“Ooh, I smoked ’em,” Kadin Hammer said triumphantly Saturday as the car he and his father made won a round during the Neosho District Boy Scouts of America’s Pinewood Derby.

Hammer, 7, of Watts was one of nearly 60 competitors who entered in the race held at Fort Gibson’s High School gymnasium. The Derby is an annual tradition nationwide in Cub Scouting that began in California in 1953.

Hammer’s father, Terry, 42, said that this is their first year in scouting and that it took a week for the two of them to create the race car, which was decorated with NASCAR stickers.

“He is a big fan,” his father said. “He knows all the drivers, just about.”

The pinewood cars are developed out of a single block of wood with two grooves on the bottom. The wood comes in a kit with four wheels and two axles. To be eligible to race at the event, the cars could not be longer than the piece of wood they received, and the axles could not be placed anywhere but where the grooves originally were made.

“We did the soap box race, but we didn’t qualify because our car wasn’t wide enough,” Hammer said. “But we learned something. We’ve spent a lot of time together since we started scouting. He was stuck to the TV, but now he’s starting to get out and do more stuff.”

At the event, scouts had to choose one of three categories to enter their cars in — design, craftsmanship or speed. If they entered the speed competition, they would have the opportunity to race. For design, winners would be selected based on style and shape. For the craftsmanship competition, they would be chosen based on their decals and finishes put on the cars.

Jason Oxley, a second-grader from Tahlequah, built a truck and a car with his father, but chose to race the truck.

“He wants to race,” said his father, Jay Oxley, 43. “The pickup is faster, so we’re racing it. He let another pack member use his race car.”

The Muskogee Optimist Club donated the trophies and ribbons for the race, and members sat at the end of the two metal and wood tracks declaring winners as they crossed the finish line.

“We do (sponsor) many youth events, but this is one of the regular ones,” Ben Robinson, member of the club said. “It’s fun and sort of exciting.”

While the boys waited for the races to begin, they played games, such as bowling and golf, on the other side of the gym. The longest line formed at the catapult, which slung a roll of toilet paper with the target being a open stool.

David Clark, 8, of Wagoner was in charge of operating the catapult, while his mother, Susan, 41, watched.

“He’s doing the race,” she said. “He won first place last year, so he’s doing it again. They come up with all kinds of things. Anything they can think of. It’s such a boy thing.”