The Cub Scouts of Pack 351, Den 6, held their annual pine wood derby race on Thurs evening Jan 23, 2003, and what and exciting event it turn out to be! Teal entered his first car, a yellow and red stock car with a modified turbo charged Rolls Royce engine, airfoil, 4 foot exhaust pipes mounted on the sides, spotlights on top, and enough advertising decals that it would make any stock car owner strut around like a peacock! What a race the first heat was! Teal's commanded a lead of over a foot and a half and won so handily that we all knew a new serious competitor had come onto the scene! A fine gold star was awarded to our champion!
Alas, in the second heat, Teal came up against some seasoned competitors, and in what can only be described as a breathtaking race that had everyone on the edges of their seats, Teal lost by less than a quarter of a car length! It was disappointing for all to watch the heartbreaking moment, and some even wondered if the cars in the middle track had a slight advantage over those on the outside where Teal raced! It was a fine race and Teal was awarded a silver star for second place!
With determination Teal set out in the third race to make up for the disappointment of the second race! He revved up his engines to maximum throttle and came out of the start with such a commanding lead that it left no question but that a new champion was in the makings! What a final race it was! Teal left the other cars so far back in his exhaust smoke that we will probably never see them again on the race tracks! Teal walked away with such a smile of satisfaction that we know this champ will return next year and will be an exciting contender to watch! Another gold star for first place!
While there were many creative cars at the derby, it was felt by many that Teal's car was one of the best looking. No doubt about it, it was a fine event to watch and a delight to see this car perform. One of the cars entered in the race was built as a police car and had a blinking red light on it! This so impressed our driver that he has sworn not to be outdone in next years race and will enter his own car with blinking lights on it! Stay tuned, it promises to be another exciting pine wood derby!
Below are some pictures of the champ holding his car. Click on each picture for a larger image.
