Racers Henry Tadensiak and Jenna Mellen shook hands, wished each other good luck and then they climbed into their race cars.

Jenna, age 9, veered left starting down the Union Parkway hill. She recovered and won this particular All-American Soap Box Derby Rally Circuit race in Orcutt Saturday. Henry, however, won the Single Elimination Stock Division. Jenna finished second.

Racing took place in Single Elimination Stocks; Double Elimination Stocks; Single Elimination Super Stocks; and Double Elimination Super Stocks. Racers earned points for first-through-eighth place finishes. They garnered 40 points for first place, 35 for second, and so on, down to five for eighth place.

In fact, “Racers earned a point just for being out here,” said race organizer Denise Strahan. “It was a nice little get together.”

Saturday marked part of the last weekend of Rally Circuit racing for the year. Racing is scheduled at Union Parkway from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today.

Placers this weekend earn points toward the annual All-American Soap Box Derby - the Super Bowl of Soap Box Derby racing - that takes place in Akron, Ohio in July.

The top six in each category of each division across the country, plus winners of respective Local Races, qualify automatically for the Akron race. Racers Saturday compete in Division II, which consists of California, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii. The Local Race for area competitors is at La Cañada June 14.

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Strahan's daughter, Brittany Strahan, races in the Masters Division. She has already qualified for a second trip to the Big One in Akron.

There was no Masters Division race Saturday. Local racer Ellen Blackwell did race. The 11-year-old Joe Nightingale Elementary School Student won the Single Elimination Super Stocks Division.

Her father Gene confirmed that Ellen has qualified to go back to Akron for The Show. “She's in the top three in her division,” Gene Blackwell said. “She has the points to go.”

Last year marked Ellen's Akron debut. It was also her first year of racing.

Jenna Mellen is one of several racers who traveled a long way to race Saturday.

“I'm from Los Angeles. This is my second year of racing,” she said.

“We went to a soap box race last year, and that's what got me started. It was cool.”

Division winners included young Tadensiak in Single Elimination Stocks; Blackwell in Super Stocks; Veronica Harris in Double Elimination Stocks; and Emma Tierney in Double Elimination Super Stocks.

Racing is now a family affair for the Blackwells. Eight-year-old Layton just started this year.

Did his big sis get him into it? “Actually, it was my dad,” Layton replied.

The young Blackwells work diligently on their race cars.

Ellen said, “You have to align it, make sure it's the right weight, make sure the wheels are aligned.”

That's a lot of work for a youngster. Gene Blackwell said, “Ellen's car weighs 230 pounds. Layton's weighs 200.”

Layton doesn't have the points at the moment to get to Akron, but that may change. “There's some racers ahead of him in his division who won't be able to make it,” said Gene Blackwell.

In the meantime, the youngsters will focus on keeping having fun with their cars.

May 4, 2008