Teams

When Pigs Fly

Garage Headquarters: Villa Hills, KY

Driver: TBD

Mechanics: Sam Murphy, Eddie Strong, Sarah Bowns, Rob Boehm, David Rose

Nuts and Bolts:

Of all the nicknames given to Cincinnati over the years, “Porkopolis” isn’t necessarily the most flattering. But in 2000, a funny thing happened: Some 170 years after Cincy gained a reputation as America’s pork-packaging capital, the Big Pig Gig made the Queen City’s affiliation with oinkers a point of pride. Those fiberglass sculptures of winged piggies started springing up all over downtown and you couldn’t even sneeze in the general direction of a gift shop without uncovering a Pegasus-pig knick-knack. Along with the annual Flying Pig Marathon, Cincinnati has transformed the “Porkopolis” nickname into something positive, and the When Pigs Fly teammates intend to keep a good thing going.

“Our inspiration is derived from the spirit of Cincinnati,” says team captain Sam Murphy. Sam and his teammates will build their racer in Villa Hills, Kentucky, which Cincinnati Magazine named the metro area’s “Most Livable Neighborhood” in 1994. While working on their racer in the idyllic suburb, Sam says that his team will observe some interesting superstitions. “We will only wear thongs on Tuesdays.” Good to know that the October 4 Red Bull Soapbox crowd has nothing to worry about when Sam and his cohorts bend over to pick up loads of candy, which they’ll use as bribes for People’s Choice Award votes.