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The founder of Pinewood Pro. Along with me, my wife, my two daughters and my son were all in Scouting as youth. My son Steven started as a Tiger Cub in Pack 468 in Trumbull, CT in 1994. He became an Eagle Scout with Troop 65 in 2006.
During my son's Cub Scout years, I managed the Pinewood Derby race for Pack 468. The idea for a website came from my years of experience managing our Cub Scout Pack pinewood derby events coupled with our success at designing winning cars. I started Pinewood Pro in 1999 to help others build have as much fun as my son and I did designing and making cool (and fast) pinewood derby cars. That same year, I wrote our #1 best seller, Winning Pinewood Derby Secrets, that has helped thousands of people build winning pinewood derby cars. I have received thousands of "thank you" emails or phone calls. I'll never tire of seeing the smiling faces at races, or hearing from a pinewood derby racer, parent, or grandparents about how our products or my book has helped them.
We are very proud to be involved with Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Awana Grand Prix, Trail Life and countless other Pinewood Derby racing events by volunteering our time, making yearly donations to BSA and local cub scout packs. We are especially motivated to know that Pinewood Pro helps people have fun, strengthens family relationships and builds community spirit through pinewood derby and LEGO derby car racing. Pro. We also are happy to be involved with other pinewood derby (a.k.a. Pine Car Derby, Grand Prix Derby) organizations such as AWANA, Royal Rangers, Shape N Race Derby, Kub Kar Rally, Girl Scouts Powder Puff Derby and WIRL. With your support (link to our site!) we will continue the Pinewood Pro tradition of helping others design, build and race winning pinewood derby cars.
In those formative years, I realize that through Scouting I discovered my love of "building things" and figuring out how they worked. I remember vividly reading through my Cub Scout activity books to find the next cool thing to build. Dad or my Den leader were always there to answer questions or help if I got stuck. As I grew up, I continued to feed my desire to build things. I tinkered with fixing old radios or restoring my first car, a '68 Firebird when I was in High School. I also enjoyed many camping trips in the Adirondacks with my family. Scouting was a natural for me.
As I finished up High School and I had to choose a college major, the choice was easy for me - engineering, because engineers build things! Looking back, I attribute much of my desire to become an engineer to my excitement doing Scout projects as a boy.
Naturally, the most exciting Cub Scout event of the year for me was pinewood derby car racing. I loved the idea of designing and building my own cool, little car out of a block of pine wood (with a little help from my Dad).
I carved and sanded my pine wood block seemingly for hours by hand (I don't think electricity, let alone power tools, were invented yet!). All the while, I kept thinking to myself, "could I actually build the fastest car and win 'fastest derby car' in the Pack?" I couldn't wait to race my car against my friends, brother and especially my cousin for bragging rights.
Well, race day finally came. I was 7 years old. My first Pinewood Derby race was memorable alright...
In our very first heat, my car and my brother's car were perched on the top of the track. My heart was beating fast with anticipation. The pin dropped, then BOOM...nothing happened! What the heck?
Well, actually my car raced to the bottom with the other cars and barely crossed the finish line, dead last. I was the lucky one. My car actually made it to the finish line but nobody noticed my car because everyone's eyeballs were glued to my brother's car. You see, his car didn't move at all! It just sat there at the top of the track. A silence fell over the crowd until one of the older boys pointed and yelled, "Look! Henry's car has rigor mortis!" (1).
Everyone's eyebrows rose as they leaned forward and stared. Finally, someone grabbed a ruler and pushed his car. It reluctantly moved a few feet then stopped again, seemingly to ask, "which way does gravity go again?" It never did reach the bottom. Someone mercifully pulled it off the track for a few, um, adjustments.
Hmmm, do you think we pushed the axles in too far so the wheels were a "bit" snug against the car body? Uh, did we forget to remove those sticky little burrs under the axle head or crimp marks on the shaft? Did we misalign the wheels? Did we even think to use graphite? Was the car perhaps a little underweight? Drum roll, please...all of the above. Basically, we didn't have a clue how to make a pinewoodderby car, let alone know the speed secrets to make the car fast.
My brother, cousin and I look back and laugh but at the time we were devastated. Nobody wants their car to be nicknamed, "flat tire" or "blow out". I certainly didn't want my son, nor any other child, to go through something like that.
When I started managing my son's Pack pinewood derby, I always introduced pinewood derby to the new parents and scouts by putting on a pinewood derby clinic. In a fun way, I talk about the basic physics of motion, and show how to make a competitive car. If you live in the Sarasota, FL or New Haven CT area, give me a call and I'd be glad to speak to your Pack or group to introduce pinewood derby or LEGO derby racing to them.
We are so proud to have received thousands emails, pictures and stories of how Pinewood Pro has helped beginners and experts alike design a cool, fast and winning pinewood derby car.
I was anxious to relive those Cub Scout days with him. I would teach him to camp, use a knife, tie a knot, use a compass, "build things" and figure out how they worked. Along the way, he would learn the values of scouting ("On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty.") and scouting would instill integrity in him ("A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind.) and best of all, I would be able to relive and share those life long experiences with him.especially Pinewood Derby Car racing!
No, I wasn't a fanatic about building the fastest Pinewood Derby car for my son...the first year anyway. Eight-year-olds, clearly, need assistance from Dad if they are going to have a competitive car. Steven and I built a cool car the first year (that is his car above in the Pinewood Pro logo) and he won a small ribbon for fastest car in his Den. We were so proud, wow, a ribbon. Cool.
The next year, however, I decided to get serious. He needed help from Dad if he was going to have a top-performing car. As an engineer, I knew I could help him do better. I would leave the car building to him, but Dad would do the fine-tuning for speed. I spent many hours thinking up ways to improve speed. I invented many "speed tricks."
Winning Pinewood Derby Secrets,
Speed Wheels,
Speed Axles,
etc.
My speed tricks were so successful that we never lost another race. I continued to invent new speed tricks and test my secrets. In 1999, we published Winning Pinewood Derby Secrets that contains over 40 speed secrets, along with a car building guide, that we used to win. Now you can learn my winning secrets too.
While my son was in Cub Scouts, I managed the Pinewood derby event for Pack 468 in Trumbull, CT. It was gratifying to help the Pack, work with the parents and a thrill to watch the boys race their cars. For the vast majority of cub scouts, pinewood derby is the best event of the year. It was fun and exciting for everyone. There was, however, one aspect of being the race manager that I didn't like.
Each year we made Pinewood Derby participant trophies for every child in the Pack. We even spent the extra money to have each trophy engraved with the scout's name. Every Cub Scout that showed up got a trophy. At the end of the race, I was always deeply saddened to see a small group of trophies leftover, sitting on the table. These were the trophies of those Cub Scouts who never showed up on race day! Why???
Over time, I learned that building a Pinewood Derby car was beyond the skill level of some parents. So their Cub Scouts simply didn't participate.
Each year I offered to help anyone that needed it...just ask. I pleaded for them to "just ask". I taught a "Pinewood Derby school" to get beginners started. We set up a car tune-up "pit" to fine-tune each car before the race to help them be competitive. Finally, I wrote Pinewood Derby in Six Steps to help beginners build their car. It also includes a bonus section on "Speed Essentials" to make their car competitive. Now, all I have to do is point people to the book so everyone can participate!
To help beginners and experts alike build a competitive Pinewood Derby car (aka Grand Prix car) and to "give back" to BSA and the Cub Scouts. Steven and I believe so much in the BSA values and how it gives young boys a solid foundation in their formative years.
We sincerely hope that all those involved with pinewoodderby car racing learn what it was meant to teach:
As long as I run Pinewood Pro, I will continue to volunteer, make annual donations to BSA and local Cub Scout Packs.
We are also happy to be involved with Awana Grand Prix, Royal Rangers, Shape and Race Derby, WIRL, Girl Scouts Grand Prix, and others that share the values and ideals of Cub Scouts and Pinewood Derby car racing.
After the first year of doing not-so-well in our Cub Scout pack race, my son and I were the team to beat every year. We were the gurus. Everyone wanted to know our secrets. When Steve moved on to Boy Scouts, I wrote Winning Pinewood Derby Secrets that divulged all of our speed tips for building a winning pinewoodderby car to help others. (That's Steve and I on the cover after winning the District Championship).
We are here to help you do your best.
Have fun, good luck, and God Bless.
Joe and Steven Gargiulo
Pinewood Pro.