Nearly 300 participants between the ages of 7 and 20 spent Saturday racing down the hill at the Derby Downs track, part of the 88th FirstEnergy All-American Soap Box Derby.
To get here, families traveled from across the United States, and as far as Canada and Japan. Others enjoyed a shorter commute.
Keegan Altomare: ‘There a lot of ups and downs’
This summer marked Altomare’s third year of racing.
He races in the Rally Masters division, one among six divisions in the annual competition.
Altomare said the Masters kit for vehicles in his division start around $1,000, but the price of his bright-orange soapbox dragster ballooned to nearly $5,000.
Even though Altomare was eliminated before the finals, he said his favorite part of the derby was getting to race.
“Always look at the bright side,” said Altomare, who is preparing for his freshman year at Archbishop Hoban High School.
“There’s a lot of ups and downs in derby.”
Ella Probst: ‘I mostly just enjoy going down the hill’
Saturday marked Ella Probst’s final appearance in the soapbox derby.
She’s now aged out for future competitions at 20 years old.
Probst, who hails from Green, was first introduced to the sport by a cousin; then her family got involved. She’s participated for 14 years.
She said she’ll miss the derby’s simple joys.
“The biggest challenge is this dang heat,” Probst said, “but other than that, I mostly just enjoy going down the hill.”
Probst raced her “Panda car” in the Rally Masters division — the same division as Altomare. She made her exit in the same round as him.
Dawson Crum: ‘It’s special because it’s here at home’
Akron’s Dawson Crum won the Local Masters division. The “Master” model derby car has a sleeker model than the open Stock and Super Stock race cars — the racers tuck themselves so deep within their chassis that only the tops of their helmets are visible as they speed down the hill. They control the gravity-powered race cars with only a sliver’s sightline.
Crum thanked his family for helping him along the way.
“We had to face a lot of obstacles with the car,” Crum said. “But my family’s so excited, and it’s special because it’s here at home.”
2026 All-American Soap Box Derby: List of winners
Stock Division: Racers (7-13) compete in cars built from kits, which assist the Derby novice by providing a step-by-step assembly of a basic style car
-Local Winner: Theodore McFall, 10 (Akron)
-Rally Winner: Amos Miller, 13 (Stanwood, Wash.)
Super Stock Division: Racers (9-18) build and compete in a larger, heavier model car, also from a kit
-Drew Brand, 14 (Omaha, Neb.)
-Rally Winner: Alicia Swinderman, 13 (Rittman)
Masters Division: Racers (10-20) compete in sleeker, more sophisticated cars, built from kits
-Local Winner: Dawson Crum, 20 (Akron)
-Rally Winner: Melvin Spoelstra, 13 (New Sharon, Iowa)
