais was finally done with the car, getting it all spiffed up, when Scott said what had been “kind of a boring project” for him because he didn’t get to do much suddenly turned interesting. And pretty funny.

“Dad dissolved the wheels in some liquid,” he said. Apparently, whatever Mais used to clean them was corrosive. Luckily, he was able to scrounge up a spare set of wheels.

Scott won top prize for fastest car in the nation. He also won in best design for a first grader and fastest car for a first grader.

“The best part of the whole race was when I knew I won. It was like really fun because there’s only one [fastest] in all the nation,” Scott said.

Kenny Brook, associate executive director of the Central Orange Coast YMCA, said whether it’s the father-son Y-Guides or the father-daughter Y-Princesses, family programs are at the heart of the YMCA.

“It’s about strengthening relationships between parents and children, and we want to support our mission of not turning anyone away due to their inability to pay,” Brook said.

SUE THOENSEN may be reached at (714) 966-4627 or at sue.thoensen@latimes.com.