FAMILY TRIPS, EVENTS, and HISTORY

1997

The BOYSCOUTS PACK 54 PINEWOOD DERBY 1997

Weigh In

Before the Pinewood Derby cars could compete they were individually weighed and all cars were made to weigh the same amount. Unfortunately, we didn't weight the boy's cars before the race. The judges added extra weight to both cars so they would qualify.

The Line-Up

There were cars of all types in the race. Robert's car was carved to resemble a Jaguar XJ-220. Alexander's car was shaped to resemble a Corvette. Dad carved the basic shapes and then the boys finished their cars off by sanding and painting them. In this photo, Robert's car is in the middle group of cars. His car is the middle of the five cars. It has a silver-white canopy, black sides, and stripes. Alexander's car is harder to see. It's in the group second from the top. Alexander's Corvette is white with red doors and a black roof.

The Gang at the Weigh Station

Alexander and the members of his Wolf pack look on as Robert waits for his turn to get weighed.(Above)

Across the Finish Line!

Alexander was eliminated in the first round of racing. Robert went on to win second place in the derby. Here is the heat that eliminated Robert. Robert's car, in the far right lane, looses ground in the final heat of the pinewood derby, as a judge looks on.(Left)

Mar 1, 1997 - Richmond: I’ve never been to an Auto race of any type. Saturday, March 1st the Richmond International Speedway gave FREE admission to all Boyscouts, and Boyscout leaders that wore their uniforms to the race! Well, Robert, Alex, and I went to the race, and got in free with our uniforms. Before we got to the track we walked around the parking lot and saw all the displays. They had NASCAR cars, and dragsters, and all sorts of souvenir stands. We looked at Bobby LaBonte’s #18 Interstate Batteries racing car. They were pretty cool. I’ll send pictures when they’re developed. The race was almost 2 ½ hours long. The noise was incredible! You couldn’t hear the person next to you even when they yelled. The accidents were wild! There must have been at least 6 cars totaled during the race! The finish even had an accident! The two lead cars came down the last portion of the race together. They were almost at the finish when Mark Martin, behind by half a second, bumped into Jeff Burton, who had been the leader all day! Burton’s car slid sideways and slowed, while Martin continued across the finish to win the race!