April 28, 2014 Louisville, KY. – A crowd of 2,000 racing fans watched as first-time participant Alpha Energy Solutions pulled an upset at the 25th annual Kentucky Derby Festival Great Bed Races. 17-year-old NASCAR K&N Pro Series driver, Ben Rhodes, was behind the wheel as the team finished with a time of 33.41 seconds in the Champions Division. The Louisville native is a rising star in racing, and was named to the NASCAR Next program that recognizes young racers with great potential. His team beat out five-time returning champions, Curtain Call Photo Booth, who came in second with a time of 33:97. In the Fun division of the competition, first place went to newcomer “Winner Takes All,” with a time of 34:16.
40 teams pushed their decorated beds on wheels around a new figure 8 course tonight, competing for the fastest times. The theme of this year’s event, “Call of the Wild,” had teams decorating their bed in everything from lions, monkeys and jungle themes to the “Wild, Wild, West.” For the serious bed racers, the Festival also added chip timing, similar to the electronic timing used for the Festival’s Marathon/miniMarathon. Prizes went to the teams with the three fastest times, as well as for the “Best Decorated Bed,” “Most Entertaining,” and “Cone Eater” categories.
The results of the 25th annual competition:
2014 Results – Champions Division:
| Place | Team | Time |
| 1 | Alpha Energy Solutions | 33:41 |
| 2 | Curtain Call Photo Booth | 33:97 |
| 3 | Texas Roadhouse | 34:29 |
2014 Results – Fun Division:
| Place | Team | Time |
| 1 | Winner Takes All | 34:16 |
| 2 | Heartland Payment Systems 1 | 35:68 |
| 3 | General Electric Bravo | 36:93 |
- Best Decorated Bed: General Electric Bravo Team (Team dressed like lions and a lion in a Cage)
- Most Entertaining: Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar (Pigs Gone Wild, with surfer and shark costumes)
- Cone Eater Award: Brinly-Hardy Company
Winners will also be invited to appear in the Pegasus Parade on May 1. AAA East Central, Mattress & More and 107.7 The Eagle. Broadcast special on WAVE 3 TV. First held in 1990 on the cobblestone streets of downtown Louisville in Theatre Square as “Bedlam in the Streets,” this event has exploded in popularity. Now in its 25th year, it continues to attract participants from small local businesses to five-man teams from large corporations.
Since 1956, the Derby Festival has worked to bring the community together in celebration. The Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
