The businesses advertised on this site are owned by church members or supported by the church.
Pinewood Derby Rules
Hosted by Pack 2, First United Methodist Church of Fort Smith, Arkansas
Location: Family Life Center at N 16th St At N C St in Fort Smith
Check-In & Race Day Schedule
- To be determined.
Show Cars
- All Cub Scouts in Butterfield Trail District are eligible to compete in the show car event regardless of whether they won their pack competition.
- Cars registered for the show car competition this year should have been built this year.
- Cars that qualify to race are automatically eligible for the show car competition as well.
- Each age group, Tigers, Wolves, Bears, 4th grade and 5th grade Webelos, will be judged and a winner selected for each of the following categories:
- Most Colorful
- Most Patriotic
- Best Paint Job
- Most Original
- Best Workmanship
- Most Unusual
- Category winners from each age group will be eligible for the Best of Show trophy, which will be awarded at the end of the derby.
Eligible Racers
- The Pinewood Derby is open to top two pack finishers in each age group — Tigers, Wolves, Bears, 4th grade and 5th grade Webelos.
- Qualified fifth grade Webelos who have crossed over to Scout troops are welcome to race in the district derby.
- Cars must be raced by the Cub Scout who won at their pack race.
- If a scout is unable to attend the district derby, he may not send another scout with his car to the race.
Entry Fee
$1 per qualified racer to cover the cost of event insurance.
Race Car Rules
- MATERIALS: Use only Official Scout Grand Prix materials, or materials sold at the Scout Shop for the construction of the car.
- PRECUT CAR KITS may be used if they meet all other requirements. THE WEDGE CAR KITS SOLD AT THE SCOUT SHOP WILL BE ALLOWED.
- WIDTH: Car cannot be more than 2 3/4 inches wide.
- LENGTH: Car cannot be more than 7 inches long.
- HEIGHT: Car cannot exceed 6 inches height.
- WEIGHT: Finished car cannot weigh more than 5 ounces. The weight shown on the Official Race Scale is final. All car parts and materials must be firmly attached. A battery-operated postal scale is used the day of the race.
- WHEEL PLACEMENT: The car body must be at least 1 3/4 inches wide at the axles. It must clear the ground by at least 3/8 inch.
- WHEELS AND AXLES: You can polish the axles. You may lightly sand the wheels to remove the molding seam on the tread. No other wheel changes are allowed. The entire wheel must rest flat on the track. No cone shapes or bicycle-tire shapes allowed. You may not use bearings, washers or bushings. Absolutely no straight-through two-wheel axles will be allowed.
- WHEELBASE: The distance between the front and rear axles may not be greater than 4-3/8 inches.
- SPRINGS: The car may not ride on any type of springs.
- DETAILS: Details such as Steering Wheel, Driver, Decals, Painting, Interior Details are okay as long as they do not come off during the race. The finished car with details must meet the maximum length, width and weight rules. Cars with wet paint will not be accepted.
- ATTACHMENTS: The car must be free-wheeling with no starting devices.
- LUBRICATION: Use dry powdered graphite ONLY. You may not use any other lubricant, especially oils and silicone sprays. Once your car has been inspected and checked in, you may not lubricate the car again.
- INSPECTION: 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.
- Cars must have been built this year. Cars from earlier years will not be allowed to race.
Race Ground Rules
- Good sportsmanship and behavior is expected. Race Officials may ask anyone not following this rule to leave.
- All cars will race three times, once down each track, and have their time for all tracks averaged. Winners are determined by the fastest averaged time.
- If a car jumps off the track or interferes with another car, the heat is run again. If it happens again, the car loses the heat.
- If a car breaks down, the Scout is allowed fifteen minutes to fix the car. Adult assistance can be given if approved and monitored by the inspection committee. After repairs are made, the car must be re-inspected by the inspection committee. Then the officials will run the heat again. If the car cannot be fixed in fifteen minutes, it is eliminated from the race.
- Only Track Officials and Scouts involved in the current heat(s) are permitted inside the track area.
Race Procedures
- Each Scout must bring his car to the Inspection Table. If the car fails to meet any rules, the Inspectors will tell the scout the exact problem or problems. The Scout may change the car to meet the rules, and then present the car for inspection again.
- After a car passes inspection, Official Scorers register the cars.
- After registration, the Scout will place their cars on the Starters’ Table.
- Scouts may not handle the car again unless:
- The Scout is getting the car for the start of a heat, or
- The Scout is putting the car on the Starters Table after a heat, or
- The Scout is fixing the car as allowed in Ground Rule 5.
- Official Starters call Scouts to the gate for their heats. Scouts place their cars at the start, and then go to the finish line to watch the heat.
- The results posted by the MicroWizard Fast Track finish line and the GranPrix Race Software are final.
- Officials present racing awards and design awards at the end of each bracket. Best in Show and Fastest Car awards are presented after the end of the derby.
Updates
- March 27th, 2006 - Removed redundant rules about eligiblity from the Race Ground Rules and move it to the Eligible Participants rules. Clairified the Eligible Participants rules.
First United Methodist Church, 200 North 15th, Fort Smith, AR 72901