[1] A small industry has developed to provide organizer equipment (e.g. tracks, timers, and scales) and awards (e.g. trophies and ribbons).

The concept was created by the Pack's Cubmaster Don Murphy, and sponsored by the Management Club at North American Aviation.

Murphy and the Management Club of North American Aviation sent out thousands of brochures to anyone who requested more information.

Of all that early enthusiasm, however, only the Boy Scouts of America made it part of an official program.

[2] In its October 1954 issue, Boys' Life publicized the event and offered plans for the track and a car, which featured "four wheels, four nails, and three blocks of wood.

"[2] Murphy continued to run the derby program through the Management Club until his retirement from North American Aviation in 1978.

A shoulder patch for the Western Los Angeles County Council that depicted a pinewood derby car and a message of honor to Murphy was released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the event.

“Pinus Ferrari”, built by Henry M. Caroselli, set Fast Time of Day of 2.501 sec.

This fundraising event was well attended (nostalgically, even a few participants showed up with their over-60-year-old cars), with all proceeds going to support the building of a new Senior and Scout Community Center.

Other than the previous basic design rules, the Cub Scout is able to carve and decorate the car as he or she chooses.

Axles are filed or turned on a lathe to remove the burr and crimp marks and polished smooth.

More extensive modifications involve tapering the axle head and cutting a notch to minimize the wheel-to-axle contact area.

Heavier wheels have a greater moment of inertia and their spinning takes away energy that would otherwise contribute to the speed of the car.

A raised wheel can reduce the rotational energy up to one-quarter, but this advantage is less with a bumpy track.

A track that is mostly sloping, with little flat at the end, can allow cars with minimal mass in their wheels to shine.

These leagues, consisting of racers from all over the country with varying backgrounds (engineers, scientists, mechanics, educators, computer programmers, technology enthusiasts, etc.

[18] The pinewood derby was selected as part of "America's 100 Best" in 2006 as "a celebrated rite of spring" by Reader's Digest.