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Pinewood Derby

Every year more than a million Cub Scouts and adult partners team up to participate in a Pinewood Derby®, a tradition that goes back generations. As a coach and a Cub Scout design, carve, paint, weigh, refine, and race the car, a bond of partnership is created. This is at the heart of the event's success. In addition, Cub Scouts build confidence and take pride in their own growing skills and hard work. So enjoy the ride!

Pack 131 has a Scout Race, Sibling Race, and Outlaw Race every spring.

Pack 131 Pinewood Derby Tips

These tips will help you build a great Pinewood Derby car!

Design Tips

Have your Scout draw a design on paper then cut it out and use it as a template. Use graph paper to make it easier.
Draw a side and top view on the paper by tracing around the block of wood.
Keep the car a full seven inches. It has to do with the physics of velocity and length of travel of the weights.
Use the full 2 3/4 inches (outside wheel to outside wheel) that the rules give you.
This will allow the wheels to travel farther before hitting the center strip.
Find creative ways to incorporate removable weights in order to make the 5.0oz limit.
Leave a lot of wood in the back to put in weights.
Use the groove closest to the end of the block of wood as the rear axle.
Do not make the front of the car pointed. It is hard to set up against the starting dowels.
Use your imagination. Be creative. Shape has the least to do with winning. A beaver driving a log or even a pickup truck is more interesting than a wedge and will be just as fast. The aerodynamics of a small block of wood doesn't mean much in thirty feet.

Lubrication

Be sure to polish your axels. Lightly smooth wheel treads with fine sand paper to smooth tread. The treads must be left flat.
Use graphite lubrication only. Oil damages the paint, collects dust, and can ruin our track. I'm told that the graphite works better than the new white Teflon.
Break in the wheels by spinning them with lots of graphite.

Go Straight!

Axles must be in straight front to back. That is square to the body. True the axles, don't trust the slots! Do not move the location of the axle holes.
After pressing in the axles, test the car for crooked wheels...roll it on the floor. If the wheels are on straight, the car should roll 8-10 feet in a fairly straight line. Should the car turn left or right, you need to tinker with the axle placement without removing them from the car body, until it rolls straight.
Glue the axles in place. Nothing is worse than having the wheel fall off as you cross the finish line.
Once you match a wheel and axle together, keep them together. They wear into each other as a matched set.

Weigh In

Get the weight as close to the 5 ounce limit as possible. Add the last little bit of weight with weighted tape. This can be trimmed with scissors at the last minute. Or plan on gluing a few coins or washers on at the last minute to meet the weight. Remember, the official scale may not weigh the same as yours.
The weight needs to be predominantly in the rear so that gravity can act upon the weight further up the incline and for a longer period of time. A car with more weight to the rear generally gains more speed down the slope. But be careful not to put too much in the rear or you'll pop a wheelie.

Pinewood Derby Rules

Download the full Pack 131 Pinewood Derby Rules.

The specifications below will be strictly adhered to for the Pinewood Derby. These rules supersede the rules that were provided in the Pinewood Derby kit. These rules apply for both the Scout Race and Siblings Race. A summary of the rules is here:

Cars are to be made from the Official SA Pinewood Derby Kit. Replacement kits are available from the pack or at the Scout Shop and pre-cut kits are available at local stores. Pre-made cars from third parties are not allowed.
Minimum ground clearance must be 3/8 inch as measured between the car and the track. Weights may need to be recessed into the body to maintain this clearance.
The length of the car shall not exceed 7 inches.
The width of the car shall not exceed 2-3/4 inches. Minimum width between wheels shall not be less than 1-3/4 inches. Car body can be narrower than 1-3/4 inches, but the wheels must be a minimum of 1-3/4 inches wide so the car will straddle the track.
The height of the car should not exceed 4.5 inches.
The weight of the car shall not exceed 5 ounces. No magnets, loose or liquid materials of any kind are permitted in or on the car. The car may be hollowed out and built up to the maximum weight provided the weight is securely built into the body.
Wheels, axels, and any other parts that are not strictly decorative must be official SA parts.
All 4 wheels must make full contact with the track. All four wheels must rotate, as the car is pushed from the behind and the front. Wheels may not be altered.
Graphite or other dry type lubricants will be the only lubricants allowed. No other types will be permitted. Lubrication must be done prior to official inspection only.
Each car must pass inspection by the Official Inspectors before it may compete. The Inspectors have the right to disqualify cars which do not meet these specifications
No handling of car after car receives official inspection approval.
It is intended that the cars that win in the Pack race are the cars that will run in the District Race.
Judges determinations as to race winners are final.

Pinewood Derby Outlaw Race

Each year we also have an Outlaw Race. There are only three rules in an Outlaw Race. Anything else is legal! Additional pinewood derby cars will be available for purchase for the Outlaw and Siblings Races.

The car may not damage the track or present a hazard to spectators. No liquids, fire, blades or other dangerous or damaging materials may be used.
The car must fit on the track. The minimum width between the wheels must be between 1-3/4 inches and 2-3/4 inches. The overall length, width, height, and weight of the vehicle can exceed the standard dimensions as long as the vehicle can fit on the track.
The wheels may not be powered. You may have an electric motor on the vehicle to power other features, and there can be other ways of propelling the car down the track, however the wheels must spin freely.

Much More Than a Race

While the exhilaration of the actual race lasts only moments, the Pinewood Derby® experience lasts a lifetime. The benefits, for Cub Scout and adult, are discovered through the derby process itself: strengthening bonds, sharing responsibility, developing teamwork, learning new skills, exercising creativity, building sportsmanship, and making new friends.

Racing in the Pinewood Derby® creates a bond between a Cub Scout and all those who have raced before, as well as those who will follow to participate in this same tradition. Walk up to any Scout youth or adult; if he or she participated in a derby, their memories will resemble those of all other participants in the history of the event.

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