Let's get better acquainted

[Cam-Car Racing]

I would like to know more about the people that post to this forum and enjoy building and racing these little wood cars. I'll start by telling a little about myself.

My name is Dennis Campbell. I'm 63 yrs. old, so I may be the old man of the group. I've got 6 kids (3boys & 3 girls). All are married except one. I started building pine cars when my boys were in cub scouts about 22 years ago. When they were through with scouts, I was through, too, although I was hooked on the sport, or whatever you want to call it. Then a couple of years ago, my grandson wanted me to help him build a car which got me back into it.

For most of my life my occupation has been building neon and electric signs. About 3 years ago I started working for my son-in-laws as a bookkeeper.

Thanks to the Jewkes for starting PDDR. I look forward every month to racing you guys.
OK, that's me. I want to know a little about you.

[Sarge]

Hello my name is john sarchet .I just joined in the other day.my nick name is sarge and has been since i was a boy.I am 36 I have a wife and I also have 6 kids 2boys and 4girls.the oldest is 17 and the youngest is 2.I live in a small town in ILL.I work for the people that cover the earth with paint. I was a cub scout back in the late 70s and that is were the pinewood derby started and ended for me until my son joined the scouts. we have been building cars since 03. at first we did not know anything about how to build a wining car and that is when i turned to the internet. since then I think I have read every thing that has ever been talked about and allot of you guys here were part of that and I thank you.it would not have been possible without your wisdom.we got a new track and timer last year but it is hard to find time for anything between baseball-softball- basketball- cub scouts -girl scouts and work.I am also hooked on this stuff I love it and I am looking forward to racing and having fun with all of you this year.

[Rail Hugger]

My name is Tim Freet aka RAILHUGGER , I live in northern Indiana about 10 min. from the University of Notre Dame, I am 39 years young and have a beautiful wife to which I have been married for nearly 20 years. The lord has blessed us in many ways but none greater than our 11 yr. old daughter and 8 yr. old son.

I'm a pipefitter/welder , scout leader,camp coordinator,apprentice school instructor , neighborhood handyman as well as involvement with girlscouts.

Although I myself was a scout I never got the opportunity to participate in our pwd. My first experience was three years ago at a school pwd in which we got smoked, thats where it all began.Since then like many of you we have claimed more than our share of the prizes.

In early 2006 I raced with some of PDDR's finest at another league and in spite of a great deal of help and advice from these guys my best finish was eighth place,I took a break from it all but found myself missing not only the competition but more so the fellowship that the people on this board have to offer. I've been helped up as well as I've seen others helped up by members of this forum from things that have absolutely nothing to do with pinewood derby.You know who you are and THANK YOU I'm most grateful.

I look forward to building cars to race with you, but most of all I look forward to building friendships with you .

Take Care
Tim Freet

[JOKER]

• My name is Steve Clark. I have been married for 14 years and have four children. Being a Christian is very important to me and am thankful that my children will be brought up in that type of environment. I attended Texas A&M and the University of Houston (BS - Psychology & Masters in Counseling). For 10 years, I worked in the psychology field & for the last five in the mortgage industry.
  
• I learned how to build competitive pinewood derby cars in the 70's. My Dad taught me the physics that directly correlate to what made a PWD car fast. It's funny that the same things that made a car fast back then are the same today. We were Pack & District champions in '78 & '79. ;D
  
• My children started racing five years ago when our church youth group started what is called the KOD (Kids of Destiny) Grand Prix. Naturally, this got the "juices" flowing again......we have won five years in a row. Similar to what Emerson said earlier, "We are the family that everyone dreads seeing come through the door on race-day." My wife said we can only build one car next year.
  
• I started racing at WIRL early last year & developed a good relationship with Emerson & the Jewkes. It was an easy decision to start racing at PDDR when it began..........things just keep getting better here.
  

[Hillbilly Kustoms]

My name is Kurt Aslett, I am 34 and have been with my wife for 15 years. We have 5 kids, 3 boys and 2 girls, ranging in age from 17 yrs old to 4 weeks old. We currently live in Phoenix, Arizona. And have built several cars over the years.

I went to Utah State with a double major in Architecture and Commercial Art. I decided to persue other things in life after a couple years and got into automotive painting. I really enjoy doing detailed work which is what intrigues me with the PWD. I haven't built a car for myself yet, I have always assisted my kids with theirs so I am excited to finish my own project and get it up to Utah ASAP. I don't know how I'm going to do as I don't have a test track and haven't ever competed with a car completely built upon my own ideas so this is going to be a huge learning experience.

Thanks for all of you that participate and that contribute to making this forum be what it is.

Cheers,
Kurt

[Smokin' Joe's Racing]

Hi, I'm David Fisher A.K.A. Smokin' Joe's Racing. I got into pine car racing because I hate pine trees. I'm trying to kill as many as I can. Pine trees ruined my life.
26 years ago a pine tree fell on my car just missing my soon to be wife by a few centimeters. We have now been married 25 years...man I hate pine trees.
The only thing I hate as much as pine trees are pine treehuggers. Many of you know of my infamous battles with C.R.A.P.S. (Concerned Recyclers Against Pine Sports) and their founder Sofonda Roots. Ironically a pine tree fell on Sofonda and killed her while on her way to protest a Pinecar race. I'm telling you...Pine trees are out to get us. They are sneaky. If one of them fell on your cabin in the woods with no one around...there would be a noise. All of the pine trees would be laughing out loud.
I work at Bellsouth... err the new AT&T or whoever the hell we are now. My group works on publishing the telephone directories. Do you know why I love my job? You guessed it... we kill a lot of pine trees for paper to print a whole lot of books.
I live in Louisville, KY...my favorite place on earth. It is the home of Hillerich and Bradsby where they make the Louisville Slugger. I love driving by and breathing in the smell of freshly slaughtered pine trees in the morning.
I like PDDR because it seems a lot of guys here also love to kill pine trees. I'm gonna fit right in.
If you share my hatred of pine trees then drop me a Message in the forum...or better yet mail me a letter, and use plenty of paper.

[Quillen Racing]

My name is David Quillen, hence "Quillen Racing", and I am 47 years old. I live just outside of Indianapolis, IN. I have a wonderful wife who humors me by not giving me a hard time about my "Hobbies." I have a son, a step- daughter, and two wonderful grandchildren. I love to play golf, guitar, and build little wooden race cars.

I attended Oakland City University (Business Management), and I also attended Ivy Tech State College (Maintenance Electrician Apprenticeship Program). I retired from Ford Moter Co. after 21 years, started my own business, which didn't work out, so I went back to work. I am currently the president of the union, (UAW) at an automotive parts supplier plant, we make interior parts for GM. My career is in skilled trades, Maintenance Electrician.

I built my first derby car as a scout in 1972, and got interested in building them again when my son joined cub scouts about 5 years ago. I didn't know there were derby car leagues until about a year ago. I became interested in league racing because this was my son's last year of cub scouts, and I was not ready to let all the knowledge and experience I have gained over the last 5 years go to waste. (I got hooked) ;D

I look forward to racing with everyone on this board, and most of all to the camaraderie, and possible friendships.

P.S. Joe, my wife calls me a "tree hater" also. ;D

[Quillen Racing]

moodswngproduction said:

BRAVO! BRAVO! ;D

[Smokin' Joe's Racing]

LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE SAWS... WHOOOHOOO!!!!!!

[Hillbilly Kustoms]

In defense of the Pinetrees ( I am from Montana where they are plentiful) they recycle the air you breathe without which you wouldn't be able to live long enough to hate them. What a paradigm.

My dad dropped a pinetree on our truck when I was a child. I thought it was the funniest thing I've ever seen because at the time I thought my dad was a weiner and it pissed him off so I learned to love trees. As a result, my brother got a job at the bodyshop that fixed the truck, and several years later he taught me how to paint and gave me a job at his bodyshop as a painter. I now support my family with the knowledge given to me by my brother, given to him by the Bodyshop that was given to them by the happy tree that smashed my dads truck. I've since learned that my dad isn't really a weiner and if it weren't for him cutting the tree that smashing his truck that got sent to the bodyshop that taught my brother to paint that taught me to paint, I wouldn't be a painter. I pay homage to the wood in my pinecars for their profound influence on my life and teaching me that when a tree falls in the forest it can cause a huge ripple in the lives of others.

As for tree hating, you can choose to feel however suits you, as for me, I intend to move back to Montana when I retire so that I can live among the happy trees that have led me to a career that I love and give me the basic element of life, without which I wouldn't be given the opportunity to choose to love or hate them . . . or to build a pinecar to race for that matter. ;D I'm gonna go hug my pinecar now. Tree hating doesn't make you a bad person

[NinjaRabbi]

My name is Jim Baker a.ka. Ninja Rabbi of the soon to be released, "Ninjaneering" team. I am first and foremost an apprentice of Jesus, I am learning from Him how to be like Him. I am married to my first wife for 13 years (and only wife, it's a running joke) and we have 3 amazing boys. I was a pastor for 8 years and got the nickname "Ninja Rabbi" in seminary. I am now a real estate investor in the Detroit area (home of the world's most beautiful beaches...) and plan on planting churches without taking a salary from the church. Our family's heart is for what we call the POW'S (Poor, Orphans, Widows, and Single parents).

I got hooked on PWD in 2004 when we somehow won our church's race by accident. I found out that Jay of WarpSpeed lived 20 minutes from me and I learned a ton from him. My boys and I look forward to learning and having some fun in the PDDR. Expect our first round of cars in April. Our prediction for the race, "Pain" (quote from Clubber Lang).

[kayjon]

I saw something pop out of the stump
of the tree I´d chopped down. It was sort of a man.
Describe him?...That´s hard. I don´t know if I can.

He was shortish. And oldish.
And brownish. And mossy.
And he spoke with a voice
that was sharpish and bossy.

Mister! he said with a sawdusty sneeze,
I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees.
I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues

[Smokin' Joe's Racing]

I don't hate all trees...just pines... cause they're sneaky. I bet the Lorax hated the pines too. I read that he used them for toothpicks.

[kayjon]

Went a little heavy on the
pine tree perfume there, kid.



Sir, it's a taxi cab air-freshener.



Great, you've pinpointed it.
Step two is washing it off.


www.phobia-fear-release.com/dendrophobia.html
For Smokin Joe

[Hillbilly Kustoms]

Pine trees definately leave a large dent when they land on something.