Soap Box Derby in Gastonia, 1939
Soap box derby racing at the Gastonia Cotton Festival, 1939.
Millican Pictorial History Museum
Soap box races similar to the pictured above began in the early 1900s to mimic the first automobile races. They became very popular in the 1930s once the official Soap Box Derby was established in Ohio and spread across the country. The sport continued to grow until its peak sometime around the 1950s or ‘60s.
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