AKRON, Oh. (WFXR) — A Roanoke woman is competing for a racing championship at the All-American Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio.
Brianna Waldron is competing in the Master’s Division of the derby. She comes from a long line of soap box racers from Roanoke. Her father and grandfather also raced in soap box derby events.
Soap box cars depend on gravity to propel them down the track. A driver’s ability to precisely steer the car can add speed and give them the advantage to win.
Waldron has paid tribute to her family on her car this year. She has adorned it with photos of her grandfather, father, and other family members in shots from their racing pasts.
“This picture right here is from back when my dad was racing,” said Waldron as she pointed to one of the dozens of photos on her car. “It’s got my great grandparents, my grandparents, and all of my uncles in the picture. So, all the pictures on the car are from when my grandparents were racing up to when my parents started racing, and my uncles and up to all the grandkids racing.”
The All-American Soap Box National Championship runs begin Saturday morning. Waldron is one of three racers representing the Roanoke region. Eleven-year-old Brayden Patterson of Eagle Rock and Blake Gardner of Greensboro, North Carolina qualified for the All-American event, too.
