Mariah Bonestroo, 12, earned the right to compete in two races at Akron, Ohio’s All-American Soapbox Derby with just two qualifying races.
“That is very unusual,” said Doug Bonestroo, Mariah’s father. "Most competitors need many more attempts to qualify.”
Three hundred competitors came from all over the world for the Akron event. Bonestroo competed in the stock car division against entrants from 40 U.S. states, Canada, and places as far away as Germany, Japan, and New Zealand.
Bonestroo, whose older brothers also raced in derbies, placed 25th out of 125 cars in Akron.
“It was just interesting,” she said. “I followed my brothers.”
Bonestroo is a member of Hope Christian Reformed Church in Hull, Iowa.
