OVIEDO, Fla. – A 12-year-old from Oviedo is now a world champion soapbox racer. Samantha Hoagey won the world title in the Rally Stock division at the FirstEnergy All-American Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio, on Saturday.
“My dad came running down the hill. We were both crying. My mom was crying,” Samantha Hoagey said.
News 6 met the racer at her home, where she showed us the trophy she won. It’s quite the accomplishment in a sport she got her start in four years ago. It’s a tradition in her family started by her grandfather.
“My grandpa did it, and then my two older brothers did it,” Samantha Hoagey said. “I think my brother is really proud of me racing in his footsteps.”
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Her older brothers also raced in Akron, but she’s the first winner in her family. Her mother Sara Hoagey spoke to News 6 reporter Catherine Silver about the day her daughter first got into a soapbox car.
“She took her first step going down that hill and when she came out of it, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. This is it.’” Sara Hoagey said. “She loved it. She loved the thrill of racing.”
Hoagey and her family spend much of their year at races, including local ones.
“Sanford, in my opinion, has one of the best racetracks in the nation,” Sara Hoagey said. “Eric Griffin does a really great job at recruiting families. There are different divisions, and there is a kids with special needs division. They just do a great job organizing and training everybody. It’s free to come out and try. I’m one of the volunteers, and I like to really help make sure that we keep the sport alive.”
The Derby dates back to 1934, when the first all-American race was held in Ohio. Now in its 85th year, the All-American Derby hosts more than 320 boys and girls from across the United States. Racers from Canada and Japan also participated.
Samantha Hoagey said she beat 50 people in her division with the fastest time in her gravity-driven racecar. The racer said she’s already looking forward to the next year and a new challenge when she enters a new division.
“I have to move to a higher division, Super Stock,” she said. “I’m so competitive, so this sport is just what I need to do.”
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