The Soapbox Race

“Your car looks like crap, loser!”
Tim glanced around and saw Todd standing at the end of his driveway. Todd was the neighborhood bully – the taunting had begun.
It was only three weeks until the town’s annual soapbox derby. All the local kids were busy building their derby cars – they were supposed to build the cars themselves with a budget of under $100.00.
Todd had won the race for the past three years, but Tim was determined to change that. He intended to win!
Although the kids were supposed to build the cars themselves, Tim was pretty sure that Todd’s dad had built his cars the last three years – Todd’s family was rich, and his dad was an aerospace engineer.
Well, it didn’t matter. Tim had read a bunch of books over the last year, including one entitled, “The Physics of Speed”. He was ready!
Over the next three weeks, Tim worked hard. He formed the old wooden body in an aerodynamic shape, sanded it smooth, and painted it metallic gold. He used pieces of old carpet to windproof the inside, and an old curtain rod on the back to fabricate a make-shift spoiler. He even used a long nail to repack the old baby carriage wheels with a special grease that his father had used on the lawnmower.
His car looked good, and he was ready!
On the day of the big race, Tim, along with thirty other cars were ready to compete.
Tim’s car ran good in every race. At the end of the day, he was tied for the lead with Todd.
Flying down the hill, Tim’s car sped ahead of Todd’s and won by three car lengths.
The next days headlines read, “Tim Johnson edges out reigning champ Todd Ellis to win”.
He did it!

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