The first Pinewood Derby event was held in 1953 in Manhattan Beach, California by Cub Scout Master, Don Murphy. Pinewood Derby was a huge hit as it developed into a project where fathers and sons could work side by side to carve a race car from a 7 inch block of pine wood. For 50+ years, over 43 million Scouts and their parents have spent many, long, happy hours carving, sanding, weighting, painting, polishing and perfecting their cars.

One car kit will be handed out at the December pack meeting to each scout.  If you are unable to attend the December pack meeting, please check with your den leader to get a car kit.   

Event: Pinewood Derby Car Weigh-In #1

Date: January 19, 2024

Location: 4040 Crossfield Place, Marietta, GA 30062

Time: 6:00-9:00pm 

Event: Pinewood Derby Car Weigh-In #2

Date: January 20, 2024

Location: 4040 Crossfield Place, Marietta, GA 30062

Time: 8:00am-12:00pm 

Event: Pinewood Derby Race

Date: January 21, 2024

Location: Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church Gym

Time: 1:00-4:00pm 

PACK 471 PINEWOOD DERBY

GENERAL REGULATIONS FOR COMPETITIVE RACE

The Pinewood Derby Car must be constructed from an Official BSA Pinewood Derby Car Kit. The block of wood, wheels, and axles in the kit must be used in the construction of the car.

All cars must pass the Derby Technical Inspection before being allowed to race. Tech Inspection will take place during registration prior to the race to allow Scouts to add or remove weight and to make corrections to cars that do not pass the tech inspection. Cars that do not pass inspection will have an opportunity to be re-inspected after they have been corrected.

Cub Scouts will compete with others in the same Rank. Finalists will compete for the overall Pack Championship.

Construction of entries must not have begun before the previous year’s Pinewood Derby Race.  No purchased pre-built cars will be allowed to race (those sold on ebay and tested to run ‘guaranteed’ times).

The car will be handled by track officials or the Cub Scout only. The Cub Scout may not handle any other car during the race.

If, during a heat race, a car leaves the racing groove before crossing the finish line, the heat will be considered “no contest”. The heat will be rerun with the cars using the same lanes. If the same car leaves the same lane during the heat rerun, it will be given a default time unless there is a problem with the track.

Decisions of the Derby Committee are FINAL.

RACE CAR CONSTRUCTION REGULATIONS

Wheels

• Only the wheels supplied in the BSA kit may be used.
• The wheels may not be sanded, ground, machined, or tooled; with the exception of removing molding ridges and small burrs.
• Rounding the tread area to minimize surface contact is NOT allowed.

Axles

• Only the axles supplied in the BSA kit may be used.
• All four axles and four wheels must be mounted in the wood block axle slots.
• Lubricating greases may not be used. Axles may only be lubricated with powdered graphite.
• All axles not passing tech inspections must be replaced and the car re-inspected before it will be allowed to race.

General Construction

• The front of the car may not contain slots for the purpose of gaining a starting line advantage.
• The front edge of the car must contact the start line pin while on the starting grid.
• No loose materials of any kind are permitted in or on the car.
• No bearings, bushings, springs, or moving ballast are permitted.
• The car bottom must clear the raised lane keeper of the track and should be fully surfaced and free of any voids.
• Fixed ballast may be embedded inside the car body or flush with the bottom surface.
• The car must be “free-wheeling” without aid from any starting device of any fashion.
• Any accessories added to the car must be securely fastened.

FINAL RACE ASSEMBLY DIMENSIONS

• Maximum Height : 4.5 inches – overall height is a tech item (requirement)
• Maximum Length : 7 inches – overall length is a tech item (requirement)
• Maximum Width : 2-3/4 inches – overall width is a tech item (requirement)
• Maximum Weight : 5.0 ounces – as measured on the electronic scale (requirement)
• Maximum Wheelbase : 4-7/16 inches – wheelbase is a tech item (requirement)
• Minimum Car Bottom-to-Track Surface : 3/8 inch – this is a dimension that will allow the car to clear the track’s raised lane keeper
• Minimum Width Between Wheels : 1-3/4 inches – this is a dimension measured between the wheels along the axle centerline, which will allow the car to clear the track’s raised lane keeper.