Knightdale — “I put weight on the back of my car to make it faster,” Wolf Scout Carlton Brown said as he picked up his racer at the finish line. “That’s why it came in first place.”

That’s the kind of talk one heard at the Feb. 23 Pinewood Derby from members of Cub Scout Pack 365 of the Neuse River District.

The races took place at Knightdale United Methodist Church, where the pack has been meeting since November.

Cub leaders and parents could be heard recounting the late hours they had stayed up in preparation the night before. The effects were visible on the parents’ faces, but not on those of the kids.

“All active pack members were present here today,” Cub Master Tom Maynard said. “This has been the best turnout in years.”