By Michael Lastufka In the first pinewood derby back in 1953, it was written, “The car shall not ride on any type of spring.” No one remembers who formulated Rule 8 or why. Perhaps it was spawned in soapbox derbies, the race pinewood brought in miniature to boys too young to enter. With access to […]

By Matthew D. Keenan That piece of lumber embodies the hopes, dreams and worldly expectations of a boy – a boy who believes that his dad is invincible and that any undertaking uniting father with son cannot possibly fail. Until it does. By most objective standards, I’m probably not a very good parent. My failings […]

With my son earning his Arrow of Light and moving up to Boy Scouts last year, I didn’t think I would be involved with another pinewood derby. But with continued communication and visits to the Pack meetings I have volunteered to assist with this year’s derby by giving a seminar on speed tips and conducting […]

We just held our local pinewood derby race. Although I have been leading the race for many years, every year I learn or re-learn something new. 1. Don’t use white or yellow glue to attach weight to the bottom of a car (even in weight holes). I already knew this, but some folk at our […]

– Editor’s Notes – Pinewood Derby Car Showcase – Q&A Editor’s Notes: Last Issue of the Season This is the last issue of the Pinewood Derby Times for the 2011-2012 season. Instead of including a Feature Article, this edition contains an expanded Car Showcase. The new issues (Volume 12) will begin in early October 2012. […]

As your recall, the big debates were introduced in 2002 and are as follows: 1. Best weight position – discussed in Volume 2, Issue 4 2. Number of wheels on the ground – discussed in Volume 2, Issue 4 3. Best wheelbase – discussed in Volume 2, Issue 6 4. Best lubricant – discussed in […]

– Feature Article – Lubricant Testing: Part 2 – Pinewood Derby Car Showcase – Q&A Lubricant Testing – Part 2 By Randy Davis On February 4, 2009, I published an article on a lubricant test using the “Tilted Plane” method for measuring a friction angle, from which the coefficient of friction (μ) can be calculated. […]

Actually, this is really a pinewood derby construction tip but it seemed like a good one to share so please bear with me. As you know, pine is a very soft wood and it seems to me that it gets little dents in undesirable places all too easily (some swear that just looking at it […]

For many years, our organization used a double-elimination method for staging pinewood derby races. As I observed the staging and outcome of these races, I saw cases where the fairness of the race could be questioned. As a result we implemented several improvements to minimize these cases. Eventually, with the acquisition of race management software, […]

– Feature Article – The Pinewood Derby Bling-Mobile – Pinewood Derby Car Showcase – Q&A The Pinewood Derby Bling-Mobile By Susie Boyce My son brought his pinewood derby flier home from Cub Scouts exactly two weeks before the race. My first instinct was to throw it away and cross my fingers that my husband would […]