I’ve got a funny story that I have just got to share.  A few weeks ago, a lady called me (I’ll keep her name a secret to protect the innocent).  It was her son’s last year as a cub scout and was running in his last Pinewood Derby.  She was the one who always helped him build his car. He had never brought home a trophy.  

She said that there were a few dads  that finished 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd every year.  They consistently boasted and bragged for all to see… strutting around the gym floor like roosters.  She once overheard one of the boys say that his dad uses oil on his car.  Only graphite was legal.

She wanted to, at the very least, help her son finish in the top three this year but knew she would need some help.  She bought the Inferno EX kit and I gave her a few basic tips over the phone and wished them luck.  Her and her son built the car themselves… most of all… it was completely legal. 

A few days ago, she calls and is ecstatic.  They had just finished their Pinewood Derby races.  Her son won every heat and finished first overall… bringing home the biggest trophy of the derby.  She said her son won convincingly and left a lot upset dads behind.  The dads inspected the car and grumbled under their breaths… showing clear signs of poor sportsmanship.  She was so happy.

She talked about the entire process from building the car to check-in and through each race.  Then she said something that really caught my attention.  She said she was so nervous before the race because she wasn’t sure what holes to put the graphite in.  So I just had to ask… “which holes did you put it in?”  She said she put the graphite in the holes on the body where the axles go in.  I asked her… “did you put any graphite in the holes on the wheels where the axles go through?”  She said that she put no graphite on the wheels.  I asked… “are you serious?”… “do you mean to tell me that your son won every race with no graphite on the wheels?”  She said… “yes, and by a whole lot.”

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