July 16, 1962
In a pulse-quickening climax to an afternoon of thrills and spills, 13-year-old Alfonso Diaz, of 5725 El Nido Court, rode his lucky No. 11 Soap Box Derby entry to victory Sunday over a field of 63 cars.
Young Diaz’ riding skill earned him a $500 Savings Bond, a winner’s plaque and a trip to Akron, Ohio, where he will compete Aug. 4 in the 25th annual All-American Soap Box Derby. He was sponsored by the White House sporting goods department.
Diaz defeated the Class B – for boys 11 to 13 – champion, 11-year-old Joe Chitwood, of 3125 Hamilton St., in the final event – a neck-and-neck event to the finish wire. Diaz’ racer was clocked at 37.4 or 26.9 m.p.h. Chitwood was sponsored by Whitfield Transportation Co.
El Paso’s new Soap Box Derby Champion also picked up honors for the fastest race – running the course in a whizzing 36.4 seconds in close finish in the Class A, for boys 14 and 15, semi-finals with 15-year-old Danny Chitwood – Class B champion Joe Chitwood’s brother.
Running second in the Class A race was Gaylor Reeves, 13, of 1208 Howze St., sponsored by El Paso Natural Gas Co. Second in the Class B event was Jimmie Stroud, 11, of 4505 Clifton Ave., in a car sponsored by Gibson Fixtures and Plastics.
About everything that could happen in a race of this type did happen at one time or another, before a crowd estimated at 6,000.
Gary Cummings, 11, of 4223 Kemp Ave., won his race in the first round but smashed his car when his brakes failed and could not continue. Another car hit an unidentified spectator. Several others rammed into bales of hay placed back of the finish line but were able to continue until eliminated.
There was one dead heat. Cleve Voiers of Deming, N.M., and Kelley Webb of 1811 N. Mesa Ave. ran a tie in 37.6 seconds in the first heat of the Class A events. Webb eliminated Voiers in the runoff, then won the third round and finally lost to Reeves in the quarter-finals.
Cars in lane No. 2 seemed far and away the luckiest in winning, a point that brought about some protests from the losers. Some claimed the race was won or lost in the drawing at the starting line that determined the post position.
It was El Paso’s first Soap Box Derby since 1957. It was cosponsored this year by the El Paso Optimist Clubs, Lone star Motor Col, Rudolph Chevrolet and the Newspaper Printing Corp.
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