Drivers are ready to roll for 8th annual soap box derby

The cars have to switch wheels with each other before every heat.

By LAUREN POLINSKY

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — Thirty-six drivers will compete in the eighth annual Greater Youngstown Area Soap Box Derby on Saturday.

Derby board President Jim Postlethwait said races, in three divisions, will begin at 8:30 a.m. Racers will roll down Fifth Avenue, between Grant Street and Wood Street in front of Stambaugh Stadium. That portion of Fifth Avenue will be closed from 5 p.m. Friday until 8 p.m. Saturday. If there is a rain delay, the race will take place Sunday. .

The participants will race in two-car heats that have been predetermined. The car with the best time wins.

Each heat begins with what is called a “two for four wheel draw”. Four balls that have been labeled to match the wheels of the cars are placed in a bucket and each driver picks two. They then must switch the corresponding wheels with each other. For example if driver A picks the balls that say “front right wheel” and “back left wheel” those wheels from drive A’s car must be given to driver B and put on his car. Then they race down 900 feet of track, drag the cars back up by themselves, switch all four wheels and race again. The competition is double elimination so that every driver is guaranteed four trips down the track.

“Promising them four times down the track is a good way to get kids hooked,” said Terry Terrigno, father of one of the racers.

Drivers must be between the ages of 8 and 17 and are divided into three groups based on weight and experience. Once a driver wins one division, he or she cannot compete in that division again.

The cars aren’t cheap. Racers find local sponsors to cover the costs, which can reach nearly $600 with the entrance fee. Terrigno has had three of his kids participate in the past eight years and said sponsorship has always been easy to find.

“Just about all the businesses in Youngstown come out to sponsor,” he said.

Although local interest has declined, according to Terrigno, more races are available today than ever. Kids can race year round on indoor tracks, in rally races and city races. The world championship races are held in Akron every year, which also serves as the derby’s world headquarters.