- How Good is Your Pinewood Derby Track?
From the master, Mr. Stan Pope, this track analysis exercise shows how much influence the quality of a specific lane on a specific track can have on the outcome of a race. Stan says: "The lanes of your Pinewood Derby track may not be exactly equal. Which lanes are the most closely matched? Four-lane tracks, when used for head-to-head double elimination racing, present a special problem... which lanes should we use?"
- "The Case for a Good Track" or "Perfect-N Vs. the Bad Track"
Yet another excellent analysis from Dr. Cory Young. "A good racing method can overcome the uneven lanes on a poor track -- some of the time! Regardless of the race method you use, be advised that identifying the fastest cars will be error-prone if the lanes of your track are "more uneven" than the cars that are racing. And at higher levels of racing (e.g. District or Council races, and probably a lot of Packs out there) the best cars will usually be very evenly matched."
- The "Piantedosi" PWD Track
Manufactured by Piantedosi Oars Incorporated. Piantedosi is the worlds largest Pinewood Derby Track manufacturer, having delivered over 500 tracks last year alone! Their track is fabricated from marine-grade multi-ply voidless (solid core) maple hardwood and top-quality hardware. All parts feature non-stripping mechanical "T-nut" fasteners. Assembly and disassembly of the prealigned sections and support structures can be done quickly and easily. Two (2), three (3), four (4), six (6), and eight (8) lane tracks are available. You can purchase the tracks directly from Piantedosi, or from the PineCar catalog. Contact: Piantedosi Oars at P.O. Box 643, West Acton, MA 01720 - Phone them at: 978-263-1814. See our "Piantedosi" page for more information.
- The "Challenger" PWD Track
This is a build-your-own track. Design drawings and the precision 'extruded' aluminum racing surface are supplied by Beta Crafts, Incorporated. It is massive, with an overall length of 54'-3" and provisions for two (2), three (3), four (4), six (6), and eight (8) lanes. It can be built to accomodate 2 finish lines if you prefer the standard 32' track length. Contact Beta Crafts, Inc. at: 2682 Route 130, Cranbury, NJ 08512 - Phone them at 609-655-1940 or fax 609-655-0106. See our "Challenger" page for more information.
- "Computer Pinewood Derby" Tracks
Manufacturer of both hardwood and formica surfaced tracks with an overall length of 32'. Track sections are 4' long and are joined with a 1/2" dowel and metal bracing system to assure a 'bump-free' transition for cars passing between sections. Available in two (2), three (3), and four (4) lane models. The "very-fast" low friction formica version comes "ready-to-race." The hardwood version requires paint and varnish. They also manufacture electronic starting and ending gates, and race management software. Contact: Computer Pinewood Derby at 5438 Lapwai Pl., Boise, ID 83709 (PINEWOOD-RACER@juno.com) or phone them at (208) 362-0728
- S & W Crafts Manufacturing
Based in Southern California, S & W provides 'buy-and-build-kits' that you assemble yourself. These tracks utilize a unique design. Rather that the cars being guided down the track on a 'raised' strip between the wheels, the track incorporates a 'channel' that the cars travel through. This type of track will allow your boys to design cars with very low ground clearances. It can also be a very cost effective alternative to the expense of buying a pre-assembled track. Conversely, it can be a great solution for the Pack that does not have available wood-working resources to build a track from scratch. The kits are available in two (2), three (3), four (4), and six (6) lanes. Contact S & W Crafts at: P.O. Box 5501, Pasadena, CA 91117 or phone them at (626) 793-2443
- Indy Products
INDYTRACK -- The top section contains a "FLIP-UP" starting gate, which is usually 48" from the floor to the top of the track. The track is constructed on a 2" steel angle frame with a
laminated track running surface. The guide strips are wood and finished with a high grade Polyurethane varnish. INDYTRACKS" and FASCAR tracks can be build in custom sizes but the most popular sizes are 24" wide and consist of 4 sections of 8 feet long. This produces a track that will fit into most general purpose rooms with space at the stating and finish gates for the "Drivers Judges etc." The finish line can be judged by JUDGE III and can be built for 2 to 8 lanes. Contact Indy Products at: 1225 N. Indianapolis Road, Mooresville, IN 46158, Phone them at: 317-831-1114, Fax: 317-271-5498, or E-mail: INDYPRODUCTS@ibm.net
- Download Our "How-To-Book" Track Plans
This is a "zip" compressed Pinewood Derby Track plan from the "Cub Scout Leader How-To Book" (BSA 33832 - 1996.) After zip de-compression, the resultant 'gif' image is a very high resolution (600DPI) Track plan that can be printed on 8.5" x 11" paper, or output to your favorite large format laser or thermal plotter at 34" x 44" (E-size). (Also, see Pack 1036's plans below!)
- Tips on Buying or Building Pinewood Tracks
Do you BUY or do you BUILD? Check this page out! It might help you decide... (Created by "New Directions")
- Pinewood Derby Track Design 101
A good piece on track design by bosworth@inetworld.net He says: "Youth organizations have been running pinewood races for many years. While much attention has been given to car construction and racing techniques all too often winning or losing came down to who was unlucky enough to be assigned to the "fast"or "slow lane."
- Pack 240 NETletter// Tales from the internet
Pack 240 has built a very fast formica covered track with a servo-actuated start gate, an electronic start/finish line, and a cool design feature to safely stop cars without damaging them. This track is unofficially, the fastest track in the county! Better check it out!
- Pinewood Derby Track Plan from Pack 1036
Build a Pinewood Derby track with this plan. Download the track plans in Adobe Acrobat 3.0 format. Its FREE!
- Electronic Pinewood Derby
Pack 163 in Corvallis, Oregon has documented the design of their unique, fixed angle track. The track is constructed of hollow core, bi-fold, closet door panels. There are five segments, each about seven feet long. They are structurally sound, but not too heavy and not too expensive. To guide the cars, they use eighth inch masonite guides which the cars straddle. The clearance on a standard car gives plenty of room. Neat!
