The soap box derby scene in Owensboro and Daviess County is alive and well, with nine kids already qualifying for the World Championships that will take place in Akron from July 14-20.
Soapbox racing was integral to the Owensboro community until the late 1950s, when participation reached an all-time low. Under the leadership of Jim Ivey, the Owensboro Lions Club revived the tradition in 2001.
For the next decade of the competition, participants took to the Chautauqua Park hill until the club partnered with the City and other community leaders to build the state-of-the-art track at Ben Hawes Park in 2011.
“We’ve been fortunate to have a lot of good families come through and stay with the sport for a while,” said local organizer Josh Meyer. “They’ve passed the tradition down to others, and we’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot of success in Akron, with kids participating in the finals and semifinals regularly.”
The club held the Super Kid Race on May 11, with Daviess County Middle School’s Jack Clark taking home the gold and earning an opportunity to compete in Akron.
Rally Races also allow youngsters to qualify for the World Championships. The local track hosted four this year and saw participants from as far as New York, West Virginia, Ohio, and Illinois.
The rally races operate on a point system, and once a competitor earns 600 points, they become eligible. Locals set to compete at the World Championships include Zachary Gordon, Braden Locher, Carson Locher, Sadie Meyer, Kieraa Johnson, Benji Edds, Brandon Weaver, Addison Locher, and Ryan Locher.
The final way to qualify for the World Championships is through local races, which only allow participants from a specific region. The Owensboro Lions Club will host its local races today.
“We have a lot of good racers in our area, so there is a lot of competition,” Meyer said. “We’re fortunate to have three tracks within an hour of each other in Bowling Green, Madisonville, and Owensboro. Our kids can obtain points in western Kentucky and don’t have to travel all over the country.”
Soap box racing traces its inception to the turn of the 20th century in Dayton, Ohio, when a local photographer noticed children racing down a hill in homemade cars made from soap crates. Today’s cars consist of a fiberglass shell, a wooden board, wheels on an axle, and a steering wheel.
Competitors can gain an advantage by positioning themselves aerodynamically, dispersing weight effectively, and steering with reduced friction.
