Professional, student and "shadetree" racers raced down Magnolia Street at the annual Magnolia Soap Box Derby about a mile from campus Saturday, April 11.
The event, which has happened since 2009, attracts hundreds of spectators on the second Saturday of April each year to watch participants glide down the steep decline of Magnolia Street. Racers fit into cramped vehicles that sit just a few inches above the pavement and guide them between rows of protective hay bales.
Among the divisions in the contest is the Gravity Racing Challenge, which is geared towards local high school teams who compete against each other using the same standard car kits. Throughout the year, they assemble and tinker on the cars before competing in time trials.
Brandon Hendrix '22, a Mercer alumnus and professional driver of 10 years, said he has won the professional bracket five times between 2017 and 2025, including a three-peat from 2017 to 2019.
"It's a great thing what they're doing here," Hendrix said. "Seeing the other teams and being out there in the community, it means a lot."
Nathaniel Jordan '29 intends to major in Journalism at Mercer and hopes to work as an investigative journalist. His hobbies include poetry, photography and home cooking, and you can probably find him around Macon shopping or walking through local parks with his wife and son.
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