Pinewood Derby

2026 Pack 37 Pinewood Derby

February 21st

9am Check-In Starts

Are you ready for the races!!

Pinewood Derby Workshops

Derby Workshop One

Our first workshop occurs at Munsey and is both informational and hands on. We will focus on design, speed, and use specific tools to ensure everyone has the best opportunity to succeed. Don't forget to bring your pinewood derby car and a plastic bag for all the parts.

Date/Time: POSTPONED - WEATHER RELATED

Derby Hands On Workshops

Wendy and Paul are hosting workshop sessions to cut out your Pinewood Derby car. Don't forget to bring your Pinewood Derby car and your design ready to cut out.

Dates: January 31st and February 7th - See signup sheet for a time slot

Click Here to Signup For the Workshops

Downloadable Design Template

Download Design Template

2026 Pinewood Derby Awards!

This is an all inclusive list of the awards that will be given for the 2026 year!

Speed Awards

All speed awards are tracked by our software, down to the 1000th of a second.

Pack Speed Awards

Overall Pack fastest four cars.

First | Second | Third | Fourth

Den Awards (Each Den)

Four winners for each den,

First | Second | Third | Fourth

Economy Award

Slowest car - Most fuel efficient

Must cross the finish line

Design Awards

All design awards are judged by a group of individuals - We try to make this a group of impartial judges if at all possible!

Most Realistic

This is the most realistic car, looks like it just came off the production line!

Most Creative

Get your creativity going and your imagination in play.

Most Unusual

Totally off the way, no way we could have ever imagined this, ever!

Most Patriotic

All about the Red, White, and Blue

... and my country ...

Do It Yourself

We want to see what you do - the Scout - not the parent! This is all about the scouts work and the best of it!

Best Workmanship

Perfectly crafted, perfect paint, exceptionally executed.

Best In Show

As judged by a selected group of impartial judges (if possible)

Most Colorful

All the colors of the rainbow or the best use of color!

The Wild Side

Who opened the zoo and let all the animals out!!

Cub Scout Pride

All about Cub Scouts: Blue and Gold, Lions, Tigers, Wolves, Bears, Webelos, AOL

Crowd Favorite

Judged by all attendees (except scouts) pick your favorites and lets see who comes outs on top.

Scouts Choice

Judged by Scouts

Online Resources for Pinewood Derby

The Fundamentals

Wheel and Axle Prep https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHI2YxSr_sQ Pack 37 has all many of these tools, but you can also improvise with your own ideas at home. There may be time available at the hands on derby workshops to do these steps as well. At least part of them.
Pinewood Derby HQ (Scout Life) https://scoutlife.org/pinewood-derby/ The gold standard for Derby prep. Includes design software, template downloads, and step-by-step building guides.
Official Pinewood Derby Car Shapes https://www.scoutshop.org/blog/5-basic-pinewood-derby-car-shapes.html Great for beginners. This guide covers the five most common aerodynamic shapes you can cut from the basic block.
Instructables: How to Create a Derby Car https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Create-a-Pinewood-Derby-Car/ A comprehensive, photo-heavy walkthrough of the entire process from block to finish line.

Design Inspiration

Awesome Pinewood Derby Cars from 2026 and Past years: 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | More…
Photo Gallery: Amazing Car Designs https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2020/01/30/scouting-show-and-tell-pinewood-derby-cars/ A collection of unique and creative cars to help Scouts who are stuck on the "visual" part of the build.

Speed & Performance Tips

The Science of the Pinewood Derby (Mark Rober) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RjJtO51ykY Highly recommended. Former NASA engineer Mark Rober explains the physics behind what actually makes a car fast in an entertaining way for both Scouts and parents.
5 Tips for the Fastest Car https://www.scoutshop.org/blog/5-tips-to-building-the-fastest-pinewood-derby-car.html A quick-read checklist of the "must-dos" if you want to be competitive on race day.
Advanced Speed Secrets https://scoutlife.org/hobbies-projects/projects/2952/fast-pinewood-derby-car/ Focuses on weight distribution, friction reduction, and axle preparation for the more "tech-heavy" builder.

History & Behind the Scenes

How It’s Made: Pinewood Derby Kits https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_hVTTRqRNA A fascinating look at the factory process that turns a tree into the official BSA blocks, wheels, and axles we use today.
Times Square Derby: Epic Event https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2016/07/01/cub-scouts-compete-pinewood-derby-times-square/ A look at how big the Derby can get, featuring a massive race held in the heart of New York City.

Pinewood Derby Rules

Each local Pinewood Derby committee determines the rules for building and racing cars. The committee will need to make sure their rules don't conflict with those of the district or council to ensure their members can participate in events at those levels. Our committee elects to abide by the official Scouting America rules as listed below.

Scouting America's Cub Scout Leader How-To-Book, the general rules are as follows below and all cars must pass the following inspection to qualify for the race:

Design a new car every year, this builds your skills!
Width shall not exceed 2-3/4 inches.
Length shall not exceed 7 inches.
Weight shall not exceed 5 ounces.
Axles, wheels, and body shall be from the materials provided in the kit. Additional wheels can be purchased separately.
Wheel bearings, washers, and bushings are prohibited.
Cars are allowed to be three wheel (one wheel elevated) / Rail Riders.

No lubricating oil may be used. Axles may be lubricated with powdered graphite or silicone.
The car shall not ride on any kind of spring.
The car must be free-wheeling, with no starting devices.
No loose materials of any kind are allowed in the car.
Pinewood Derby - Not Plastic Car Derby - No 3D printed cars allowed.
- Add-ons, decorations, etc are ok. But the base car should be a BSA approved Pinewood Derby Block!

Pinewood Derby Supplies

From design to supplies there are specific materials you will need to make your Pinewood Derby car look great and move fast! In the below sections you will find the design template and information about supplies that can help you along the way.

Local Supplies Availabe From

Johnson City Scout Shop

Visit the Johnson City Scout Shop for everything you need and don't need!!! Johnson City Scout Shop Info

Hobby Lobby

Tools, stickers, and a great place to get paints for the Pinewood Derby Cars! (Regular paint from the hardware store or Walmart work just fine too.)

Online Retailers - Specific Supplies Recommendations - And More!

Tungsten Weights

These are easily placed wherever you need them in the car. Simply drill a hold and glue them in. Lots of weight in a little space.

View On Amazon

Stick on weight

Yes you can cut it with scissors. A great and easy option for adding weight to your car.

View On Amazon

Tube of Graphite - The pack will have Graphite at the race, however you may want to get some to burnish your wheels, or other parts of the car.

View on Amazon

Give your car a little pizzazz

These are just some options to give your car a personal touch or match to your cars style. The Scout Shop has many decal packs, accessories, and enhancements you can use for your pinewood derby that are all valid and legal for our race.

Official Blue Derby Wheels

View on Amazon

Official Green Derby Wheels

View on Amazon

Official Blue Derby Wheels

View on Amazon

Tools used for Pinewood Derby

This section is more informational and shows different tools that we use in Pinewood Derby. The pack has some of these tools that you can use. I am adding them here for the enthusiast. Common tools at home will work too. We will help get your axles set straight in a meeting!