Pinewood Derby
The Pinewood Derby is one of the most popular Pack events of the year. Each Scout gets a kit with a small block of wood, wheels, and axles, builds and decorates a car with help from their family, and races it down a long wooden track. Not yet a Pack 214 family? Spectators are always welcome, so come see what the excitement is about.
Jump to: This year’s details · How race day works · Race rules · Car design standards · Resources
This year’s details: Saturday, February 27, 2027
Where: the Eagle’s Nest at Matthews United Methodist Church, 801 South Trade Street, Matthews.
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Track setup, for adult volunteers | Friday, February 26, 6:00 PM |
| Check-in and car inspection | 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM |
| Races | 1:00 to about 4:00 PM |
Car kits and other details for this year will be shared in Cubby Notes, our family email, and on the Pack calendar.
How race day works
Check-in and inspection (morning)
- Cars are checked for weight, length, width, clearance, official wheels and axles, and the rules below. This takes about 15 minutes. Don’t wait until the last moment: if there’s a problem, you’ll need to fix it and check in again before the deadline.
- Once your car passes, it gets a sticker and goes to a holding area until race time. You can stay or come back for the races.
Races (afternoon)
- From this point on, cars are handled only by the Pit Crew, the adult volunteers running the race.
- All results are shown to the crowd. Cheering is encouraged, and good sportsmanship is a must.
- Lane assignments rotate, and each car races in all four lanes against the same opponents.
- Scouts race against others in their rank (grade level) for the fastest average time across 4 heats.
- The top two finishers in each rank move on to the Pack Finals, where they race each other to decide the Pack 214 champion.
Race rules
Who can race
All registered Pack 214 Lion, Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos, and Arrow of Light Scouts, along with Scouts’ brothers and sisters, parents, and grandparents.
Car kits
- Every Scout receives an official Pinewood Derby kit from the Pack.
- Kits for brothers, sisters, and other relatives cost $5 from the Pack. Email [email protected].
Race classes
| Class | Details |
|---|---|
| Rank Class | Scouts race first against others in their rank. The first and second place cars in each rank move on to the Finals. Winners receive a trophy. |
| Open Class | For brothers, sisters, and other relatives, after the Rank Class races. Winners receive a trophy or ribbon, and don’t move on to the Finals. |
| Outlaw Class | For adults, after the Rank Class races. Winners receive a trophy or ribbon, and don’t move on to the Finals. |
More rules
- Scouts enter their own cars. The Scout must be at check-in and inspection to enter their car.
- New cars only. Rank Class and Open Class cars must be started after the previous year’s Pinewood Derby.
- One car per person.
- Inspection is required. Every car must pass inspection (see the car design standards below) during check-in on race day. A car can’t be registered after the check-in deadline. No exceptions. If a car doesn’t pass, you’ll be told why, and you can fix it and have it checked again before the deadline.
- No changes after check-in. Once a car is registered, it can’t be changed. The race team keeps it in the staging area until racing starts.
Car design standards
These standards apply to the Rank Class and Open Class only, not the Outlaw Class.
Kit, size, weight, body, wheels, and other standards
- Kit: each car is built from an official Pinewood Derby kit for the current year. A new car must be built each year.
- Size: each car is placed in a checking device. It can be no longer than 7 inches, including accessories, and no wider than 2 3/4 inches with wheels and axles on. It needs at least 1 3/4 inches of space between the wheels, and at least 3/8 inch of clearance under the whole body so it doesn’t rub on the track.
- Weight: no more than 5.0 ounces (141.7 grams). This is a strict limit: the race scale must read 5.0 ounces or less. Scales vary, so a car that weighs exactly 5 ounces at home may be over at inspection and need weight removed. If you add weight at check-in, make sure it’s secure and the car still meets every standard.
- Body: use the wood block from the kit, shaped any way you like. The starting gate holds the car at the center of its front end, so no part of the front can stick out past the starting pin, and the full 7 inches of the car must sit behind it.
- Wheels and axles: use all four wheels and axles from the kit, attached to the sides of the car, two in front and two in back. Wheels must keep their original shape: no cutting, machining, lathing, drilling, beveling, or rounding, though you can remove seams and small flaws. You can remove tool marks and flaws from axles, polish them, and use dry lubricant (like graphite).
- Wheel position: you can move the axles forward or back, as long as the wheels don’t stick out past the front or back of the body. You don’t have to use the pre-cut axle slots, but any new slots or holes must keep the 3/8 inch clearance. Not all four wheels have to touch the track, but the clearance rule still applies.
- No loose parts: cars can’t have any loose or moving parts.
- Outlaw Class: cars can weigh up to 2 pounds and can’t use any extra way of moving, like a motor.
Resources
Looking for a past year’s Derby? Each year has its own page under Archives.
Questions? Email [email protected].
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