PARSIPPANY — Pack 142 held the Pinewood Derby races on Friday, January 26 at the Littleton Elementary School.
Cub Scouts have been building and racing Pinewood Derby® cars since 1953. Partnered with a parent or adult mentor, Cub Scouts work together, strengthening bonds and building confidence – and their own custom race cars.
They begin by choosing a car design, then carve it out and detail it with paint, decals and other accessories, and perfect strategies to compete in their pack’s own Pinewood Derby. It’s a wonderful learning experience centered on teamwork, ingenuity and sportsmanship – all for the thrill of the race and a lifetime of great memories to share with fellow racers young and old.
A Pinewood Derby car can reach a speed of nearly 20 mph, and if a derby car and track was enlarged to the size of a real automobile the car would be speeding at more than 200 mph!
The finalists were, first place, Andrew Nicholas, a member of the Webelos, Den 1; second place was Brendan Frade, a member of the Wolf, Den 4 and third place as Aidan Kane, a member of the Bear, Den 3. These finalists will move on to the finals.
The first race was the Lion, Den 7: First Place winner was Graeson Bonugli and Second Place winner was Padraig Beadle.
The next race was the Tiger, Den 2: First Place winner was Jack Chazen, Second Place winner was Ronav Sinha and Third Place winner was Benjamin Ferrante. Landon Drozdienski came in fourth place.
The next race was the Wolf, Den 4: First Place winner was Brendan Frade, Second Place winner was Spencer Tizzoni and Third Place winner was Gregory Ferrante.
The next race was the Bear, Den 3: First Place winner was Aidan Kane, Second Place winner was Daniel Gaza and Third Place winner was Krish Shah.
The next race was the Weblos, Den 1: First Place winner was Andrew Nicolas, Second Place winner was Shrikar Subramanian and Third Place winner was Ethan Adams.
The final race was the Arrow of Light, Den 6: First Place winner was Brandon Proctor, Second Place winner was William Shoemaker and Third Place winner was Aryan Masaldan.
The first Pinewood Derby® was run in Southern California in 1953 by Cub Scout Pack 280C at the Manhattan Beach Scout House, where Cubmaster Don Murphy introduced the idea to his pack. The derby was publicized in Boys’ Life magazine in October 1954 and was an instant hit. The rules set out for the very first race still stand today: “The derby is run in heats – two to four cars starting by gravity from a standstill on a track and run down a ramp to a finish line unaided. The track is an inclined ramp with wood strips down the center to guide the cars.”
Summing it up nicely, the Pinewood Derby’s creator Cubmaster Donald Murphy said, “I wanted to devise a wholesome constructive activity that would foster a closer father-son relationship and promote craftsmanship and good sportsmanship through competition.” Today the Pinewood Derby® stays close to its roots, giving Cub Scouts an excellent way to learn about craftsmanship, sportsmanship and respect for others through friendly competition.
