Pinewood Derby: Scouts design, build and race model cars

Mar. 18—POTTSVILLE — The smile on Wesley Morris' face pretty much said it all about the Black Rock District Pinewood Derby on Saturday at the Fairlane Village mall.

Wesley, 6, a member of Cub Scout Pack 624 in Orwigsburg, beamed with pride as he talked about winning the Tigers division of the competition.

"My car went 238 miles per hour," he said, holding up a 7-inch wooden replica of a NASCAR racer.

The scene was repeated many times over as Cub and Boy Scouts from around the county competed to determine whose car was the fastest.

An aura of excitement prevailed as Scouts and their families lined both sides of the 25-foot-long track near the mall entrance to Boscov's and Super Shoes.

Derby co-chairman David Lafko said the turnout was phenomenal.

Organizers, who had been working on the derby since fall 2022, set a goal of 100 contestants.

"We never thought we'd get to 100," Lafko told the crowd just before the derby began around 10 a.m. "Right now, we've registered 122."

Last year, when the derby was held at Black Diamond Speedway, only five Scouts entered.

Before the race began, Scouts and siblings tested their outdoors skills on a freestanding ladder bridge assembled by Rich Fisher and Tom Wolfinger of the Hawk Mountain Council Pioneering Team.

The floor of the bridge is made of swinging logs suspended from ropes. Crossing it tests balance, strength and ingenuity.

A determined Mattie Zubowicz, who's 4, persisted and inched her way across the bridge.

Nikki Zubowicz said Mattie's training in ballet and gymnastics helped her daughter succeed.

Under Pinewood Derby rules, Scouts fashion race cars from a rectangular block of wood. The cars cannot be longer than 7 inches and weigh more than 5 ounces. All cars are weighed before competition begins.

One inventive Scout shaped his car like a pirate ship. Another recreated "The General Lee," the 1969 Dodge Charger from "The Dukes of Hazzard" TV show. Some Scouts incorporated Legos into the design, others honed their cars into the shape of an arrow.

Landon Herb, 5, decorated his "ninja" car in a blue-and-gray camouflage theme. His brother, Dylan, 7, stuck with a basic pickup truck design. The brothers are from Schuylkill Haven, and were second-place finishers in their respective categories in the Pack 624 derby in Orwigsburg.

Robbie Bixler used a wedge design and decorated his car in an NFL field theme depicting Eagles vs. Bills.

"Football is my favorite sport," said Robbie, 9, who's in third grade in Valley View.

When Robbie struggled to explain his design, his cousin Caleb Minor chimed in with the word "aerodynamic," and spelled it, too.

Prior to the start of the race, co-chairman David McKeown asked which Scout felt they had the fastest car. Nearly everyone's hand went up.

Asserting he had the fastest car, McKeown charged up a CO2-fired racer that ran the track at 340 mph — about 100 mph faster than any other car. It was all in fun, McKeown, Republican Herald multimedia editor, was not a competitor.

During the race, cars line up four abreast at the starting line, gain speed as they shoot down a 45-degree incline and zip to the end of a track. A computer measures their elapsed time and converts it to a speed.

Winners in age-designated categories were:

Lions: Wyatt Lesak, 240 mph; Tigers: Wesley Morris, 238 mph; Wolf: Violet Wetzel, 238 mph; Bears: Lucas Ebling, 240 mph; Webelos: Colby Saltzer, 243 mph.

Youth Outlaw: Jacob Kunkle, 245 mph; Adult Outlaw: Jason Kunkle, 247 mph; Grand Champion: Colby Saltzer, 243 mph.

Each of the competitors received a metal water bottle and a free T-shirt from Mystic Screen Printing & Embroidery in Pottsville.

Amy Lafko, owner of Cairn Consulting Solutions in Orwigsburg, was also a major sponsor. She's the author of "People First: A Proven Method For An Exceptional Healthcare Practice."

"I believe in Scouting, it taught me a lot of lessons," said Lafko, a former Girl Scout. "It teaches leadership, and that's something I teach every day in my consulting business."

Contact the writer: rdevlin@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6007