Soap Box Derby Race, c. 1934…

Did you know that the soap box derby race, once deemed the “Greatest Amateur Racing Event in the World,” originated here in Dayton, Ohio? One summer day in 1933, Dayton Daily News photographer Myron E. Scott happened upon a small group of boys who were racing home-made wooden cars down Big Hill Road near Oakwood, Ohio. Thinking this would make a great story, Scott decided to organize a race for “anything on four wheels that will coast.” With great fanfare, bands and parades included, the first official soap box derby race, known as ‘The Daily News Soap Box Derby,’ was held on August 19, 1933. More than 300 youngsters gathered together to race that day, most of them driving cars put together from spare parts and other items scrounged from local junk yards. Sixteen year old Oakwood resident, Randall Custer, won that very first derby, driving his three-wheeled coaster nicknamed the “Flashing Yellow Comet.” This image, by photographer William Preston Mayfield, was taken the following year during the 1934 All-American Soap Box Derby race. This photograph is from the William Preston Mayfield/Marvin Christian Collection at Dayton History.

To see other historical images from our collection, search our Digital Photo Archive.