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The Soap Box Derby is an all-American pastime with a storied past that stretches back to 1934. Aspiring racers compete in local derbies to qualify for the big race in Akron, Ohio. The road that led to the Yukon car can be traced back to 2007 and RANDYS Worldwide salesman Tate Hudson was the flashpoint.
“We have been a part of the Stanwood-Camano Soap Box Derby since 2007,” says Tate. “My son Sam, who was a fourth grader at the time, was picked out of his scout group to race their car. From the first time he went down the hill, he was hooked. Marla and Randy Heagle with Stanwood-Camano Windermere have been hosting this community event since 2006. During those days, we collected donations from the community and purchased our own car with the proceeds to race a Warm Beach Community-sponsored car, which Sam raced until he got too old for it.”
“Fast forward to 2018 when my daughter Sophie decided she wanted to race in the Soap Box Derby, we realized that since it had become such a huge event with many local sponsors getting involved, it would be a great idea for Yukon to sponsor a car. I pitched the idea to Neal Hollingsworth in our marketing department and he was enthusiastically on board immediately. We had a local shop in Sedro Wooley wrap the car in the same style graphics as the dragster we sponsor and it turned out great! For kids that can’t afford their own cars Randy and Marla have a lottery system for loaner cars and the Yukon car is driven each year by a less fortunate young boy or girl who gets to experience building the car from the ground up with their parents or guardians.”
Yes, the ‘Yukon Special’ is dismantled after each season, waiting for the next hopeful racer to enter its life. Soap Box Derby events are open to competitors age seven to 20. Our car is part of the Stanwood-Camano Soap Box Derby, which consists two races per year, the Stanwood-Camano Soap Box Derby on Father’s Day weekend and the Summer Classic Rally Races in mid-August. But the Soap Box experience begins well before the green flag flies.
Racers are teamed with a mentor who helps them construct the car. Typically, the cars are built from kits but interested parties like us at Yukon sponsor the car for those who can’t afford their own kit. Participants work with mentors and learn STEM skills (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), collaboration, and how to handle tools as they construct their cars at dedicated Build Clinics in the months leading up to a race.
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There are three racing divisions, two for beginners and one for advanced racers. The entry level Stock Division is for children between ages seven and 13. It uses simplified lean-forward style cars with a maximum overall weight of 200 pounds. The Super Stock Division is open to competitors nine to 17 years of age who compete in more advanced cars with a total weight maximum of 240 pounds. The Master’s Division caters to participants from 10 to 19 years old and features even more sophisticated cars built from Scottie Masters kits. These cars sport four-piece fiberglass bodies and advanced wheels. Our car is a Stock class car and Randy says it’s one of 75 racers that he has in his stable of sponsored cars. “The kids and the parents really love the Yukon car,” says Randy. It’s very cool looking and it pops… it might be the only car with purple on it as well.”
The biggest difference makers of any Soap Box racer are precision of assembly, design and placement of weights within the car, wheel alignment, and steering cable tension. But Randy is quick to point to the cockpit as well. “The cars all weigh the same with a driver in them, the wheels and lanes are swapped for every round at all the races. Sure, there’s some amount of fine tuning… but the drivers are difference makers too. Staying super low and tucked in the cockpit and driving the natural slopes down the track are often the keys to winning.”
Events at Arrowhead Ranch can attract up to 1,500 spectators. In fact, the recent 14th Annual Windermere Stanwood-Camano Soap Box Derby held the Saturday before Father’s Day 2021 was the biggest race ever this side of the Mississippi River. The track at Arrowhead Ranch is 800 feet long and the cars can reach speeds in excess of 30 mph. Racers accumulate points that can earn them a trip to Akron, Ohio for the World Championships at the famed Derby Downs track.
“How can you not take advantage of keeping youth involved in the sport that so many of us in motorsports participated in,” said Neal Hollingsworth, Yukon’s VP of Marketing. “They feel like a part of something big and learn great skills along the way. As community outreach is so important today, this was a no-brainer for Yukon to get behind and support so less fortunate kids have a platform to build and drive a branded race car.” Click here for more info on the Stanwood-Camano Soap Box Derby.
