[2] Made by Keystone Studios and directed by Henry Lehrman, the movie portrays Chaplin as a spectator at a "pushcar"[3] race in Venice, Los Angeles.

The film was shot during the Junior Vanderbilt Cup,[3] an actual race with Chaplin and Lehrman improvising gags in front of real-life spectators.

The film is presented at first like a genuine newsreel, with Chaplin's attention-seeking spectator getting in the way of the camera, causing great frustration to the cameraman.

[4] In the year that the film was released, a reviewer from the silent movie periodical Bioscope wrote, "Some sensational happenings are witnessed during the contests between the baby cars, while the funny man persistently obstructs the eager cameramen in their operations.

"[7] A reviewer from the silent movie periodical The Cinema noted, "Kid Auto Races struck us as about the funniest film we have ever seen.