Red Tailed Hawk 2009 Rules

• •Click here to see the RTH rules and regulations 

The Pinewood Derby is an annual event hosted by Cub Scout packs all over America. It is easily one of if not the most popular scouting events and is without a doubt one of the best known events among non-scouts. Every year millions of boys along with their parents participate in the event; carving, decorating, adjusting, weighing and then finally racing their Pinewood Derby cars.

The very first derby event was held back in 1953 by Cub Scout Pack 280C located in Manhattan Beach, California after Cubmaster Don Murphy organized the event because his son was too young to participate in the soap box derby. Since that day more than 80 million derby kits have been sold.

Today most of the rules and regulations of the Pinewood Derby remain the same with packs establishing additional rules related to permitted modifications as technology advances the sport. Never changing are the Cub Scouts and their parents who are still quick to mark the date on their calendars in anticipation of the event.

The primary rationale of the Pinewood Derby, as with most related to scouting is to help the Cub Scout build a team relationship with their parent or adult partner, experience the sense of achievement and the exhilaration of competition where winning isn't the primary objective but instead winning and/or losing while demonstrating good sportsmanship and having fun along the way.