PREVIEW

An impressive 50 teams of amateur racers battled it out in the second iteration of Red Bull Soapbox Race in Des Moines on Saturday (31May2025).

The race returned to The Hawkeye State for the first time since 2022 with an obstacle-filled course next to the Iowa State Capitol Building that challenged racers with a taller start ramp for greater speeds, more obstacles, and intersections that tested navigation.

The imaginative carts reached speeds of up to 30 miles per hour with some finishing the one-thousand-foot course after a few stumbles and others having to forfeit with totaled vehicles.

The 50 teams who participated were judged based on criteria of one-third speed, one-third creativity and one-third showmanship. After more than three and a half hours of high-speed runs and crowd-pleasing plummets, the Rolling Fish Heads and their catfish-shaped cart were declared champions of Red Bull Soapbox Race Iowa after finishing the race under 26 seconds.

“We were hoping to place in the race because the team worked so hard on our cart. Watching the girls fly down the course and sidestep every obstacle was so impressive and brave,” said John Bryner and Nick Gookin of the Rolling Rish Heads.
The winning teams received premium and exclusive experiences including skydiving with the Red Bull Air Force for first place, karting with Red Bull athlete Andrew Carlson for second place, and an iFly session for third place. The full list of winning teams include:

In·Second Place was “Vi-Kings of the Hill,” a Viking longship with oars that scattered through the track. While in third spot with “Creed the Soapbox Halftime Show,” a cart inspired by the 90s band.

The Long Distance Jump Award andPeople’s Choice Award went to “Tenderloin to Go,” a basket with a juicy tenderloin sandwich and curly fries from Iowa.

It’s Not Crazy, It’s Casey’s Award went to “So You’re Telling There’s a Chance,” a shaggy dog-shaped cart from Milwaukee.

The 50 homemade carts were modeled after various themes raging from tractors that honoured Iowa’s farming industry, bunkbeds, a ballet slipper, and even a giant roll of toilet paper that literally rolled down the hill. Many teams wiped out after facing the Cornfield Kicker ramp, including the honorary cart from creator Wolow Gatluak. The crowd was also treated with additional honorary carts from prominent partners including Discovery Channel’s Shark Week cart driven by Chompie the Shark, Casey’s iconic pizza, and Hy-Vee’s food cart.