Ellicott City Grand Prix: 4 Minutes of Extreme Sports

Racers are geared up for a wild ride in Ellicott City on Sunday.

For a few minutes, adrenaline will soar during the Maryland Independent Soapbox Federation and Incline Trials Society's (MISFITS) Ellicott City Gravity Grand Prix.

Soapbox cars will take off from Court House Drive south of the Howard County District Court area, then zoom down Court House Drive to Ellicott Mills Drive.

Vehicles, which are custom-built, can reach speeds of 60 mph and may cost up to $5,000 to build and maintain, according to the Catonsville Times, which reported the Catonsville-based MISFITS have raced up and down the East Coast and throughout Maryland.

The Ellicott City race will end 150 feet before Main Street on Ellicott Mills Drive, organizers said in an announcement on Ellicott City Patch.

Before the race, spectators can meet the drivers and see the cars up close at the staging area, in the Howard County Government complex parking lot at 3430 Court House Drive.

The race lasts three to five minutes, and roads in the area will be closed for five to eight minutes, according to organizers. Drivers are asked not to park on Ellicott Mills Drive.