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Pinewood Derby Stories and Photos from Maximum Velocity
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Pinewood Derby Car Showcase
SpongeBob - Don Jones
This is the car I made for the adult race. He is made with a real sponge. Although he wasn't a winner he was a kid favorite!
Twins - Butch Weathers
In my son Jack's first year in the pinewood derby I cut out two cars so we could build them together (his car is the red one). I showed him what to do on mine, and he did the same to his. His attention span was quite short at times, so I helped him complete some tasks. I think there are three different layers of paint because he kept changing his mind about the color. When race day came, he was ecstatic; his car came in first out of all the Tigers. Here in Bergen County, New Jersey, the Tigers have their own race in the Regionals. We had a bit of a problem here because the Regionals require that all four wheels touch the ground. So we had to fill in the axle hole and drill a new one. We made the change, and his car went on to win the Regionals. Something that surprised me was how much faster my car was than his. We used my car as the prototype, and used the best wheels and axles on his car. The wheels on my car were a lot sloppier on the axles than his, they wobbled a lot when spun. We didn't have a test track, so we didn't find out my car was faster until I raced his after the derby was over.
Tank - Jon Joslin
My son Tommy and I have been working on our first Awana car since our Christmas break. I ordered your booklet of suggestions for making a derby car in early December, then I ordered several of your speed products. Tommy wanted to paint the car 'camo' colors, so we decided on the tank design. Being our first project, we have spent many hours already, and still have a ways to go. Melting and pouring lead into holes in the back of the car has been the most challenging part, but we were successful in obtaining 5.03 oz on an electronic balance with the COG about 1.75" in front of the back axle. Our derby is in February, so we still have time to polish and lubricate the axles, and go through the alignment process. We are looking forward to the final event in February, and have already started making plans for next year's design.
Editor's Note: We strongly recommend not melting lead, as it is a potentially dangerous practice.
