Racing returned to Nazareth once again on Saturday, June 1, with the Nazareth Adult Soapbox Racing Association’s annual adult soapbox derby.
The event took an 11-year hiatus following its 2012 race and was brought back to the borough in 2023 with help from the Lehigh Conference of Churches, much to the delight of residents and racers.
The event’s second year back in the borough proved to be even more popular than last year, with seven more cars participating. The derby had several rookies that participated this year in addition to repeat racers, some that have even been with NASBRA since the very beginning, dating back to 2008.
The winners in the speed podium (bracket results) were: Rob Leiser in first place, Craig Dally in second place and Matt Rinker in third place.
The winners in the show podium (voting results) were: Nate Reddell in first place, John Wolfe in second place and Kent Fry in third place.
“I can’t thank our sponsors, racers, volunteers and all those who came out to support the event enough,” said Christine Rinker, director of administration for the Lehigh Conference of Churches. “Nazareth is a racing community and we are honored each year to bring racing back to Nazareth.”
NASBRA’s annual derby is tentatively scheduled to return to W. Prospect Street in Nazareth next year on Saturday, June 7, pending borough approval.
