The Pinewood Derby: A Long-Storied Cub Scout Tradition
And a Dad's First Race as a Parent
In mid-February, the Pack held its 2nd annual Pinewood Derby. The Pinewood Derby in Cub Scouting is running 71 years strong, but our pack is still relatively new to the block, and putting on the Pinewood Derby, or any big event, is a bit stressful for this leader. The critical thing to remember is that seeing the joy in every kid's face, including mine, is the payoff.
The pinewood derby car for each racer is created out of a block of pinewood—hence the name! The Cub Scouts each get a kit with the wood, wheels, axles, and numbers about a month before the event to start creating their car. After our first Pinewood Derby, we wanted to ensure every scout had a chance to compete in the race, so the leaders decided to hold a Pinewood Derby shop. The scouts could design their cars at the shop & have an adult leader cut them out via a scroll saw—next year we’ll add a band saw to the mix to make some of the big cuts easier. The derby shop was a success, as the Scouts designed some top-notch cars for this year’s Pinewood Derby:
After scheduling the first race, we coordinate our Pinewood Derby with our charter (VFW) organization’s Chili Cook-off to maximize fan attendance. The kids love all the people who come and cheer for their favorite cars—it adds to the excitement of this great event.
The Pinewood Derby began in 1953 from the idea of a Cubmaster named Don Murphy. The idea sprang from the soap box derby, where kids would ride in cars they made down a hill slope. The problem Murphy discovered is that kids come in all different shapes and sizes, which means that gravity gives the bigger kids an unfair advantage. Cubmaster Don wanted to provide a fair advantage for all Cub Scouts. So, Don, with the help of the parents, built the first Pinewood Derby track and gave each scout a Pinewood Derby kit in a brown paper sack.1
The modern Pinewood Derby now has many rules determined mainly by the district race, the winners of which your pack will attend later on in the spring. The most important rules are that the cars cannot weigh over 5 ounces (though you want them to be five ounces), you must lubricate wheels with a dry lubricant like graphite, and the front end of the car must be a specific width for the derby track. The other rules, of course, rule out car enhancements aimed at giving derby racers an unfair advantage against other competitors.
I’ve never been much of a wood craftsman, but my dad was par excellence, so this being my son’s first year, I was nervous about working with him on his car. I purchased a scroll saw to help with our design (next year, I will add a band saw). Our original design was a shark, but unfortunately, I cut the wood too thin, so I could not add enough weight to the car to make the 5-ounce limit. We went to our next design after some research.. I discovered that an “A” wedge-shaped car does perform well in the race. We went to work with time running out, the night before I painted the car a slate gray, my son chose #13 in honor of his Mom’s birthday.
My Dad was a wood craftsman, and my cars looked good—but they never placed during the derby. Strangely, I felt vindicated after my youth experience because although our car looked a little rough, my son placed second in our Pinewood Derby (he lost by half a car length to the scout who set a track record at district last year). He advances to the district race at Pinewood Derby later in May.
The Pinewood Derby is a fantastic event. It will take parents out of their comfort zone, including myself, but it is worth it after seeing all the kids’ faces during the event.
1. Bryan Wendell, “A Fascinating Look at the History of the Pinewood Derby,” Aaron On Scouting, December 28, 2023, https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2019/01/21/a-fascinating-look-at-the-history-of-the-pinewood-derby/.