Race History

The first Pinewood Derby race was held on May 15, 1953, by Cub Scout Pack 280C in Manhattan Beach, California. The Cubmaster, Don Murphy, had a son that was too young to participate in the popular Soap Box Derby races, so he came up with the idea of racing miniature wood cars. In a Scouting Magazine article, Mr. Murphy recalled "I'd made models of airplanes, cars, boats, and any number of other structures and remembered the pleasure I got out of doing it," he said. "I also wanted to devise a wholesome, constructive activity that would foster a closer father-son relationship and promote craftsmanship and good sportsmanship through competition."

Since 1953, the race has grown tremendously in popularity with the Cub Scouts. Pinewood Derby racing also caught on with several other organizations like Awana, which calls their version the Awana Grand Prix. According to the "Official Awana Grand Prix How-To Book", the first Awana Grand Prix took place around 1970. In year 2000, approximately 175,000 boys and girls competed in over 5,000 race events in the US. Pinewood Derby, Awana Grand Prix, and other similar races are now held in various countries around the world and involve boys and girls working with their dads, moms or other adult partners.

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