Gilbert Klecan won the first post-war ‘All American Soap Box Derby’ by covering his machine and himself in graphite, his ‘Unfair Advantage’, Akron, Ohio on 9 August 1946…
This shot gave me a chuckle, reminding me of my own ‘billy-cart’ days. The tight ’46 finish is shown below, the wonderful tradition of these events continues to this day.
Credit…
Racing One
primotipo... 
After winning the Derby, Klecan was making a promotional film for Chevrolet when his race ran into the back of the film truck. He injured his back, spent a week in hospital, and had to wear a back brace when he returned to school. Chevrolet gave him $5,000, plus $600 to cover the loss of income from his paper route due to the injury!
Nice story!