Aug 31, 20233 min read

Learn Pinewood Derby from the fastest racers in the WORLD!

Updated: Sep 19, 2023

**This is a first in a series of articles/posts covering how to build a FAST Pinewood Derby Car

Pinewood Derby® has been a staple of, and synonymous with, Cub Scouting for nearly 70 years. While things have certainly changed over time as designs and techniques have improved and cars have become progressively faster, the birth of the national professional adult racing leagues in the early 2000s ushered in a new level of Pinewood Derby® car performance. These leagues, consisting of racers from all over the country with varying backgrounds (engineers, scientists, mechanics, educators, computer programmers, technology enthusiasts, etc.), have raised the bar on what makes a fast Pinewood Derby® car.

There are many publications on how to make Pinewood Derby® cars from a Cub Scout perspective. This book explores how league racers design and construct their cars, along with tips on how to apply these techniques to youth built cars.

These posts illustrate what the fastest Pinewood Derby® racers do to compete. It is not necessary, nor in some cases is it feasible, to follow every step outlined in these posts. Instead, they are a guide to help builders make a faster car by incorporating the techniques they feel they can implement. Builders that use just a few of these methods will build a faster car!

A huge thank you to the following Professional League Racers and Pinewood Derby® experts who contributed to these articles:

Dan Inman (DWS Racing)

2023 Overall World Champion
2023 Multiple Class World Champion
2022 Overall World Champion
2022 Multiple Class World Champion
2022 BASX Mini National Champion
2021 Overall World Champion
2021 Multiple Class World Champion
2020 MA Class World Champion
2020 Overall National Champion
2020 Two Class National Champion
2019 Overall World Champion
2017-2019 Seven Class World Championships
200+ First place professional finishes
Featured in Popular Science magazine

Brian Crane (HurriCrane Racing)

26x National Class Championships (2015-2022)
2022 Three Class World Champion
2022 Overall National Champion
2021 Overall National Champion
2021 Four Class World Champion
2020 Three Class World Champion
2019 Overall National Champion
2018 Overall World Champion
2018 Two Class World Champion
2017 Overall World Champion
2017 Street Stock Class World Champion
2016 Street Stock Class World Champion
2015 National Street Stock Champion
300+ First place professional finishes
60+ Track records

Mike McGuire (Reece Racing)

2022 BASX Class World Champion
2022 Association of Pinewood Racers (APR) Masters of Gravity Overall Champion
2022 West Coast Grand Prix Two Class Champion
2019 Nationals Box Stock Class Champion
2018 National Pinewood Derby Racing League (NPWDRL) and APR Rookie of the Year
30+ First place professional finishes
15+ Track records

Benji Dean (JBD Racing)

2022 Nationals Three Class Champion
2021 BASX Class World Champion
2019 Two Class World Champion
2017 BASX Class World Champion
2016 Overall World Champion
2014 Overall World Champion
2014 Overall National Champion
35+ First place professional finishes
20+ Track records

Anthony Castoro (Castoro Racing)

2022 Association of Pinewood Racers (APR) Masters of Gravity seven class champion
2021 Association of Pinewood Racers (APR) Masters of Gravity two class champion
2021 Race for Veterans 1000 Champion
2020 BASX Mini Class World Champion
2019 Box Stock Class World Champion
2019 National Pinewood Derby Racing League (NPWDRL) & APR Rookie of the Year