Sapulpa’s first Soap Box Derby race happened on July 4th, and it might have brought a whole new tradition to the Independence Day weekend in Creek County.
Tiffany Thompson was at the forefront of promoting and raising awareness for the event, including appearing on the Timeloop podcast to talk about it, encouraging others to participate. She wasn’t just all talk, however, as she climbed in a go-kart shaped like a pirate ship several times over the course of the morning to try her hand at sailing the rough Route 66 seas.
Thompson said she was “blown away” when she saw how many people came out to participate in ‘Rascals. “This was huge for a first-year event,” she said.
Thompson had multiple family members in the event, including two of her husband’s cousins, and a father-in-law. All of them were either racing or helping to set up the track. “They were there from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. helping set up and take down,” she said.
City Councilor Richard Hudson entered in a custom-made bathtub-shaped go-kart, complete with a shower and fake water, and a shower cap for the helmet. The car was sponsored by his family business, Hudson Plumbing.
Hudson told Sapulpa Times in an interview after his races, that he knew he was going to participate from the moment he heard about the event being planned.
“When I found out this was coming, I said, ‘I’ve got to be a part of it,'” he said. “It’s so much fun. Everybody that didn’t do it missed out. Half the town is downtown (watching the races).”
Easton Glassco was among those racers after building a sharp orange and yellow racecar they named “The Rocket Chip,” after the mascot for his uncle’s woodworking business.
Easton’s uncle CJ helped assemble the racecar, seeing it as a good opportunity to bond with his nephew.
“We saw the flyer for it downtown, I was like, “hey, that’d be great—put Easton in it, and we could build this together. I was really happy.”
Easton ended up winning 3rd in his division, and also won the trophy for “Fan Favorite.” All the winners are listed below.
Like Easton’s uncle CJ, Thompson said the opportunity to work on something like this with her family was part of the reward.
“I love running an event that gives me more time with my family, and this event did just that,” she said. “I also love how much time I got to spend with my amazing board and experience how excited they were for this event! They are all the real heroes in making the event possible!”
Like many of the other racers and spectators, Hudson said he hopes that the folks involved in orchestrating this event will help make it happen again next year.
“I hope this isn’t one-and-done,” Hudson said. “It was a lot of work building the cars, all of them put a lot of hours into it, but it’s fun.”
According to Thompson, the success of the first year all but secured another event for next year.
“The (tourism) board and I can’t wait for next year,” she said. “It likely won’t be on the 4th of July again, but we will have it again!”
Here are the winners:
4-9 Division:
- 18.6 Chandler Barnes
- 19.5 Blake Lusk
- 19.7 Harper Brinwhistle
10-15 Division:
- 11.5 Taver Russell
- 12.2 Luke Roberts
- 12.5 Ethan Glassco
16+ Straight Race:
- 11.9 Scott Thompson
- 12.2 David Reed
- 13.2 Rebekah McIntosh
18+ Obstacle Course:
- 12.1 Makayla Reed
- 12.6 Morgan (From Wimpy’s)
- 14.7 Andrew Jones
Fan Favorite: Easton Glassco
Judges Choice: Jeb Haubert