Cub Scouts Izzy Sandlin, McKayla Pelston and Ansel Rittenhouse cheer on their cars in the annual Pinewood Derby on Sunday at St. Ambrose Catholic School. January Rutherford

In scouting, there are certain activities everyone wants to be a part of.

The annual Pinewood Car Derby is one such event.

On Sunday, boys and girls in Cub Scouts Pack 526 from Seymour gathered in the St. Ambrose Catholic School gymnasium for what very well may be the second greatest spectacle in racing next to the Indianapolis 500.

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With the help of their parents, grandparents or other adults, Scouts built miniature cars out of wood, decorated them and raced them down a track.

Family and friends sat in the bleachers cheering the racers on.

Winners were Ansel Rittenhouse, Lions; Izzy Sandlin, Tigers; Lincoln Vest, Wolves; Sam Cutsinger, Bearsl and Brendon Holliday, Webelos. Eagle Scout Dylan Peters won the open class race.

The winners will compete in the Muscatatuck District Pinewood Derby Race on March 14 at North Vernon Elementary School.

Before the race, a chili cookoff was conducted with Melissa Rittenhouse’s vegan chili getting the most votes.

George Good, 8, said he had a blast making his car, which he fashioned to resemble a dachshund.

“I liked using a coping saw and rasps to make the car,” he said. “I did not find the sanding fun, but the rest was fun.”

Although racing was the highlight, George said he had just as good of a time watching others compete.

“The best part of the derby was cheering the cars with my friends and eating,” he said.

Scouting is a big part of George’s life, as his whole family is involved, including his mom, Bonnye Good, who is a scoutmaster for Pack 526.

One of George’s favorite activities in Scouts is getting to make things with his own hands. As a Bear Scout, he has earned a whittling chip.

“I love Scouts because we got to build a toolbox and make Rube Goldberg machines,” he said.

Bonnye said the Pinewood Derby is the perfect example of why scouting is a great organization for boys and girls.

“They work so hard on building their cars and coming up with creative ideas,” she said. “The derby helps them learn new skills and build their confidence, which is what we want them to experience in Scouts.”

This was Lincoln Vest’s first year in Cub Scouts and first time to participate in the Pinewood Derby. His dad, Josh Vest, helped him build his car.

He liked coming up with the design for his car, which was Pokemon, and ended up placing first in his age group and second in the open race.

“The other cars were really cool, too,” he said. “The best part of the races was being able to watch the cars and see how they did.”

Lincoln said he wanted to join Scouts because of all of the fun activities they get to do.

“I love going on adventures, being outside and camping,” he said.

For information about joining Cub Scouts, contact Good at 812-216-5969 or email [email protected].