Soap Box Derby holds strong memories 50 years after Amherst win

I turned on the news this week, and saw a story on the All American Soap Box Derby being held the weekend of July 24 at Derby Downs in Akron.

A flood of memories came back to me as I realized that it has been 50 years since I had taken part in this annual race.

My brother, Kim, was the first one in my family to race in the derby held in Amherst. He won locally and continued on to compete in Akron, only to lose by inches in the semifinal race. With a win, he would have qualified for a college scholarship.

The real motivator behind my brother and me taking part in the derby was my father, Richard Meyers. Back in the ’60s, and ’70s, this was a huge local event in Amherst, across the country, and even the world.

After my brother won in 1969, my dad turned his attention to me. The rules stated that you could only win once locally and move on to the national derby in Akron. The age limits were 11—16, and guess what, I was turning 11 in 1971.

With my family support behind me I decided to enter the race in Amherst. We went to several of the instructional meetings, and I met many of the other kids who were racing.

In 1971 there were really no restrictions other than your age and the combined weight limit of the car and driver.

You were able to build any shape or style of soap box car that you wanted. My dad knew what he wanted to build that year. He had scouted the previous year’s championship racer who was from Midland, Texas. We did pattern my car after the Texas car — a sleek, lay back design, dark red in color. The driver is lying on his back, peering through the steering assembly, and braking with one foot after a race. There was not much room in the cockpit, and luckily I was pretty small.

At age 11, I had obviously never driven any type of car on the road. After months of building the car with my dad and my brother at my side, it was time to practice, and see how the it handled. We took the car out to Quarry Road in New Russia Township for a drive.

With my dad at the top of the hill and my brother at the bottom, away I went. Lying on your back only three inches off of the ground, gives you the feeling that you are flying down the hill. I could feel the rush of the wind through the cockpit. I began to feel more confident with each practice run.

The local derby in Amherst was July 19, 1971. Large ramps were in place on Route 58 at Cleveland Avenue. The racers would travel about 1/4 mile north to the finish line, at speeds of 25-35 mph. I really started to get nervous prior to the start of the race, because of the media attention, along with the fact that several hundred spectators lined both sides of Route 58. After winning my first heat I began to settle down and enjoyed the experience.

I did not officially know who won the final heat, until we stopped well past the finish line, and I was yanked from my car by family members yelling “you won.”

What a rush for a young kid, as I was now taken to the media circle with my car, given a boatload of trophies, along with a $500 savings bond.

From that moment and into the next month I was treated like a local celebrity. People I didn’t know would come up to me wanting an autograph or a photo. The local media followed me and my family through the process of getting ready for the national race in Akron.

When arriving at Derby Downs in Akron, all of the racers were called “champs” and nothing else.

We spent a week at Derby camp, building up to the final race day. Over 500 kids qualified for Akron by winning their local races. I roomed with the “A” city kids from all over the country (Akron, Amherst, Amarillo, Aberdeen, etc).

I also met kids from all over the world, and it was customary to exchange buttons, all of which I still have today. And where else could you meet stars like Oscar Robertson, Jim Backus (“Mr. Magoo,” “Gilligan’s Island”), Lorne Greene (“Bonanza”), and of course the Banana Splits.

I did have some hard times that week, though.

During trial runs, I wrecked my car when the steering went out and I hit a retaining wall. I was crushed. My family believed that the car had been tampered with, although nothing could be proven. We patched things and got ready to race.

On the race day, looking down this large track and seeing 75,000 people in the stands really, really, made me nervous. I also knew that my car was not quite the same, but I had to do my best. That effort did get me through a fast — 50 mph speeds on this track — and competitive heat, although I finished a close second and was eliminated.

Even though the derby was now over, my family held a large party with the derby families we had met because of this great event.

It was a shame that the All American Derby took a huge hit in the 1980s due to a cheating scandal. Many of the top sponsors dropped out, and the race was almost cancelled for good. The administrators in Akron refused to let this happen, and it seems to be on the rebound now as the races continue into their 83rd year.

My brother and I still have our race cars in storage. We will occasionally pull them out, put the wheels on, and let our kids and now grandkids play with them. Of course we will also tell the stories that are behind the cars, and our experiences. Even though the derby is a smaller version of what it once was, I will always cherish those memories.