AKRON Win or lose, Kallie Myers' Soap Box Derby racing days will come to a conclusion Saturday.
Myers won the Super Stock division during June's All-American Soap Box Derby race in St. Clairsville to advance to Saturday's national championship race at Akron's famed Derby Downs.
After Saturday, she's out of options. She'll be too old to race again come next season. This will also be her sixth trip to Akron's championship weekend. There are no more divisions left to compete in.
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Quinn and Kallie Myers
What that also means is Myers is now apart of an elite inner-circle of derby racing participants who have won six local races one each in Stock, Super Stock and Masters locals, plus the Rally Racing for each division and have come to the Akron raceway as a champion six times.
In 2010, Myers became the first Ohio Valley racer to place in Akron when she came in seventh in the Masters division.
Last year was set up to be her final run to Akron, with the Super Stock race in St. Clairsville serving as her springboard. The weather and Lady Luck, however, weren't in her favor that day as Myers failed to advance out of the first round for the first time in her career.
She rectified that situation in June and is ready for what will be her final run.
"This is my sixth time up here in nine years," Myers said. "It's been such a huge part of my life. Last year I was kind of shocked. The weather conditions weren't right and I wasn't able to get through the first round. That never happened before.
"I'm OK with (possibly) not placing Saturday. I just want it to be a good experience, get to see all my friends and enjoy myself."
While Kallie Myers seems somewhat content to coast off into the sunset, her youger brother is of a differing opinion.
Quinn Myers is making his fifth appearance in Akron on Saturday after winning the New Philadelphia Masters local race.
In 2011, with Kallie watching from the sideline, Quinn one-upped his sisters' performance in 2010 by finishing second in the Masters Rally championship race. It's the highest placing for any Ohio Valley racer in Akron in any division.
Quinn is heading to Akron to win and in order to do so, he knows he has to pick the proper set of wheels come race time.
The driver can select one box of wheels. Upon inspection, if he or she is dissatisfied, the set can be returned once. But if the second set is worse than the first, so be it.
"You have to have a good set of wheels if you want to place high and perhaps the most important part is how the wheel bearing spins," Quinn said. "If that second set is worse than the first, you just have to deal with it."
Kallie feels that racing will always be a part of her life, even if she's not behind the wheel. She'll likely join her dad Matt Myers, the St. Clairsville race's director, on the periphery in 2013. She'll still be volunteering and helping out other racers.
Next summer will see Quinn attempt to equal big sis' six times in Akron as he'll compete in the Super Stock division in St. Clairsville.
The two credit their dad and their grandparents for helping out and backing them all these years.
"We want to thank our dad for getting us here," Kallie said. "He's done everything from building the cars to making sure everything is right.
"He made sure we got our points and got us to where we needed to go," Quinn added. "He taught us what we needed to learn about racing."
Hughes may be reached at mhughes@timesleaderonline.com
