Auburn's Scott Spin was looking for a project that he and his oldest daughter Mary Alice, 11, could work on together.

The pair found the answer when East Middle School approached them with the idea of entering Mary Alice in the Nucor Bar Mill Auburn All-American Soap Box Derby.

“I was a little nervous at first,” Mary Alice said during the race's Carburetion Day held Saturday morning at Casey Park Ice Arena. “I talked myself through it and really liked the first practice.

Spin enjoys finding family things to do with his wife and five daughters on the weekends and he believes the soap box derby is a nice father-daughter project.

Carburetion Day, taken from NASCAR racing, according to race director, Steve Komanecky, is a practice day in which contestants have a chance to give their cars needed tune-ups.

“We collect drivers' bios and have their photos taken for the race-day program,” he said. “The drivers have a chance to practice driving their cars down the hill on North Division Street.”

The annual race is open to children ages 8 to 17, and has three divisions, including super-kids for children with developmental

disabilities.

Racers have the option to solicit business sponsors for their cars, but every car must bear the logo of official sponsors including the City of Auburn, YMCA, and Nucor Steel.

Komanecky said that all of the cars are purchased kits that are identically constructed per division.

“It isn't too late for entries into the race,” he said. “The cars take about three hours to build.”

“It is very nostalgic,” said Lisa Herring of Auburn. “The cars are very safe. It is a great family thing to do.”

Herring is the mother of first-time race contestant Alex Herring, 8, who said it doesn't matter if he wins or loses.

“I love it,” he said, excited about the upcoming race this month.

The winners in each division of the local race advance to the All-American Soap Box Derby World Championships in Akron, Ohio.