Pinewood Derby Rules

GENERAL RULES

1. The car must be built within the CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR. Only cars
   built for the 2024/2025 Pinewood Derby season are eligible for
   competition. Cars may NOT contain components from cars built for
   previous years’ competitions.
2. Cars shall be made from the current official BSA Pinewood Derby kit
   – pre-cut pinewood blocks available at many local stores are
   allowable as an initial workpiece, however the wheelbase MUST
   remain at the specified 4-3/8 inches. Axles for your car must be the
   axles that came with the current official BSA Pinewood Derby kit.
   Wheels must be the wheels that came from your official BSA
   Pinewood Derby kit but may be colored wheels which are available at
   the Scout Store as long as they have the official BSA mold imprint.

WHEELS AND AXLES

1.  All BSA trademarks and other identifying insignia MUST be clearly
   visible on ALL wheels.
2. “Pine car” Wheels are NOT Official BSA Wheels.
3. Wheels may NOT be sanded, cut, drilled, beveled, rounded,
   peaked, H’d, humped, tapered, narrowed, rounded (U’d), or
   altered in any way that changes the dimensions.
4. Bearings, washers, or bushings are NOT allowed.
5. Hub cap; covers are NOT allowed on the wheels
6. Wheels may NOT be painted, but BSA-colored wheels are
   permitted.
7. Cars may run with THREE wheels touching the track.
8. Drilling pilot holes within the slots (to aid alignment and avoid
   wood splitting) is allowed if the pilot holes are not larger than the
   diameter of the axles. The use of hardware to secure axles to the
   body of the car is not allowed. *The original spacing from the
   purchased kit must be maintained. The distance between the
   front and rear axels may not be changed.
9. Clear Glue may be used for axle/slot repairs or to hold axles in
   the slots, but no hardened glue may come into contact with the
   wheel. GLUE MUST DRY CLEAR TO ALLOW INSPECTORS TO
   SEE ENTIRE AXLE.
10. The axles must be visible to the inspector all the way to the tip –
    do not cover the axle slot on the bottom of the car.
    Notwithstanding the foregoing, Official BSA axle guards are
    allowed so long as all other rules regarding car axles are adhered
    to.
11. Axles may be polished to remove burrs.

LENGTH, WIDTH, HEIGHT & CLEARANCE

1. Cars SHALL NOT be more than 7 inches long or 2 ¾ inches wide.
2. The car body must clear the ground by at least 3/8 of an inch.
3. Height SHALL NOT exceed 4 and a half inches.
4. Wheels may NOT extend beyond the end of the car.

WEIGHT AND APPEARANCE

1. Cars SHALL NOT weigh more than 5 ounces.
2. The weight shown on the official scale is final.
3. All cars must be free-wheeling with no starting aids.
4. Suspension systems are not allowed. The car cannot ride on springs, and
   Magnets are not allowed.
5. Cars must be powered by gravity only – No mechanical devices such as
   fans, rubber bands, propellants, battery power, or other similar devices are
   permitted.
6. No projectiles are allowed, and no part of the car may intentionally detach
   from the car during the race or come into contact with any other car.
7. Any device intended to give a car an unfair advantage (such as an overhang
   that extends past the starting post) are not allowed.

LUBRICATION

1. Cars are only allowed to use dry lubricants such as graphite or
   Teflon.
2. No lubrication will be allowed after the car has been impounded
   after passing the official weighing or between races.

INSPECTIONS AND DISPUTES

1. Each car must pass inspection, by race officials, before it is
   registered. Cars determined by the judges to not comply
   with these rules WILL be disqualified.
2.  Any participant (including the parent of the participant) has the
   right to appeal to the race committee to interpret these rules. The
   Race Committee, by majority vote, will be the final judge of these
   rules. In case of a tie vote, the decision of the Race Committee
   Chairperson will be final.
3. After final approval, cars will not be re-inspected unless the car
   is damaged in handling or a race.
4. If a car becomes disabled during the race, it may continue until
   it no longer will go down the track or is eliminated.

RACE TECHNICAL RULES

1. The computer determines race pairings. Not all scouts will race
   each other, although an attempt is made to have all scouts race in
   each lane of the track.
2. We will be racing on an eight-lane track. Each car will race eight times;
   we will race each car once on each lane. A finish gate will
   electronically determine times, and the winners will be the cars with
   the overall fastest time.
3. A re-race will occur if a car jumps its lane during competition,
   regardless of whether the car interfered with another competitor.
   If the same car jumps its lane for a second time in that heat, that
   car will be given a default time of 9.999 seconds.
4. If a car suffers a mechanical problem, loses an axle, breaks a wheel, etc.,
   the heat will be run without the problem car. If the problem car can be
   repaired prior to the completion of the final heat, it will be permitted to run in
   the lanes that it would have run in during the missed heats.
5. In the event of a failure of the electronic sensors, the judges will
   determine the winner of each race, and we will move to a double-
   elimination method.
6. If a car or cars do not make it to the Finish Line, the car(s) will be
   assigned a time of 9.9999 seconds for the heat.
7. The Race Official’s decision(s) in any race matter will be final.
8. District rules that are published should be considered priority, in case of
   conflict with our pack rules.