The annual pinewood derby hosted by Cub Scout Pack 270 might have looked a little different this year, being virtual, but the races captured the excitement of the tradition, nonetheless.

About half a dozen Scout representatives met in person at Newtown Congregational Church on March 6 to conduct the derby’s multiple races.

Scouts and their families were able to safely watch the action unfold from home thanks to multiple cameras — showing the track, finish line, and commentator — streaming the event on Zoom.

Gary Salce, Bear Den leader and Pack 270 Pinewood Derby race chair, told The Newtown Bee, “The pinewood derby is a perennial favorite activity of all Scouts, and we weren’t going to let COVID-19 stand in the way of tradition.”

The opening ceremony kicked off at 10:30 am with the Pledge of Allegiance and the recitation of the Scout Oath and Scout Law.

John Oldi, leader of the Wolf Den for Pack 270, officiated the race. He thanked Newtown Congregational Church for providing the space, Jeffery Jorgenson for supplying the gear and mixing equipment, and the many volunteers for their work.

He also gave a special shout-out to Salce for doing an “amazing job putting it together.”

Oldi mentioned that although the 2020 Pack 270 Pinewood Derby had been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and this year’s event was virtual, he is hopeful that everyone can be together for the race next year.

He acknowledged that this year’s derby was also different than previous ones because it had three sponsors: Town Line Body Shop, Inc, NJK Automotive, and West Springfield Auto.

In total, 35 small wooden cars were entered in the competition. Each car weighed no more than 5 ounces and was handcrafted by a Scout.

Cars lined up on the multilane track and raced four times, then each car’s average time was taken.

According to Oldi, the cameras could capture down to the thousandth of a second to ensure the accuracy of each time.

“Scouts are awarded first, second, or third place by rank. In addition, there are awards for fastest single run and fastest of all the averaged runs. There are also awards for each rank for best design,” Salce said. “We get some really creative cars built by the Scouts in addition to some really fast cars.”

And The Winners Are…

The 2021 Pack 270 Pinewood Derby winner for Fastest Run was Aiden Whitely, and the winner of the Fastest Average Run was Elliot Linnetz.

In the Lion Den, Aiden Whitely placed first, Billy Harrington placed second, and Andy Frampton placed third. Aiden Whitely won Best Design.

In the Tiger Den, Ryder Tiedmann placed first, Oliver Schrameck placed second, and Caden Kowalczyk placed third. Dominic Giordano won Best Design.

In the Wolf Den, Fiore Oldi placed first, Alexander Dayton placed second, and Cameron Smith placed third. Alexander Dayton won Best Design.

In the Bear Den, Cole Salce placed first, Riley White placed second, and Silas Houston placed third. Logan Yagud won Best Design.

In the Webelo Den, Elliot Linnetz placed first, Jack Boxberger placed second, and Matthew Belisari placed third. Jack Boxberger won Best Design.

In the Arrow of Light Den, Cody Voegeli placed first, Micah Houston placed second, and Tanner Mapes placed third. Maximus Durrwachter won Best Design.

In the sponsor race, Town Line Body Shop, Inc, and West Springfield Auto had cars entered and Town Line Body Shop, Inc, was the winner.

Trophies, displayed at the event next to a life-size cardboard cutout of professional race car driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr, were to be given out to Scouts at a later date.

For more information about the Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby, visit scoutshop.org/pinewood-derby.