Pinewood Derby

Car Design

• All cars entered, with the exception of the Lego cars provided for the Lions, shall be constructed from the "Official Grand Prix Pinewood Derby Kit" (referred to below as the kit) provided by the Pack. Cars built in previous years will not be allowed. A new built car from the the "kit" provided by the Pack the year of the race is only permitted. Cars purchased pre-cut will not be allowed to compete.

• This is a parent/child activity where the children are encouraged to assume as much of the car building responsibility as possible based on scout rank.

• Wheel base shall be defined by the existing saw cuts in the kit.

• Overall dimensions must not exceed the specifications for the kit: 2-¾ ” wide x 7” long. In addition, the car must not exceed 3” in height, nor be less than 1-7/8” between wheels – inside measurement. Track clearance is specified at 3/8” even though the lane strips are ¼”. This extra clearance is to allow the car to go from the sloped portion of the track to the flat portion without dragging. Adequate clearance is the responsibility of the race car builder.  

• Supplied wheels or Color Wheels purchased at the Scout Store are permitted (bring sales receipt to the impound). Supplied axle nails must be used. Wheels may not be machined to change their weight or outer dimensions, no additional bearings, bushings, or washers are permitted. Polishing kit-supplied axles is permitted. (If racing at the District race, check to see if color wheels are OK)

• Car weight shall not exceed 5 oz. as measured by the official scale during the scheduled impound.

• Cars must include 4 wheels at the designed locations. It is OK if only 3 wheels make contact with a flat surface. (Note this is a relaxed rule from previous years). If you wish to race in a district level race, you may find their rules require four wheels to be in contact with the ground. 

• Weights and Attachments: Weight may be added to the car and will be considered part of the car for purposes of all measurements. "Weight" is considered to be any material on the car that is not provided in the kit. All weight must be securely fastened to the car using permanent glue, nails or screws, but not by "sticky substances", e.g. tape, or tack spray. Weights shall be passive, i.e. non-moveable, non-magnetic, non-electric, non-sticky, etc. No liquid weights are permitted inside or attached to the outside of the car body. No weights may be added after the car has been inspected and impounded.

• Please make sure all glues and paints are dry before submitting car for Impound.

• Only dry lubricants such as graphite are permitted.

• Car numbers should be placed on the front of the car and be arranged so a person standing behind the car can read the number. This is the way the car will be positioned by the handler to run down the track.

• V Cutting the front of the car and/or use of a bumper to offer a car a slight starting advantage is not permitted.   

• The contact of the car front to the starting post must not exceed 1.5” from the ground.

Car Design Awards

• Judges will select cars for special awards based on the following categories:

  • Best Paint Job

  • Fastest Looking

  • Wildest

  • Most Impressive

  • Most Creative

  • Wild Animal Theme

  • Most Unique

  • Most Colorful

  • Best Design

  • Best of Show

  • Judges Choice 1 and 2

  • Scouting Theme

  • Best use of an Action Figure

Impound

Impound will be held on Sunday, January 26th 10:00 - 12:00pm at 5280 Arezzo Drive.

During Impound, cars are inspected for rule compliance and then stored safely by the race officials up until the date of the race.

Scouts should present their own cars, if possible. Scouts should wear their Class A Uniform for slideshow pictures which are taken on Impound day.

Contact the race officials for special arrangements if your car cannot be presented during the scheduled impound date or you have questions regarding the rules. [CM Kevin Dizon (1-408-506-5907, dizon.kevin@gmail.com)].

Derby cars turned in late will be allowed to race, but will not be awarded a trophy if it turns out to be a winning car.

Once the car is accepted and taken during impound, no additional work may be done on the car.

Wheels containing any graphite will be subject to gentle shaking by race officials prior to storage to limit the mess created by the graphite.

Race Day

Race day is Friday, January 31, 2025 from 5:30-8:30pm.  The race venue will be at Silver Oak Elementary School Multipurpose Room. 

Scouts should wear their Class A uniform.

Scouts not currently racing should yield the front rows of the race observation to the Scouts racing.

Only race officials can handle the cars during the race.

Each car will race 4 heats against cars in same scout rank to establish the top 4 cars based on average time for each car's fastest 3 runs.

Each car will record a time for each lane of the track.

Rank places are determined by the order of lowest average time. Ties to be decided by the lowest best time, and then lowest place finishes after four.

First, Second, and Third Place winners for each rank will be awarded ribbon medals.

The top 12 fastest cars from the whole pack will compete for 1st through 5th place overall pack championship trophies