Local Scouts win big at Pinewood Derby World Championship in N.Y.

MERCERSBURG, Pa. —  Garrett Kendrick of Pack 143 from Mercers-burg  won the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby World Championship pro-stock division and came in first in the pro-stock wolf division when Scouts from all over the country assembled in the New York City on June 30 to compete in the Pinewood Derby World Championship.  

He is part of the Mason-Dixon Council.

Kyle Anderson of Pack 16 in Falling Waters, W.Va., part of the Shenandoah Area Council, competed in the stock division and came in second in the Webelos I division. He finished fourth overall.

The Pinewood Derby World Championship in New York City is in its fourth year. In past years, it was held on Times Square, but now its home is one of the ballrooms of the Marriott Marquee on Times Square.

Kendrick and Anderson were among more than 300 Cub Scouts who made the trip to New York City to compete in the event.  Kendrick cruised through his qualifying rounds, posting one of the top cumulative times.

The competition was divided into two divisions. The stock-car division has more restrictive rules, while the pro-stock division gives competitors more flexibility in the way they build their cars.

In the stock and pro-stock divisions, the races ran in groups of 32. After each group of 32 racers, all but the top three cars in each Scout rank were eliminated from the competition.

Kendrick won all eight of his heats, earning himself a spot in the pro-stock division Fast 15 finals.  

Anderson won two of his eight heats and posted the eighth-best overall time to earn a spot in the stock division Fast 15 finals.

The Fast 15 is a drag-race style final in which each racer gets one run down the track, and the bottom half of the field is eliminated after each round. After two elimination rounds, the four racers remaining race one more time in a winner-take-all race to determine the world champion.  

Kendrick came in first place in all three rounds to be crowned the pro-stock world champion.

Anderson came in eighth place in the round of 15 to advance. In the round of eight, he came in fourth place to earn a spot in the world-championship race, where he placed fourth, three one-hundredths behind the winner.

This was Anderson’s third time competing in the world championship and the second consecutive year he has made it to the final race in the stock division.