Unloading two soap box cars off a trailer hitched to the back of a minivan, Roger Parm stopped for a second and laughed to himself.

"You can tell who the rookies are," he said.

He would know. In 2000, the Parm family got interested in soap box racing after Kaitlin, Roger's daughter, asked if she could race. Kaitlin just hung out with a friend whose mom volunteered at soap box races and wanted in on the action. Older sister Shaina quickly followed suit.

Eight years later, Roger Parm recently unloaded two soap box cars for his sons Andrew, 13, and Jared, 10 on a hill outside Richmond International Raceway. They will be competing Saturday as the Richmond representatives in the All-American Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio.

While unloading, Roger Parm explained why the family places tires underneath the derby cars in the trailer, keeps the wheels unattached in the trailer and grabs the car by its nose instead of the axle. All three steps prevent damage to their soap box cars -- tips the Parms learned once a passion for soap box racing trickled down the family lineage.

"It's pretty cool," Andrew Parm said. "I have seen many people [in my family] at Akron. There's usually a lot more of us than anybody else."

There's a good reason why. Fifteen soap box trophies earned by all four children sit by the fireplace in the Parms' living room in Aylett. They in clude first (five trophies), second (three), third (six) and fourth-place finishes (one).

Andrew has visited Ohio in other years, but Saturday's race will be his first behind the wheel in the stock division. Jared, who's competing in super stock this year, wound up beating his older brother in stock in 2006 before winning in Akron.

"I didn't feel good about it," Jared Parm said. "I beat my brother and we're good friends."

That's not the only time family members competed against each other. Kaitlin won the stock division in 2005 after spoiling Andrew's chances. She also defeated Shaina in super stock before eventually winning that division in 2006.

"I never got to go to Akron, but it's been fun seeing them enjoying it," said Shaina Parm, 18, who's entering VCU in the fall. "I wish I had the chance to race there, but it was fun to see the rest enjoy it and see the excitement building up to race day."

The excitement doesn't just include the family members racing. Roger Parm and his nephews, Anthony and Matt, help out with the pit crew. Those responsibilities include recording the margin of victory and switching lanes and wheels between races. In soap box racing, both cars are required to do that to eliminate any external advantage. At Akron, however, only one member of each pit crew is allowed.

Nonetheless, the Parm's great nephews seem drawn to racing. Bonnie Parm said she bought T-shirts for A.J. (4 years old) and twins Jeremy and Trent (1) that said, "Future Soapbox Derby Racers." Her role has included attracting sponsors, such as Duke's Mayonnaise, and asking for donations in exchange for being named in the race's program.

"You try to find sponsorship for cars to absorb the costs," Bonnie Parm said. "Even though it's not an expensive hobby, it's expensive for a family who have four kids."

That's why Roger Parm takes a conservative approach in buying parts. He uses a curtain rod to check the car's triangulation and a fishing line to secure the cross bindings. The family is passing down Kaitlin's master car to Andrew next year. He estimated he saves about $300 to $500 for not worrying about buying what calls "high-dollar tools."

"My dad was skeptical about it because he never heard of it and he thought it would be expensive," said Kaitlin Parm, 17. "Once we called the race the director and got information, he was excited about it. It was fun and I got to spend more time with my dad."

As have all the other family members, signifying the Parms' love for soap box racing and the bonding memories that come with it.

"It's the family," Roger Parm said. "We do it together. The kids build their cars and I help them if they need help. The kids all build their cars, and that's what it's supposed to be about."
Contact Mark Medina at mmedina@timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6839.