02
03
Pinewood Derby Stories and Photos from Maximum Velocity
04
05
15
16
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
31
32
33
34
PINEWOOD DERBY MEMORY
Come From Behind Car
My oldest son had the misfortune to be in a den with a scout that had two older brothers that had been through Scouts also. His dad had been helping with Pinewood Derby cars for 14 years. The best my son had done was third place in his den until his Webelos year. Here is what happened.
My son and I decided to build the Stealth car from Maximum Velocity. Jeff worked hours polishing his axles, sanding the car and checking the weight. We tried every trick we had heard of. We lifted one wheel. We rolled it across the kitchen floor over and over until it rolled straight. We even used wax paste to polish the wheels.
Then came race day. Our pack uses the double elimination method of racing on a three lane wooden track. They race in heats moving the cars to a different lane each heat. When Jeff's den finally came up to race, I was on pins and needles to see how his car would do. He was in the first heat with the reigning pack champion. Jeff's car won the first race, but then lost the next two races to lose his first heat. My heart sank when I saw his face fall, for I knew he was thinking it was going to be another losing year for him. We had to wait until the top racers went through to decide who was going to the final round.
The final round includes the two fastest cars, and the third slot is filled with the winner of the consolation rounds. Jeff's car was back up and I thought the best we could do now was third place again. Then something happened that I still cannot explain. Jeff's car began to win. Race after race and heat after heat, his car was beating the other cars in his rank.
Finally, he made it to the final round. Jeff, the pack champion, and one other car began to race. I couldn't believe it when Jeff won the first race. These were the same cars that had beaten him in the very first heat. They moved the cars to different lanes and raced again. This time Jeff's car came in second. It all came down to this last race. The crowd was chanting his name, "Jeffrey, Jeffrey" as the cars came down the track. The race was very close. If it wasn't for the timer at the end of the track it would have been very hard to tell who had won.
Jeffrey won! I couldn't believe it, and I could tell from his stunned expression that he couldn't believe it either. He had beaten the Pack Champion. Not only did he win First Place in the Webelos rank but he went on to win the race to become the new Pack Champion. I will never forget his stunned expression and that little come from behind car.