Blue Ridge Council Pinewood Derby Rules

Proudly wearing their uniforms after building the race car, Cub Scouts in the Blue Ridge Council area compete in the Blue Ridge Council Pinewood Derby each year. This activity helps teach the cubs many skills: completion of a long term goal, following directions, and fair competition against peers. Pinewood Derby race cars must meet all specifications and rules to be qualify to race in the derby.

  1. Dimensions

    • Pinewood Derby cars must meet maximum size requirements to be eligible for the race. The longest a race car can measure is 7 inches. The widest point of the race car, which includes the axles and wheels, cannot exceed 2 ¾ inches. When measured from the bottom of the tires to the highest point of the car, the vehicle can not exceed 4 ¾ inches. The wheels must be at least 1 ¾ inches apart. The maximum weight is 5 oz. The wood can be hollowed to provide space for heavier wood or metal to make the car travel faster.

    Prerace Inspection

    • Long Cane Scouting says, "Each car must pass inspection by the District Inspection Team before it may compete. Each Inspection Team has the right to disqualify any car that does not meet the rules and specifications." The inspection team weighs each car when being registered. If any vehicle fails the inspection, the racer can correct the problem and have the car inspected again. Cars are inspected again after all races are completed and if any car does not to meet specifications all the racer's scores will be erased from the race records.

    Decorating Car

    • Cub Scouts should not use decorations that promote chemically addictive products such as tobacco or alcoholic products. Adding decals, colored wheels, and steering wheels are within the rules. If a dispute about the decorations comes up, the race officials will vote on any appeals made by the racer.

    Construction Guidelines

    • Prohibited items in the race car are solid axles, bushings, washers, wheel bearings, and any springs for the car to ride upon. Cub Scout official pinewood derby axles and wheels are to be used in construction. Except for the rounded outer edge of the wheel, the wheel is to be flat. Polishing the hub where it rubs against the car is allowed.

    Race Rules

    • Unless a cub has special needs and requests assistance, each racer must not touch any other racers car once on the track. A random form of lane assignments will determine which racer is placed in each lane. The starter will decide if all cars are positioned fairly and properly at the starting post.

      A race will be rerun if any of the racing vehicles lose body parts, moves into another lane, or runs off the track. The racer only has five minutes to make repairs to any mechanical problems a car has developed before the race is ran again.