Takin' it to the Streets: Soap Box Derby hits Naperville

Participants came from Wisconsin, Indiana and even Nebraska this past weekend to gather on Illinois racing grounds.

But the canopies and tents that came along with them were not in the tailgating areas of the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet. The trucks and trailers were not sitting outside the Rockford Speedway. These particular racing grounds were at the corner of Diehl and Frontenac roads in Naperville.

The Greater Chicago Soap Box Derby Association holds five rally races a year. One race takes place indoors during the winter while the rest are outside.  

"We've raced in other cities like Elgin and Rockford," said Darry Witte, who has three children who race soap box cars. "Naperville is a nice location, and we've made friends with the local businesses."

The participants, fans and their families are bonded by their shared passion for racing. Annie Taylor, a 17-year-old driver, requested off work for the Saturday and Sunday races. A native of Neligh, Nebraska, Taylor and her family drove nine and half hours to Naperville.

While in Illinois, the Taylor family stays at race director Stan Iglehart's house. So do other families coming from Indianapolis to Green Bay. Taylor describes the night in between Saturday and Sunday's races as, "one big sleepover."

"Over the past few years these people have become part of my family," Taylor said. "That's one of the reasons I come back."

Others, like Witte, return again and again to spend quality time with their immediate family members. A resident of Lee, Illinois, he said his children are so busy with school, sports and friends that racing is one of the only times his wife and four children spend time together.

There's another reason the racers come back—to win.

August kicks off the soap box derby season, which culminates in July at the All-American Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio—an event that equates to the world championship in the soap box derby world.

A number of acclaimed racers were at the Naperville rally Sunday. Taylor finished seventh in the Rally Super Stock division at Akron in 2009. Miaja Liimatainen was the 2009 world champion in Local Super Stock. And Ellie Erb took second in Rally Stock racing in 2009.

While the races are competitive, that competition remains on the race track.

"It's like going to school and having a pickup game," said Witte.

It's that aspect—the fun of racing—that attracts kids like 11-year-old Marlon Wells to the sport. Wells traveled to the event with his father, Cleo, and older brother Jordan. The Indianapolis family has been racing for the last year and a half.

The weekend's race marks the first time the Wells family visited Naperville, and they were glad they did. Jordan finished the Saturday races with a first and second place trophy. Young Marlon was also happy to race.

"It's fun when you go down the hill," he said. "It feels like you're going really fast."

Iglehart said racers reach a top speed of about 18 mph on the 700-foot stretch of road. But many participants say it feels a lot faster. Those racing in the master series lay on their backs and once they put their helmets on, they have a 1-inch slit to see the course ahead of them.

This causes a range of emotions in drivers prior to the race. Some feel excitement, while others worry about crashing. But even the latter thought can't stop racers, like 11-year-old Abby Wester, from getting back behind the wheel.

"When a crash happens it's scary," Wester said. "But I want to do this the rest of my life."

The Greater Chicago Soap Box Derby Association's next race is Oct. 16 and 17 in Naperville. The group invites children ages 8 to 17 to try racing, as they have cars for "fun rides."