Since its beginning, Pinewood Derby cars have been miniature, unmanned versions of race cars. Now Cub Scouts have the chance to see their car as a full-size race car, complete with a driver.
Zachary Tinkle, a former Cub Scout and current professional stock car racer, is offering Cub Scouts the opportunity to get their Pinewood Derby car design on a real-life race car, along with an all-expenses-paid trip for them and their immediate family to see the car in action.
Tinkle will race the car with the winning design on April 19, 2025, at The Rock — Rockingham Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina. The contest winner will receive four pit passes, granting them the opportunity to experience the race as part of Tinkle’s racing team. Plus, the winner’s name will be printed on the car’s passenger-side name rail.
“I’m really excited for this contest,” Tinkle says. “It’s a great opportunity. Having your Pinewood Derby car be on a real race car — I would have loved to do that when I was a Cub Scout.
“It’s going to be awesome.”
The contest is open to currently registered Cub Scouts. All they have to do is grab a trusted adult and send us a photo of their Pinewood Derby car.
Click here for all the details.
Click here for the official contest rules.
About Zachary Tinkle
Even though he was an active Cub Scout from Tiger Cub to Arrow of Light, Tinkle says he never excelled at the Pinewood Derby.
He’s been making up for it ever since. Now 22, he’s currently racing in the ARCA Menards Series East, a regional stock car racing series owned by NASCAR and the Automobile Racing Club of America. Tinkle is a member of the Fast Track Racing team.
Menards is a home improvement company that has sponsored the series since 2010.
Tinkle grew up in Hagerstown, Indiana, where he was a member of Cub Scout Pack 3.
Ironically, though he was already a fan of competitive racing at that age, the Pinewood Derby was not his strong suit. When the topic came up with his team owner, Andy Hillenburg, Hillenburg was quick to point out that he had won his pack’s Pinewood Derby race twice.
“Cub Scouts was something really fun for me to do after school, and it was a great way for me to socialize with my friends,” Tinkle says.
Around the time he was old enough to cross over into a Scouts BSA troop, he and his family moved to Park Ridge, Illinois, and he quickly joined Troop 955.
His true love, however, was competitive racing. It started when he joined an indoor racing league in Chicago, where he raced go-karts.
“I caught the bug,” he says.
From there, he’s consistently moved up to bigger, more competitive racing leagues, culminating in his ARCA Menards Series debut in 2021.
Tinkle is currently based out of Speedway, Indiana, home of the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
How the contest will work
The contest’s winning design will be selected by representatives from the Zachary Tinkle Foundation, along with Tinkle himself.
The Foundation is a nonprofit that provides funds for a variety of noble causes, including pet rescues, reading programs and programs that benefit U.S. veterans.
“Creativity will be rewarded,” Tinkle says. “A lot of ingenuity goes into building a Pinewood Derby car. It’s a lot like real racing. Ingenuity is rewarded.”
The winning design will be printed onto a high-tech “wrap” that is then placed over the car like a giant sticker. The wrap is lighter than paint and much easier to switch out between races than a new paint job would be.
Each of the ARCA Menards Series races is broadcast on FloRacing or Fox Sports 1, but the contest winner won’t have to worry about that because they and their immediate family members will be right there in the middle of the action at The Rock.
“They’ll get to be in the pit with the team the entire day,” Tinkle says. “That’s part of the really cool factor. They’ll get a firsthand experience of what it’s like to be at a NASCAR racetrack during a race.”
Scout Life is the place to go for Pinewood Derby advice
Need some help guiding your Cub Scout in the building and designing of their Pinewood Derby car? We’ve got you covered!
Scout Life magazine’s Pinewood Derby HQ has all kinds of tips and tricks to creating a fast car that looks great.
Click here for expert tips on painting a car.
Click here for tips on making a car go fast.
Not sure what shape the car should be? Click here for a printable template you can use to try out different designs before carving the car.
There are different Pinewood Derby philosophies, but one thing is for sure: Building a Pinewood Derby car is meant to be a family activity. It’s a great way to spend an afternoon with your kids during winter break.
All the better if their car wins the Zachary Tinkle contest too!
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