The Soap Box Derby Years 1935-1955

The first Soap Box Derby was held July 17-20, 1935 on Derby Hill in Rouge Park. The Detroit Chevrolet Dealers Association and the Detroit News co-sponsored the event and the winner advanced to the national race in Akron, OH in August. The first year drew a crowd of 3,000 and 5,000 respectively for the first two days of qualifying races and 10,000 for the finals on July 20. The Soap Box Derby instantly became an annual Rouge Park institution, and for the next 20 years attracted an ever-growing number of contestants and spectators lining Spinoza Drive from the top of Derby Hill down nearly to Tireman Street. ​

The event would actually begin a week before with hundreds of boys (girls were not allowed to compete until 1971) bringing their cars to the lawn and ball fields in front of the Rouge Park Recreation Center at Spinoza Drive and Sawyer Street for inspection. The rules were strict. The driver must be 9-15 years old. The car and driver combined could not weigh over 250 lbs. or be more than 80 inches long. There were limits on the materials used and of the total cost so that boys from wealthier families could not have an unfair advantage. And of course, they needed to have functioning steering and brakes.

The final championship race was usually preceded by a parade and marching band and family picnics afterwards. The winner received an all expense paid flight on the Detroit News airplane to the national championships in Akron, OH. Awards for second and third place included cash prizes, bicycles and more. ​

​In 1940, the Detroit winner at Derby Hill was a 12 year old named Tom Fisher. He went on to be the first (and last) Detroiter to win the National Championship in Akron and became an instant Detroit celebrity.
The Derby was canceled during the WWII years of 1942-45, but resumed in 1946 with record crowds. In 1947, when television was in it’s infancy and less than 1% of Americans owned a TV, the Rouge Park Soap Box Derby was among the very first televised events in Detroit history.

By 1953, complaints about Derby Hill race course began to grow (Spinoza Drive begins to curve slightly to the right after the bottom of the hill) and led to demands for a new, straighter track. So, the final soap box derby for Rouge Park was held on July 23, 1955. The race was moved to a new track at Dorais Memorial Park at Mound Road and Outer Drive on the east side of Detroit. It continued there until the early 1980s, but interest in the event dropped off precipitously with only 18-30 boys and girls entering the competition, and as few as 200 spectators. Maybe they should have kept the Derby in beautiful Rouge Park?
Photos and articles from the Detroit News. See more Soap Box Derby history from the Detroit News here.