San Marino Cub Scouts Pack 354

Pack 354 Pinewood Derby Race Day:
Sat. 01/24/25 9am - 3pm

San Marino Cross-Town Showdown:
Sun. 01/25/25 11am, Carver Elementary School

Awards Categories

Every year's Pinewood Derby gives all Cubs a chance to compete against one another, and not just in Pack 354... The winners of our 6 Cub ranks race head-to-head against our Carver Elementary rivals in Pack 361 to decide the fastest PWD car in San Marino!

Trophies are awarded to the fastest 1st, 2nd, & 3rd winning cars in Pack 354.

Trophies are also awarded at each Rank level in the following categories:

1st, 2nd, & 3rd place fastest cars
Scouts Choice Award for Favorite Car

Cubmasters Choice Award for Best Design

The Cubmasters best design trophy will be awarded to a Cub in each rank based on the following criteria:

Cub-made ~ Evidence of Cub involvement (Cub finalists will need to show & tell what they did, and how they contributed)
Attention to Detail ~ hand-crafted & hand-painted details are evidence of a car that took time to design & build with thought, love, and care.

Helpful Resources

pinewood derby template.pdf

Click to Download this car template to help design your car. NOTE: The longer end is at the front of the car!

Additionally, here's a well-illustrated and very helpful resource:

Tips and Techniques from the Fastest Pinewood Derby Racers in the World v1.3.pdf

Pack 354 Pinewoood Derby Rules

Eligibility

1. Registered as a Cub Scout in Pack 354
2. Open to all ranks
3. Cars must be built for the current Pinewood Derby Racing Season, which means NO REPEATS or REPAINTS please!
4. A car purchased from a 3rd party is NOT allowed.
5. Cars MAY NOT be sent to 3rd party facilities for styling, tuning, or other performance enhancements.
6. Adults should supervise Cubs and are encouraged to help with construction of the car as a teamwork project collaborating together.

Car Design Rules

1. The main body structure(chassis) must be made of wood. The car design may be enhanced by the addition of other stable materials such as plastic or metal. Any additions must be firmly attached, non-moving, and meet car size specifications.
2. The car must meet the following specifications:
  1. Width: not to exceed 2¾ inches
  2. Length: not to exceed 7 inches
  3. Height: not to exceed 5 inches
  4. Weight not to exceed 5.0 ounces on a scale accurate to 1/10 ounce. For scales that have more than a single-digit beyond the decimal point, the maximum weight is 5.0500
  5. Clearance: The wheels are the only part of the car allowed to touch the track. The car body must not touch the track.
  6. Width between wheels: at least 1 ¾”
  7. NOTE: When placed in the starting position, no part of the car may protrude beyond the starting pin.

Wheels & Axles

1. At least 4 wheels must be attached to the sides of the car body.
2. Each wheel must be attached to the car’s wood chassis with a legal axle nail
3. Either either 3 wheels or 4 wheels may touch the ground
4. A legal 3-wheel axle nail is the one that came with the kit or purchased from the Scout Shop
5. Each attached wheel must not be angled (canted) more than 20 degrees from vertical.
6. The front most and rear most wheels must be positioned across the body from one another.
7. Only official BSA wheels are allowed.
8. The wheel diameter must be no less than 1.16 inches.
9. The tread surface width must be no less than 7.5 mm.
10. The tread surface must be flat and parallel to the wheel bore. Therefore, the following modifications are prohibited:
  - Rounding of the tread surface
  - Grooving, H cutting, or V cutting the tread surface.
11. The rules permit many wheel modification so long as you observe the dimension limits and restrictions listed above. Common legal modifications include but are not limited to:
  - Truing the tread surface with sandpaper, straight edge, or lathe to correct “out of round” wheels.
  - Truing and shaping the inner edge of the tread surface
  - Narrowing the tread surface to 7.5mm to get straight edges
  - Applying wheel bore treatments such as polish and wax to smooth the bore.
  - Tapping the wheel bore
  - Truing and re-coning the tip of the inner hub
  - Removing the double step from the outer hub
  - Balancing the wheel by adding material such as glue or fingernail polish to the inside of the wheel
  - Adding a transparent cover to the inside of the wheel to reduce air drag
12. Metal Axles with a nail head are required with an overall diameter of no less than .084 inches.
13. One-piece axles that extend through the width of the car to support both wheels are NOT allowed.

Lubrication

1. NO LUBRICATION PRIOR TO INSPECTION PLEASE
  1. 1. 1. In order to preserve our track surface, liquid lubricants are not be allowed.
        Only graphite powder is allowed as an axle lubricant, and over-application results in excessive shedding onto the track.

Prohibited Items

1. Springs
2. Starting devices or propellants
3. Electronic or lighting devices that interfere with the race electronics.
4. Liquids, wet paint, oil, sticky substance, or powders of any kind (other than axle lubrication)
5. Glass or excessively fragile parts
6. Bearings and or bushings
7. Hubcaps covering the nail head
8. Loose/moving objects on or in the car
9. Wheels and axles that are NOT provided in kit are available for purchase at the Scout Shop.

Car Inspection

1. Each car must pass inspection by the Official Inspection Committee before it may compete. The inspectors will disqualify any car not meeting these rules. Any adult or scout may appeal the findings of the Inspectors to the Race Committee Chairperson, whose decision is final.
2. Every effort will be made to do the inspection without any altering of the car.
3. After a car has passed inspection, only race officials may handle the car.
4. After check-in, adjustments are not allowed. Car repairs during the race are not allowed unless authorized by the race officials.
5. Once Inspection is PASSED before the race, the car will not be re-inspected after the race.

Race officials may disqualify anyone not following the rules.

Practice and teach
GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP

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