Bradley Walker couldn’t contain his excitement as he clutched his sleek, blue racer in one hand and his trophy in the other as the 6-year-old kindergarten student from Hempfield celebrated his victory Saturday morning.
Walker was among the more than 175 kids who raced homemade wooden cars down a 40-foot track during the Westmoreland Fayette Council’s Boy Scouts of America annual Pinewood Derby championships at Westmoreland Mall.
The event featured Scouts from about 36 troops throughout Westmoreland County to see whose cars were the fastest.
“For a lot of these young kids, this is the first time they’ve been in a competition outside of their bubble,” said Rob Very, Cub Scoutmaster for Troop 480 in Greensburg. “It’s amazing how well they do.”
Very presided over the races, in which Scouts who won regional races last month against their home troop gathered Saturday to race against qualifiers from across the county.
Each racer had three trips down the track. The fastest times in the early races were coming in just under three seconds.
Walker’s car set a track record as of Saturday morning with an average of 2.887 seconds per heat, Very said.
Scouts are expected to work with parents or other adults to design and build the 5-ounce cars out of a block of pine.
Jesse J. Bush, the district executive, said about 800 kids participated throughout the county in regional races conducted over last month.
Saturday’s race sessions were separated by age and troop locations. Kids assigned to packs in the eastern half of Westmoreland County raced early followed by Scouts from the western portion of the county in the afternoon.
“This goes back to the 1950s when woodworking was part of the curriculum,” Bush said. “It teaches Scouts how to think outside the box.
“They have about four weeks to design and paint their cars with caring adults.”
Scouts gathered in front to watch each car careen down the metal track, cheering as they sped down the three-laned track.
And it wasn’t just speed that mattered. Scouts were also judged for their design with the top vote-getters also receiving prizes.
Bradley’s father, Greg, said his son couldn’t wait to race his car after having watched his older brother, Adam, compete in prior years.
“He was champing at the bit to make his car,” Walker said. “We were trying to keep it thin because he said he wanted to go for speed.”
Pinewood Derby racing has been a family affair for the Walkers. Greg Walker said that as a child he raced with cars he built with help from his father.
From father to son, the race was all about the journey, with Bradley’s big smile matched only by the size of his trophy he carried off at the end of the race.
“He really loved it,” Greg Walker said.
