Family fun at the soap box derby

by Justin Story
Published May 21, 2010, in The Daily News, bgdailynews.com
http://bgdailynews.com/articles/2010/05/22/news/news1.txt

BOWLING GREEN, KY - Preparing for his first run Friday during the 2010 All-American Soap Box Derby at Phil Moore Park, an energetic Matt Hernandez was concentrating less on the race he was about to run than on a hypothetical derby against his younger sister, Salem.

"I'm gonna kill her if I race against her," 10-year-old Matt said of his 8-year-old sister, a first-time competitor in the soap box derby.

The Bowling Green event is in its 13th year, and family ties run deep among the nearly 100 boys and girls racing Friday and today in the stock car and super stock car divisions.

Several racers have siblings who are also participating in the derby, or who have raced in the past, and it isn't uncommon for cars to get passed down over the years from an older sibling, cousin or uncle.

"I tend to phrase this as an all-American family event," said Rick Wilson, area executive for BB&T, the chief sponsor of the soap box derby.

Wilson's 13-year-old son, Neal, is participating in the super stock division, and his daughter, Amanda, raced in the derby for seven years.

"The whole idea is for families and their kids to work together ... the whole entire family puts the race car together," Wilson said. "The kid is actually driving the car, but that kid's family comes on race day and helps them try to overcome gravity, so to speak."

In the soap box derby, which is organized by the Bowling Green Kiwanis Club, the stock division has a 200-pound combined weight limit for both car and driver, while the weight limit in the super stock division is 230 pounds.

Two racers compete against each other, racing side by side on a downhill track. They race twice, switching lanes and wheels on their car for the second heat. The winner has the best average time and advances to the next round.

The overall stock and super stock winners will race at the World Championships in Akron, Ohio, on July 24.

Ron Cummings, race director for the derby since the beginning, said the cars reach speeds of 28 mph as they zoom downhill toward the finish line.

Cummings can normally be found at the starting gate, pulling the lever that releases the two race cars competing in each heat.

He took a break, however, to cheer on his 9-year-old son, Joshua, when he was called to the starting gate.

As Joshua Cummings took off, his father encouraged him to keep his head low and have fun.

"I believe (winning) is 85 percent driver and 15 percent car," Ron Cummings said. "You can have a slow car and a good driver and still win."

Joshua won both phases of his first-round heat and advanced.

The races are a thrill for the children, but the adults who have helped put the car together have just as much enthusiasm.

Shannon Johnson, mother of 10-year-old Caleb Johnson, said her son has been racing for three years, but he has been driving a car that has been part of the family for much longer.

"This is the 10th year for this car; it's been passed down through the family," Shannon Johnson said. "Caleb's uncle and aunt raced this car."

John Carter, 11, and his sister, 9-year-old Addison, both raced Friday in the stock division.

It's the third year in the soap box derby for John, and Addison's second year racing.

While she hoped to do well, Addison said she ultimately wanted to have a fun experience.

"Last year I had a kid that beat me out and I wasn't happy, but I figured out that maybe if I just keep focused and have fun, nothing will bother me," Addison said.

Her older brother, wearing protective glasses with his helmet, mapped out a strategy for success.

"I let the car take me where it needs to go," said John, who attends Natcher Elementary School. "If I'm heading toward the guard rail or outside my lane, I barely steer it."