#144
All American Soap Box Derby
Published or Updated July 9, 2018
Location: United States
Sport: Auto Racing
Level: Amateur
Also Known As: The Greatest Amateur Racing Event in the World
Sport: Auto Racing
Level: Amateur
Also Known As: The Greatest Amateur Racing Event in the World
Event Type: Race
First Held: 1934
Next Up: 7/15/2018-7/21/2018
First Held: 1934
Next Up: 7/15/2018-7/21/2018
When and Where: every July in Akron, OH
First held in Dayton, Ohio, in 1934, then moved to Akron the following year, the All American Soap Box Derby may be purest form of racing, with no motors or gears, just precision ball bearing, gravity, and a healthy dose of all American ingenuity.
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Facts and Links
In 1973, Jimmy Gronen (14, Boulder, CO) was stripped of his title after x-rays revealed an electromagnet in the nose of his car.
In 1975, Karren Stead became the first female to win the race.
In 1996, Justin Yoder (10, Middlebury, IN) became the first individual with a disability to win the race.
In 1997, the 1994 National Derby Association Rookie of the Year, Laura Shepard, donated her Dairy Queen-sponsored derby car (Lightning Laura) to the National Museum of American History.
With speeds in excess of 30 MPH, Rio Rancho, NM is considered to have one of the fastest Soap Box Derby tracks in the United States
Salem, Oregon and Akron, Ohio are each home to six world champions -- more than any other city.
Rochester, NY and Salem, OR are tied for the record of three consecutive world championships.
No derby car has ever traveled faster than 35 MPH in a sanctioned race.
