Yes, this. I was in Cub Scouts about the same time (Hey there, old timer!) and can confirm. IIRC the winningest design around my stomping grounds were a pencil-thin body design instead of the flat one you talk about here. And weighed down as much as possible, of course. Absolutely I remember it being boring because of the complete lack of room for experimentation. I did it two years in a row, and being the only experimenter, ended up losing badly both times. Pinewood Derby specifically is the reason I <i>hate</i> sports or games with many artificial limitations that shoehorn every player into a very small number of strategies.