Derby Downs: The 1936 and 1937 All-American Soap Box Derbies

Ronald Reed was first introduced to the Soap Box Derby in 1949 when the then seven-year-old attended his first race with his uncle and father. As he excitedly watched the Akron champ win his first heat by a large margin, there was no question Reed was hooked. In this second installment of his Soap Box Derby series, Reed covers the events of 1936 and 1937 as the All-American Soap Box Derby became an American tradition and found a permanent home.

Reed, who has witnessed sixty-four of the seven...