80th Annual Soap Box Derby set for this weekend
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — More than 60 teams of kids will be out tomorrow for the 80th annual Soap Box Derby races in Indianapolis.
Cars take off from the Wilber Shaw Memorial Hill just north of 30th Street.
The hill is the longest track in the United States. It was named in honor of three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Wilber Shaw. The course has a lot of connections to the track in Speedway.
Before the 1950s, the race was on North Meridian Street near the Second Presbyterian Church. Then in the early 1950s, the Tony Hulman family financed the construction of the hill.
This year for the first time ever there will be a car put together by a team from the Shepard Community Center on the east side. Diego Navona, a 14-year-old teammate says the expectations are low, but the excitement couldn’t be higher.
“We’re taking our time making sure we have all the things ready for the car,” said Diego. “Maybe improving it as much as we can by the time this weekend rolls around.”
The organization that runs the event says is wants to involve several stem groups part of the program.
60 cars are entered for this weekend.
Check in starts Friday at 3 p.m. Teams have one last chance to test and inspect before submitting the cars for racing. Then at 8 a.m. Saturday it all begins. The winner represents Indy in Akron, Ohio at the all American Soap Box Derby Race next month.