All-American Soap Box Derby |
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Official Site: aasbd.com
Wikipedia: Soap Box Derby Page Sections History Multimedia Documents Hot Rods and Racing Cars Story Hot Rod King Story 1957 Program 1958 Program Miscellaneous Photographs |
History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Soap Box Derby page on 28 September 2016, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Soap Box is a youth soapbox car racing program which has been run in the United States since 1934. World Championship finals are held each July at Derby Downs in Akron, Ohio. Cars competing in this and related events are unpowered, relying completely upon gravity to move.
In the wake of the first car races, local youth auto races took place in the US at a very early stage. In 1914 the motion picture Kid Auto Races at Venice starring Charlie Chaplin was shown in the cinemas.
In 1933 Myron Scott, a photographer for Dayton, Ohio newspaper Dayton Daily News, put together an impromptu race for 19 boys. There was so much interest that Scott arranged a bigger race, with prize money for August 19. "An amazing crowd of 362 kids showed up with homemade cars built of orange crates, sheet tin, wagon and baby-buggy wheels...."
The following year, the first All-American race was held on August 19. The national winner was Robert Turner of Muncie, IN, who made his car from the wood of a saloon bar.
In 1935 the race was moved from Dayton to Akron because of its central location and hilly terrain. An accident in 1935 captured the public's interest, and boosted the event's profile. A car went off the track and struck NBC's top commentator and sportscaster Graham McNamee while he was broadcasting live on the air. Despite a concussion and other injuries (which resulted in a two-week hospital stay), McNamee described the collision to his listeners and finished his broadcast.
In 1936, Akron civic leaders recognized the need for a permanent track site for the youth racing classic and, through the efforts of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), Derby Downs became a reality.
In 1946, the town of Mission, British Columbia acquired the rights to the Western Canada Soapbox Derby Championships and the Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce, previously named the Mission City & District Board of Trade, organized the event annually until 1973.
During the All American Soapbox Derby's heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, when Chevrolet was a sponsor and famous TV and movie stars made guest appearances, as many as 70,000 people gathered in August to eat snow cones and cheer hundreds of youthful racer/builders (boys only in early years) ages 11–15 who were the champions of local races around the nation and from several foreign countries. In 1947, actor James Stewart was appearing in the Broadway play Harvey; in order to attend the event, he cancelled a weekend's worth of performances and refunds were issued to ticketholders. At its peak, the Derby was one of the top five sporting events in terms of attendance.
Starting in 1993, the All-American Soap Box derby began the Rally World Championship. The Rally derby is a grand prix style of race in which each district, ten in all, sends back a number of champions based on number of racers and races in each district.
Today there are broader categories that extend the age range to younger racers and permit adults to assist in construction. This is especially helpful for younger children who cannot use power tools, as well as to provide an outlet for adults.
Modern soapbox racing
Using standardized wheels with precision ball bearings, modern gravity-powered racers start at a ramp on top of a hill, attaining speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. Rally races and qualifying races in cities around the world use advanced timing systems that measure the time difference between the competing cars to the thousandth of a second to determine the winner of a heat. Each heat of a race lasts less than 30 seconds. Most races are double elimination races where a racer that loses a heat can work their way through the Challenger's Bracket in an attempt to win the overall race. The annual World Championship race in Akron, however, is a single elimination race which uses overhead photography, triggered by a timing system, to determine the winner of each heat. Approximately 500 racers compete in two or three car heats to determine a World Champion in each divisions.
There are three racing divisions in most locals and at the All-American competition. The Stock division is designed to give the first-time builder a learning experience. Boys and girls, ages 7 through 13, compete in simplified cars built from kits purchased from the All-American. These kits assist the Derby novice by providing a step-by-step layout for construction of a basic lean forward style car. The Super Stock Car division, ages 10 through 17, gives the competitor an opportunity to expand their knowledge and build a more advanced model. Both of these beginner levels make use of kits and shells available from the All-American. These entry levels of racing are popular in race communities across the country, as youngsters are exposed to the Derby program for the first time.
The Masters division offers boys and girls, ages 10 through 20, an advanced class of racer in which to try their creativity and design skills. Masters entrants may purchase a Scottie Masters Kit with a fiberglass body from the All-American Soap Box Derby.
| Date | Media or Collection Name & Details | Files |
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| 1936 | 1936 All-American Soap Box Derby, The The Jam Handy Organization for General Motors |  Topic Page - 10:26 |
| 21-23 July 2013 | Bailey Crittenden at the 2013 All American Soap Box Derby Bill Crittenden of Chattanooga, Tennessee |  Photo Collection Page |
| Date | Document Name & Details | Documents |
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| 1961 | All-American Soap Box Derby: 1961 Official Rule Book All American Soap Box Derby | Topic Page - 27 pages |
Hot Rods and Racing Cars Story
The following story of the beginning of the All-American Soap Box Derby is from Hot Rods and Racing Cars issue #1, published November 1951.
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View Hot Rods and Racing Cars: Issue 1 - 984KB |
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View Hot Rods and Racing Cars: Issue 1 - 949KB |
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View Hot Rods and Racing Cars: Issue 1 - 1.0MB |
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View Hot Rods and Racing Cars: Issue 1 - 1.0MB |
Hot Rod King Story
The following story of the beginning of the All-American Soap Box Derby is from Hot Rod King issue #1, published Fall 1952.
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The Soap Box Derby View Hot Rod King: Issue 1 - 698KB |
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The Soap Box Derby View Hot Rod King: Issue 1 - 680KB |
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Front Cover
View 1957 All-American Soap Box Derby Program - 2.6MB |
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Pages 1-2
View 1957 All-American Soap Box Derby Program - 6.7MB |
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Pages 3-4
View 1957 All-American Soap Box Derby Program - 5.9MB |
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Pages 5-6
View 1957 All-American Soap Box Derby Program - 4.8MB |
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Pages 7-8
View 1957 All-American Soap Box Derby Program - 4.8MB |
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Pages 9-10
View 1957 All-American Soap Box Derby Program - 5.4MB |
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Back Cover
View 1957 All-American Soap Box Derby Program - 3.0MB |
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Front Cover
View 1958 All-American Soap Box Derby Program - 5.7MB |
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Page 1
View 1958 All-American Soap Box Derby Program - 3.2MB |
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Page 2
View 1958 All-American Soap Box Derby Program - 3.5MB |
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Page 3
View 1958 All-American Soap Box Derby Program - 4.9MB |
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Page 4
View 1958 All-American Soap Box Derby Program - 1.7MB |
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Page 5
View 1958 All-American Soap Box Derby Program - 1.4MB |
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Page 6
View 1958 All-American Soap Box Derby Program - 1.5MB |
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Page 7
View 1958 All-American Soap Box Derby Program - 903KB |
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Page 8
View 1958 All-American Soap Box Derby Program - 1.4MB |
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Page 9
View 1958 All-American Soap Box Derby Program - 2.1MB |
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Page 10
View 1958 All-American Soap Box Derby Program - 2.0MB |
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Page 11
View 1958 All-American Soap Box Derby Program - 2.2MB |
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1955
View photo of 1955 All-American Soap Box Derby - 2.8MB |
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1962 California Park (Chicago) Jr. C/C Team
View photo of 1962 California Park (Chicago) All-American Soap Box Derby Team - 3.8MB |
