Overview
Join The Tradition
Become one of the millions of Cub Scouts who have been building and racing Pinewood Derby® cars since 1953. Partnering with a parent or adult mentor, Cub Scouts work together, strengthening bonds and building confidence – and their own custom race cars! They begin by choosing a car design, then carve it out and detail it with paint, decals and other accessories, and lastly, perfect strategies to compete in their pack's own Pinewood Derby®. It's a wonderful learning experience centered on teamwork, ingenuity, and sportsmanship.
Did You Know?
Since the first official derby, Cub Scouts have built close to 100 million Pinewood Derby® cars!
How Did It All Start?
Pinewood Derby was created by Cubmaster Donald Murphy in 1953. Murphy said, “I wanted to devise a wholesome constructive activity that would foster a closer father-son relationship and promote craftsmanship and good sportsmanship through competition.”
Cubmaster Don Murphy held the first Pinewood Derby® race in Southern California with Cub Scout Pack 280C at the Manhattan Beach Scout House. The derby was publicized in Boys' Life magazine in October 1954 and became an instant hit. The rules set out for the very first race still stand today: “The derby is run in heats – two to four cars starting by gravity from a standstill on a track and run down a ramp to a finish line unaided. The track is an inclined ramp with wood strips down the center to guide the cars.”
Today the Pinewood Derby® stays close to its roots, giving Cub Scouts an excellent way to learn about craftsmanship, sportsmanship, and respect for others through friendly competition.
Fun Fact
A Pinewood Derby® car can reach a speed of nearly 20mph, and if a derby car and track were enlarged to the size of a real automobile the car would be speeding at more than 200mph!
Planning Your PWD Race
Each pack organizes its own Pinewood Derby®, establishes their own rules and conducts the events. The Cubmaster can designate volunteers (for small packs) or a committee (for larger packs) to manage the event. The following outline makes it easy for your pack to get started:
- Get the pack interested and excited about the event
- Evaluate your unit's capabilities and the experience of your leaders
- Gather your resources and consult with neighboring Scout packs if necessary
- Organize the volunteers
- Make sure every Scout has access to the materials and tools they need to build and race
- Buy, borrow, or build a track to race on
- Be sure to test that it's in good working order in advance of the event
*Helpful Hint: No boy or girl should miss out on the fun - this means the Cub Scout pack may need to gather resources to help the dens - or an individual Cub Scout - to make sure everyone has access to tools and necessary materials to build their cars.
As the Cub Scouts are completing their designs, test runs can be useful in fine-tuning and building excitement for the upcoming race day. Check with your local Scout Shop for weigh-ins and special event dates!
Good Timing
Three Months Before Race Day
- Determine the date/time of your Pinewood Derby and add it to pack/den calendars
- Decide on the derby location and reserve the space
- Put together an event staff by using a mix of veterans and newcomers. This provides a good mix of continuity and fresh ideas
- Buy, borrow or build a track and make sure it's working properly
- Some packs have agreements with Scouts BSA troops to provide a track and run the derby for the Cub Scout pack as a service project
- Finalize your pack's rules and scoring methods for distribution at the next pack meeting
- See general rules and scoring tips below
*Helpful Hint: If you don't have experienced leaders, consult with your district and neighboring Cub Scout packs.
Two Months Before Race Day
- Assign responsibilities to derby volunteers
- Arrange for all participating Cub Scouts to obtain official kits
- Some packs purchase and provide the kits, others inform parents how to obtain the kits themselves
- Kits can be purchased at your local Scout Shop or scoutshop.org
- Check out Pinewood Derby® trophies, ribbons, decorations, etc. to use for your event at your local Scout Shop
One Month Before Race Day
- Distribute Pinewood Derby® kits to pack
- Verify that all boys and girls in the pack have received their kits
- Optional: Host a car-building day for Cub Scouts and their adult mentors
- Provide access to plenty of tools and guidance from derby veterans
One Week Before Race Day
- Visit the derby site and decide where to place the track, check-in center, and refreshments
- Set up alternate activity areas and tables for displaying cars and awards
- Plan set-up and clean-up with site managers to ensure a successful event
- Coordinate volunteers in charge of refreshments, check-in, and weighing race cars
- Gather materials needed for repair center (charts, scales, and tools, including glue, spare wheels and axles, and other materials teams may need to make adjustments and repairs)
Pinewood Derby Day
Committee/Volunteers
- Set up the race area and test the track, timing devices, and derby race tracking programs
Cub Scouts
- Register and weigh their cars
- Get assigned a car numbr which is inserted in the derby scoring system
Ready, Set, Race!
Hand out awards and share snacks and highlights!
