To a bunch of go-karters, a log with questionable historical ties is the Delco ‘Stanley Cup’

Even though there weren’t any Mare of Tasktown-themed karts at the first Delco Downhill Derby on Saturday, it was still an edge-of-your-seat ride down Edgmont Street in Media for the eight participating teams and scores of spectators who lined the road.

Granted, some racers were scooting on the edge of their seats to try and coax gravity to give them an assist. A few folks apparently overestimated the incline of the street, underestimated the necessity of pedal power, and wound up inching down the hill or needing a good push.

It may be the only time in history Delco has ever slowed its roll.

Dubbed the “Triple D!” because it’s hilarious and extremely Delco, the kinetic sculpture derby was the brainchild of Delaware County Historical Society director Paul Hewes Jr. and the society’s library and program manager, Zach Beaver. It was part of a weekend of events celebrating the county’s 236th birthday and the historical society’s 130th anniversary.

Hewes and Beaver grew up watching a soap box derby on the same street 20 years ago and wanted to revive it after the historical society moved its collection from Chester to Media last year.

“With the old one, they’d let carts go down all at once, four or five lanes; the problem was the hill was graded unevenly so whoever was in the first lane would always win,” Hewes said. “We decided to have participants go one at a time.”

Contestants went through three timed speed trials and an obstacle course with straw bails and speed bumps. After each trial, they had to haul their cars back up the hill for three blocks.

Vehicles had to have at least two wheels, be no longer than 8 feet, and no taller than 6 feet. Motors weren’t allowed, but pedal power was acceptable and racers had to prove they could brake their cars.

“Before anybody goes down the hill, they must wear a helmet, sign a waiver, and we want to see them go a couple feet and brake,” Hewes said. “They can’t go down the hill unless they can stop the vehicle.”

In the end, braking wasn’t a problem for anybody (words rarely uttered about Delconians) — it was momentum that became an issue. Several of the vehicles lacked pedals or a mechanism to propel them down the hill, aside from gravity, and became stuck or faced extremely slow going.

The winner of the grand prize was the team from Greatest Hits Records and Books in Media, who are no strangers to spin and definitely had the fastest car on the road, a low-to-the-ground sleek black rider with ultrathin racing bicycle wheels.

Their prize: $500 in cash and the honor of having their team name etched in the “William Penn Stump,” a historic stump that county lore says was first rolled down a hill by Penn when he arrived in Delco and that fact says is absolute hogwash (though Penn did arrive in Delaware County before he ever set foot in what would become Philadelphia).

“As historians we are fascinated by how folks blur myth and truth,” Hewes said. “We thought a fun weird way to do that is to have our own Stanley Cup. … We always feel like Delco has this weird, historical niche.”

Greatest Hits also won the Sandy Flash ribbon for best execution, named in honor of the notorious 18th-century traitor, robber, and Delco man.

The Benjamin West ribbon for best style and design, in honor of the famed 18th-century painter and Delco native, went to the Edgmont Historical Society, whose technical director, Christian Freylie, crafted a stunning Philadelphia Suburban Transit Co. trolley car in just four days using metal garden beds.

And the Dr. Anna Broomall ribbon for best functionality — named after the lifelong Delco resident and obstetrician who established the first prenatal care clinic in the country — was awarded to the team from Three Potato Four in Media, who created a peach-colored low rider festooned with a giant cloth flower.

Contestants included Josh Jordan, a father of two from Media who snuggled up in his car, a four-post bed complete with a blanket and teddy bear.

“My car is called ‘Dad Nap’ because it represents the only opportunity I’m going to get to have a nap this week because I’m physically more than 15 feet away from children,” he said.

Dad-and-daughter team Tim and Jordan Harris of East Lansdowne crafted their car, the “Destroyer,” out of found objects including parts of an old couch and the handlebars of a kid’s Hannah Montana bicycle.

“We still don’t know where the seat was from,” Jordan Harris said.

And father-and-son team Joe and Rogan Hancher of Media not only built a Mario Kart, they dressed up as the Mario brothers, too, and came armed with bananas and a red Koopa shell.

When asked before the race if their car brakes, Joe Hancher said: “Yeah, the wheel fell off.”

“Oh, you mean stop?” he said. “Yeah, that, too.”