Derby Downs

Akron-Fulton Airport

1800 Triplett Blvd., Akron, Ohio
 

Derby Downs has been the home track of the All American Soap Box Derby since it was built in the 1930s. The three-lane asphalt track starts near the top of George Washington Boulevard and drops in a straight line down the wooded hill in the shadow of the Rubber Bowl, ending under final approach for runway 27 of Akron Fulton International Airport.

Left: Founder of the Soap Box Derby, Myron "Scotty" Scott, providing a Chevrolet wheel action demonstration.

1940 Soap Box Derby

Winner Tommy Fisher , from Detroit, along with Wilber Smith, Indy Speedway Champ

1939 Racer #105

Chevrolet truck hauling Derby cars, late 1930's

The Soap Box Derby is a youth soapbox car racing program that began throughout the nation in 1934. Winners from all over the world come to the Derby Downs each July for the World Championship finals. Cars competing in this event are unpowered and rely completely on gravity to move down the hill.

The first All-American race was held in Dayton on August 19 1934, after an idea by Myron Scott, a photographer for the Dayton Daily News. The following year, the race was moved to Akron because of its central location and hilly terrain. In 1936, Akron civic leaders recognized the need for a permanent track site for the youth racing classic and, through the efforts of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), Derby Downs became a reality.

Derby Downs Car Racing

 

Derby Downs Sled Riding

 

Akron put Derby Downs on fast track a few weeks before 1936 All-American competition

 

 

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History of Akron & Summit County

  Last updated: 16 Jun 2006 04:45 PM
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