Teams

The Candy Man Can

Garage Headquarters: Marietta, GA

Driver: Jeremy Freeman

Mechanics: Dale Bryant, Kimani Strayhorn, Sean Kelly, Aaron Garris

Nuts and Bolts:

Dale Bryant, Jeremy Freeman, Aaron Garris, Sean Kelly, and Kimani Strayhorn – all grownups in their mid-20s – are the kind of adults Willy Wonka would approve of. They haven’t lost their sense of fun. Even though these Marietta-area residents are busy with jobs in photography, tech support, banking, and concert roadie work, they make a point of taking time out every year to get crazy on a 120-foot slip ‘n slide, and Jeremy is currently creating a sculpture made from beverage cans, which he intends to enter in a Red Bull Art of Can contest. Together, the five friends have formed a team called “The Candy Man Can,” and they’re building a soapbox car that looks just like Willy Wonka’s whimsical boat, the “Wonkatania.”

“Our biggest challenge is the build,” says Jeremy, who will drive the craft down Tenth Street, “but we’ll win over the crowd with free candy, good music, and hot dance moves.” That music will be an Oompa Loompa medley that segues into the “I’m on a Boat” song by comedy rappers The Lonely Island, while those hot dance moves will be performed by “genuine” Oompa Loompas imported just for the event. “This race is a chance to have a good time while building something with friends,” Jeremy states. “Even if we don’t win, it’ll be a blast.” And if The Candy Man Can does win, well, that would be sweet.