With all the joie de vivre one normally sees at a Nascar track, more than 300 Cub Scouts raced tiny hand-painted cars this weekend at the 2014 Five Rivers District Pinewood Derby.
"Come on! Come on! Come on!" shouted 8-year-old Joshua Conger, one of the most ferocious fans on the sidelines at Saturday's Wolf Den Races.
"I'm voting for the one with the flames," he explained.
Asked what makes the cars go faster, Conger was emphatic.
"Cheering," he said.
Not graphite on the axles or the weight of the car?
"Nope. Cheering," he declared. "The more you cheer, the faster the car goes."
His own car resembles the Jamaican team's bobsled for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Conger even sings a reggae song that celebrate's the team quirky accomplishments. "Run the track, run the track ..." he crooned.
"I had a little help from my dad," he said.
Kenney Newville, district executive for the Boy Scouts of America's Five Rivers District, said the derby is a chance for Cub Scouts to work with a parent or adult mentor to design, carve, paint, weigh, refine and race their own small wooden car. One resembled a tank. Others were decorated with psychedelic paint, flames or Lego characters.
Newville said each boy is given a very simple kit - a wooden block, four nails and four wheels - and asked to create something reflecting their interests. On Saturday, cars of all colors, shapes and themes were sent down the curved track. Gravity is the only force used to power the tiny vehicles.
Four cars are sent down the track simultaneously and the race times are recorded using laser beams and a camera.
"There are strict guidelines, but some boys get a competitive edge with graphite on the axles or wheel base," explained Newville. "And some post positions are faster or slower than others."
The maximum overall width is 2 3/4 inches and the maximum length is 7 inches. Each car's weight cannot exceed five ounces.
This year's event was held on Friday and Saturday. The Webelos' cars raced at 6 p.m. Friday, followed by the Tiger Cubs' cars at 10 a.m. Saturday, the Wolf Cubs' cars at noon Saturday and the Bear Cubs' cars at 2 p.m. Saturday.
The event was capped by district championship races late Saturday afternoon.
Not only is the event fun, but it teaches the boys to have initiative, Newville said.
"They get to work within a set of rules, learn how to be competitive but also good sports and work with a unified purpose," he explained.
Levi Epema, 8, said the heavier cars go faster. His is the maximum weight, five ounces, he noted.
"It's a Lego car," he explained.
Epema said the Cub Scouts has taught him how to be safe and how to be a hard worker.
"The Scouts have taught me to always stand up for myself and to help each other," Conger added.