BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - A local grandfather - grandson duo placed 2nd in the local stock at the National All-American Soap Box Derby last Saturday.

Bob Pitchford and his grandson, Dominic Frassinelli, have been working hard to get this win.

“Dominique, in his second year of racing, was fortunate to win the local start class here,” Pitchford said. “We got to go to Akron, Ohio to compete in the national championships. It was pretty cool.”

All cars are made from a preset kit, meaning the riders are entirely dependent on gravity, weight, and skill to win.

“It is so important that every car be as equal as possible to the other racers. When we race on the hill, we change lanes, we change wheels, we make sure that every possible advantage is equalized, and it all comes down to the driver.”

Like any good sport though, it has its set of rules: don’t jerk the wheel, stay in your lane, be a good sport, shake hands with your opponent and always have fun.

Of course, it’s not all about winning.

“Dom met a lot of pretty neat people, met a young fellow from South Georgia. Noah was really good friends. So he had a great experience and met a lot of really good people.”

Pitchford and Frassinelli said they’re excited about this win, but even more excited about what’s up next.

“We can’t compete in stock class now because he’s a champion,” Pitchford said, “Building the next car will be our next project.”

On top of the trophy Frassinelli also won $2,000 in future scholarship money.

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