Pinewood Derby Rules (2024)

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Each local Pinewood Derby committee determines the rules for building and racing cars. The committee will need to make sure their rules don't conflict with those of the district or council to ensure their members can participate in events at those levels.

BSA’s Pinewood Derby Car Building Rules

Each local Pinewood Derby committee determines the rules for building and racing cars. The committee will need to make sure their rules don't conflict with those of the district or council to ensure their members can participate in events at those levels.

According to the BSA's Cub Scout Leader How-To-Book, the general rules are as follows:

All cars must pass the following inspection to qualify for the race:

1. Width shall not exceed 2-3/4 inches.
2. Length shall not exceed 7 inches.
3. Weight shall not exceed 5 ounces.
4. Axles, wheels, and body shall be from the materials provided in the kit. Additional wheels can be purchased separately.
5. Wheel bearings, washers, and bushings are prohibited.
6. No lubricating oil may be used. Axles may be lubricated with powdered graphite or silicone.
7. The car shall not ride on any kind of spring.
8. The car must be free-wheeling, with no starting devices.
9. No loose materials of any kind are allowed in the car.

Each local Pinewood Derby committee determines the rules for building and racing cars. The committee will need to make sure their rules don't conflict with those of the district or council to ensure their members can participate in events at those levels.

BSA’s Pinewood Derby Car Building Rules

Each local Pinewood Derby committee determines the rules for building and racing cars. The committee will need to make sure their rules don't conflict with those of the district or council to ensure their members can participate in events at those levels.

According to the BSA's Cub Scout Leader How-To-Book, the general rules are as follows:

All cars must pass the following inspection to qualify for the race:

1. Width shall not exceed 2-3/4 inches.
2. Length shall not exceed 7 inches.
3. Weight shall not exceed 5 ounces.
4. Axles, wheels, and body shall be from the materials provided in the kit. Additional wheels can be purchased separately.
5. Wheel bearings, washers, and bushings are prohibited.
6. No lubricating oil may be used. Axles may be lubricated with powdered graphite or silicone.
7. The car shall not ride on any kind of spring.
8. The car must be free-wheeling, with no starting devices.
9. No loose materials of any kind are allowed in the car.

Make safety your top priority. David Meade, author of Pinewood Derby® Speed Secrets, offers useful guidelines for maintaining safety:

1. Gather your safety essentials: dust mask, goggles, and latex gloves.
2. Wear eye protection at all times.
3. Monitor Cub Scouts' use of tools.
4. Wear a dust mask when appropriate.
5. Work in a well-lighted and well-ventilated area.
6. Consider wearing gloves when using sharp tools.
7. Do not wear loose-fitting clothing.
8. Do not melt lead; handle lead with care.
9. Follow all safety rules and precautions listed on the tools and products you use.
10. Keep your work area clean and organized.

Make safety your top priority. David Meade, author of Pinewood Derby® Speed Secrets, offers useful guidelines for maintaining safety:

1. Gather your safety essentials: dust mask, goggles, and latex gloves.
2. Wear eye protection at all times.
3. Monitor Cub Scouts' use of tools.
4. Wear a dust mask when appropriate.
5. Work in a well-lighted and well-ventilated area.
6. Consider wearing gloves when using sharp tools.
7. Do not wear loose-fitting clothing.
8. Do not melt lead; handle lead with care.
9. Follow all safety rules and precautions listed on the tools and products you use.
10. Keep your work area clean and organized.

This method uses a "winner's bracket" system that begins with every car filling one spot. At the end of each heat, the winning car advances to the next level of the winner's bracket while the other cars are entered in the loser's bracket. Those cars then race against one another, with the winners of each heat advancing. The final car of each of the two brackets competes with the other for first place.

Advantages: The system is straightforward and moves quickly. Each car has at least two chances to advance.

Disadvantages: Certain track lanes might be faster than others. Some fast cars can be eliminated early if they are in the same part of a bracket. Once a race car is eliminated, the Cub Scout who built it may lose interest in the rest of the derby.

To use this method, your track must be equipped to record individual race times. Cars are scheduled to race once in each lane of the track, then the time for every run is compiled, and the car completing the heats in the least amount of time is the winner. Other cars can be placed according to their elapsed time, too.

Advantages: this system finds a clear winner and all the places that follow. Each Cub Scout gets to run his car once on every lane.

Disadvantages: heats that involve running every car in every lane can be more time-consuming than other systems.

If working together on designing and building the cars is more important to your pack than declaring an ultimate winner, using a "schedule-free" racing system might work best. It allows teams to run their cars on the track against other teams of their own choosing. To manage the races, pack leaders can give each Cub Scout a number of tokens good for one race each.

Advantages: there is no need for a scoring system to oversee the involvement of all the cars. Scouts get to race their cars against others of their own choosing. The number of tokens will determine how many opportunities the Scouts have to send their cars down the track.

Disadvantages: if a pack history has always declared a Pinewood Derby winner, some adults and kids involved in the program might resist changing over to a schedule-free system.

This method uses a "winner's bracket" system that begins with every car filling one spot. At the end of each heat, the winning car advances to the next level of the winner's bracket while the other cars are entered in the loser's bracket. Those cars then race against one another, with the winners of each heat advancing. The final car of each of the two brackets competes with the other for first place.

Advantages: The system is straightforward and moves quickly. Each car has at least two chances to advance.

Disadvantages: Certain track lanes might be faster than others. Some fast cars can be eliminated early if they are in the same part of a bracket. Once a race car is eliminated, the Cub Scout who built it may lose interest in the rest of the derby.

To use this method, your track must be equipped to record individual race times. Cars are scheduled to race once in each lane of the track, then the time for every run is compiled, and the car completing the heats in the least amount of time is the winner. Other cars can be placed according to their elapsed time, too.

Advantages: this system finds a clear winner and all the places that follow. Each Cub Scout gets to run his car once on every lane.

Disadvantages: heats that involve running every car in every lane can be more time-consuming than other systems.

If working together on designing and building the cars is more important to your pack than declaring an ultimate winner, using a "schedule-free" racing system might work best. It allows teams to run their cars on the track against other teams of their own choosing. To manage the races, pack leaders can give each Cub Scout a number of tokens good for one race each.

Advantages: there is no need for a scoring system to oversee the involvement of all the cars. Scouts get to race their cars against others of their own choosing. The number of tokens will determine how many opportunities the Scouts have to send their cars down the track.

Disadvantages: if a pack history has always declared a Pinewood Derby® winner, some adults and kids involved in the program might resist changing over to a schedule-free system.

Cars can be built and raced by siblings of Cub Scouts in the pack. Some packs require that siblings must be under age 11. The race is a terrific way to bring families together in friendly competition and increase interest in Scouting.

Unlimited Racing

Unlimited races allow grown-ups to build and race cars against other adults as well. Some packs insist that the adults follow the same car standards as those of the Cub Scouts. Other units have no limitations other than length and height. Whatever method you choose, the goal is the same for every Pinewood Derby; encouraging Cub Scouts and adults to work and learn together, and have the satisfaction of completing a project as a team. That's what makes everyone a winner, and every Pinewood Derby a success.

Other Fun Races

Members of each den race their cars against one another. The fastest car represents the den in a final competition with the winning racers from the other dens.

Sibling Racing