The fastest Pinewood Derby car was founded in 1953 by Don Murphy. A page explaining the story of the Pinewood Derby on pinewoodpro.com is linked in the title above. Already in 1953, the scouts made boxcar races. Don Murphy wanted his son to attend, but he was still a scout and it was too dangerous for his son. So, Don Murphy built little wooden cars and built a circuit with some other guides that were an electric finishing line, and the Pinewood Derby was born. Murphy brought the idea to BSA, which implemented the activity. Five steps to the fastest Pinewood Derby car 1. Maximize the weight of your Pinewood Derby car to 5 ounces and make sure the heaviest part is about 1 inch ahead of the rear axle. This is the most important step. Science shows that if you do it right, you'll beat a Pinewood Derby car that's built exactly the same - with the exception of the forward weight - by 4.6 vehicle lengths. That works because the further back the weight is, the more potential ene