Rain, wind doesn't wipe out Soap Box Derby

AKRON, Ohio - Sarah Whitaker overcame rain and wind to make her family proud by racing to victory at the 72nd All-American Soap Box Derby.
The 10-year-old, the 15th member of her family to race in the national finals, was one of four girls to claim championships in the six divisions Saturday.
“It’s beyond words, but I can say I just love it,” said Whitaker, from the Akron suburb of Norton, who jumped into her uncle’s arms after climbing out of her race car at the finish line.
Other girls to win were Megan Thornton, of Cleveland, in the Masters Division; Maija Liimatainen, of Madison, Wis., in Super Stock; and Megan Hydutsky, of Pottstown, Pa., in the Rally Masters.
Two 12-year-old boys also won championships. Tyler Fleck, of Perkasie, Pa., won the Rally Stock competition, and Alex Seither, of Mason, Ohio, claimed the Rally Super Stock title.
Whitaker’s uncle Jon Underwood, who competed in the finals in 1976 and 1978, said his niece had “made us all very, very proud.” His dad, John Underwood, was an All-American champion in 1946.
Whitaker said a steady drizzle during the finals caused her car to swerve slightly.
“I don’t know if the track was wet, it was from the wind or just being in Lane 3,” the fifth-grader said. “I always like Lane 1. There’s nothing like being No. 1.”
A near-record 599 finalists, seven fewer than in 2008, competed for a total of $29,000 in college scholarships.