Remember Pinewood Derby Cars?

This is the time of the year for the big race that has been a part of boyhood rite of passage. I saw a picture on Facebook of a Pinewood Derby racecar, and it brought back so many memories. Watching my son and his father go through the process of building the perfect racing machine was always enlightening.

Cub Scouts have been building cars and competing in Pinewood Derby events since 1953. Through the process, bonds are strengthened as the Cub Scout partners with a parent or adult mentor to design, carve, paint, weigh, refine, and race the car. The Cub Scout benefits by strengthening bonds, sharing responsibility, developing teamwork, learning new skills, exercising creativity, building sportsmanship, and making new friends. It also builds confidence and pride. While the actual race lasts only moments, the Pinewood Derby experience lasts a lifetime, creating a bond between the Cub Scout and those who have raced before, as well as those who will follow the tradition.

Little hands turn blocks of wood into superfast racing machines, getting basic lessons in physics, tool handling, and competition. Speaking of competition, some competitive dads take complete control of the construction of the car, in order to win first place. You can always tell which cars were built entirely by a dad. Some of the cars have intricate designs that often sacrifices speed for looks. Most are very basic designs that look more like a wedge of cheddar cheese on wheels. This is due to the principle that Pinewood derby cars work on basic Newtonian physics, racing down a sloped track, propelled only by gravity. Thus, the heavier your car is, the more potential energy it has, and the faster it will go. Weight is added to the car to make it faster. The best place to put the weight is inside the car. Although outside the car is easier, it increases wind resistance. Spray paint is fast, but more elaborate designs are painted by hand.

If you have no memories of Pinewood derby racing, you should give it a whirl… you’re never too old. After all… A fast Pinewood Derby car can reach a speed of nearly 20 miles per hour, which would be the equivalent of a real automobile, reaching speeds of more than 200 miles an hour… And, if you lined up all the Pinewood Derby racecars, bumper-to-bumper, they would reach more than 7,000 miles, stretching all the way to the North Pole… And, if every Pinewood Derby car made this year, took just one run down the track, the combined distance would be from the Earth to the Moon and back, without a drop of gasoline, because gravity rules. Pretty good for a little block of wood… yes?