6 Tips for
the Fastest
Pinewood
Derby Car
There’s nothing like a childhood dream to fuel
imaginations. When racing enthusiasts watch No.
3 Austin Dillon fly around the NASCAR track, it’s
exhilarating and inspiring. The Pinewood Derby
gives Scouts an opportunity to have their own No. 3
Austin Dillon car, and we give you tips on ensuring it
gets in the winner’s circle.
When the pinewood derby’s creator, Don Murphy,
hosted the first race in 1953 with Cub Scouts
in California, he envisioned a wholesome,
constructive activity that would foster closer
fami ly ties and promote craftsmanship and good
sportsmanship through competition. It’s a proud
tradition that lives on today.
While your pinewood derby car
doesn’t get a boost of power from
E15, like Austin Dillion’s racecar
does with Sunoco
Green E15, these
six tips from
Boys’ Life
magazine
will help max-
imize the performance of your creation and enable
you to become a pinewood pro:
1. Make the maximum weight. Your car should
weigh as much as allowed.
2. Place most of the weight in the back. Leave
enough wood in the rear of the pinewood derby
car, so you can place additional weight there.
3. Avoid designs with a pointed nose. A pointed
nose will make it difficult for your pinewood
derby car to rest on the pin at the starting gate. It
may also cause your car to get bumped around
when the pin drops.
4. Think of air movement. Pinewood derby cars
with aerodynamic profiles go faster. Choose a
design that allows the air to move easily over
and around your car’s body.
5. Extend the wheelbase. The front and rear
wheels should be as far apart as possible. Make
sure this is allowed in your race.
6. Sand and paint. Make the wood smooth to
reduce friction, and
paint an awesome No.
3 Austin Dillion design
to make it look great.
Finally, remember the
No. 1 rule of a pine-
wood derby: have fun,
and enjoy the ride!
Leo Olson raced his #3
Austin Dillon car at the
Pinewood Derby in Cedar
Rapids, Iowa.
SPRING 2017
17