Annual Apliachi District Pinewood Derby

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – The Pinewood Derby has been a classic father-son activity for decades.

Two cars were put in position side by side at the top of this medal track. Then they were off in a race that lasted just seconds. Cub Scouts from Lee, Itawamba, and Pontotoc Counties took part in the annual Apliachi District Pinewood Derby race at the Mall of Barnes Crossing.

It was all about making these tiny wooden cars faster than the others. Robert Blake is a Cub Scout Leader from Fulton who has worked with Pinewood racing cars for 14 years.

He says there are a few tricks of the trade.

“Axils that are as slick as possible. And then you want to have your wheels lined up where they don’t wobble going down the track. And you want to put plenty of graphite on it which is the lubricant on it. Also your weight distribution. You want it as close to five ounces if you can without going over and the placement of the weight on the car makes a big difference,”said Boy Scout Leader Robert Black.

“You want to dial it in to 5 ounces on the dot. The more weight that you can have in the car the faster it will go so the closer you can get to five ounces and shave it down and get back up to five ounces with your weight you’ll have a pretty fast car,” said parent John Curlee.

Curlee and his seven year son Myles must have done something right because it took first place in the competition.

The boy did a great deal of work on the car himself.

“I painted and sanded the axils and I feel great being the winner,”said Derby winner Myles Curlee

Blake says as with any kind of car racing, sometimes things just have to fall in place.

“Sometimes it’s by luck and then sometimes it’s by really trying and working and building multiple cars,”said Curlee.

Curlee says its definitely a great way for fathers and sons to bond.

“Well it’s fun experience for us spending time together working, painting the car learning how to put the paper on it, the sand paper the paint lining the axils up. I remember working on one with my dad when I was Myles age,” said Curlee.