Pinewood Derby

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!