Pinewood Derby
 

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What is a Pinewood Derby?

A bunch of fun! On race day it is a Pack of Cub Scouts racing gravity powered wooden cars of various shapes and colors rolling on plastic wheels down a 32' plywood track. But the actual competition is only a small part of it. The building of the car, from coming up with the design to applying the last coat of paint, is where the real fun is at. Each Cub Scout gets a kit with a block of wood, four nails for axles, and four plastic wheels. Always keeping in mind the local Pack's RULES, he shapes and paints his block of wood into a form to race down the track. This block of wood on wheels may end up looking like a car, a fish, a cartoon character, or even a coffin on wheels! Almost anything!

Who Can Race?

Our Pack divides the Cub Scouts by rank, Tiger, Wolf, Bear, and Webelos, and we award ribbons to the top car for each of the Cub Scout ranks. We are thinking of starting a separate competition for the adults and leaders. Hopefully, it will keep them busy enough that they don't get overly involved with their son's car!

How Do You Race?

The cars are gravity powered and run down a track of two to eight (possibly more!) lanes. Ours is a four laner. The start line is approximately 5' high, and the track slopes down to the floor and levels off for the final 16' or so. There are also 'fixed angle' tracks that maintain a constant slope from the starting line to the finish line. The cars are placed on the starting line, the judge pulls the starting device, and they are off, heading for the finish. Probably the biggest issues about how well a car runs down the track, and the biggest issues surrounding the rules, is with the weight of the cars. During our workshop, the weight of the cars is the one thing that most Scouts and parents focus on.

Pinewood Derby Car Specifications

  • Max Weight - 5 ounces
  • Max Length - 7 inches
  • Max Width - 2.75 inches
  • Minimum Wheel Width - 1.75 inches
  • Minimum Ground Clearance - 3/8 inch

Last But Not Least

There is now available a lot of information of the web about the Pinewood Derby. Check out some of the different web sites and see what you come across. And remember, HAVE FUN!

What a Pinewood Derby Car Looks Like!

Uncut Block Just out of the box.

Pencil Car The famous Pencil Car.

Cars

Check out our derby pictures in our Albums