Marshall wins Stock Division

When Kaleb Marshall crossed the finish line, he held his breath. He wasn’t sure if he’d held off Zeb Armstrong in the finals of the Soap Box Derby of Culpeper’s Stock Division.

Marshall sat in his car, looking left and right for a sign of his fate. Then he heard it come across the P.A. system. He’d won.

He threw his hands into the air and smiled. He knew what winning meant. It meant a big trophy and a trip to Akron.

It also meant something else.

“Now my dad owes me a dirt bike,” Marshall said, grinning.

The Stock Division is designed for racers ages 9-13 and the Lightfoot Elementary fourth-grader came away with the win.

He snuck past Armstrong with a time differential of .271 seconds. Armstrong missed out on a trip to Akron, but walked away with a trophy and a smile.

“I love going down the big hill,” Armstrong said.

Marshall became the sixth Stock Division winner in the race’s history. Treavor Bates won the inaugural race in 2003. This year’s super stock winner, Austin Hickman, captured the stock race in 2004. Lauren Chapman, Nicole Holloway and Jason Smith have also won the stock division.

Sean Brown came up just short for the second consecutive year, edging Alissa Armstrong for third place. Brown finished second in 2007. But the upbeat seventh grader from Ni Middle School still walked away satisfied.

“Third is still pretty good,” Brown said. “It’s like driving a car without a gas pedal.”

Now Marshall turns his attention to the All-American Soap Box Derby in Akron July 26. There he will face Stock Division champions from races across the country. It’s an opportunity to get back on the track, and the second-year racer can’t wait.

“It’s fun and you get to race a lot of good people,” Marshall said.

Jason Simcoe can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 166 or