Running a Pine Car Race

Pine car racing was my favorite thing about scouting when I was a kid, and as a Trail Life leader and dad, it remains one of my favorite things about our program. It’s a great tradition that is many boys’ first introduction to not only woodwork and building, but also to aerodynamics, physics, kinetic energy, and for some of us, electrical circuitry and emergency room visits. The pride of winning a race with something they build and the sportsmanship shown between our boys is vital to their social development. That’s why I believe it’s an important tradition to continue.

This document is intended to be a how-to guide for how I run our races with the hope that my successor and other troops can use it to host great events for their Trailmen. I’ve formatted it as a timeline of what needs to be done leading up to race day. All I ask is that if you have any questions to please reach out and if you make any improvements please let me know! – Brad

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