Demolition Derby offers big hits
Under normal circumstances, motorists crashing their cars into other cars on purpose would be illegal and dangerous.
But at the Demolition Derby Saturday night at the Cache County Fairgrounds, not only was it legal for vehicles to ram into each other at the highest speeds possible – it was the goal.
Forty-five drivers from around Cache Valley entered their old, beat-up vehicles in the derby. They were competing for $2,800 in cash prizes in the different events. Fifteen vehicles beat up on each other in three heats, with the top four finishers from each heat advancing to the main event.
After the main event, which awarded cash prizes to the top three drivers, all drivers who did not participate in the main event and had cars that were still mobile were invited back to the arena to participate in the Bash-to-the-Last.
Throughout the night, carnage was served up on a silver platter to the arena full of rabid fans anxious to see twisted metal and lots of smoke and steam.
“It’s just crazy,” said self-proclaimed derby veteran and Hyrum resident Taylor Redd. “I’ve seen about 20 of these derbies and the hits keep getting harder every time.”
Redd watched the butchery of cars from a front-row seat. His blue shirt splattered with a little mud from the cars, he said it is all part of the atmosphere that makes the derby a great event.
“They put this on a couple of times a year, it’s always packed in here, there are tons of people,” Redd said. “Everyone likes to watch crap get crushed, it’s human nature.”
The main event brought out nine cars, as three cars were too beat up during their preliminary heats to come back to the arena for competition.
Most of the cars in the main event were put out of commission after a few hits. The big battle started when three cars were remaining.
David Grange, driver of car 215, had Cody Brown’s 101 car and Butch Johnson’s 795 car side by side, and was hitting both vehicles, going into reverse, and hitting them again.
Grange thought he had Johnson out of commission, and started to focus on Brown’s vehicle, trying to push his car into the three-foot dirt berm which encircled the arena.
As Grange put his fifth crunching hit on Brown’s car, Johnson was able to get his car moving again and put a big hit on Grange to stop him from his relentless destruction of Brown’s car.
At that point, Brown’s car was out of commission and Grange and Johnson remained. Grange’s engine, which had started on fire in the third heat, started on fire again, causing the competition to be stopped for safety officials to put out the fire. When the melee resumed, it became an issue of who stopped moving last, as both cars were immobile.
The judges conferred and selected Johnson as the winner of the main event, and the $500 award.
Logan Recreation Manager Brendan Pratt said proceeds from the derby would be split three ways. He said the Cache County Sheriff’s Posse, who provided security and judging for the event, would receive one-third, and the groups who ran the concession stands would receive one-third.
Pratt said the derby was also the first event the Logan Parks and Recreation Department has used to start raising funds for a new amphitheater at the fairgrounds. One-third of the proceeds from the event would go towards building that structure as well, he said.
Russ Akina, parks and recreation department director, said an amphitheatre would help out tremendously with all of the events hosted at the fairgrounds.
“We have a pretty busy schedule here and we don’t have a permanent facility that different groups and special events can use for something that they can put on a stage,” Akina said. “What we’re trying to do is improve the delivery of the services we have for different special events.”
Akina said the parks and recreation department currently has a portable stage they transport to different events around the city, but they have to rent lighting and sound systems whenever they put on an event. The cost of renting equipment is something that could partially be alleviated with a permanent structure at the fairgrounds, he said.
Potential plans for the structure range from $250,000 to $2.5 million, Akina said.
“The more expensive the project is, the less likely it is for something like that to be accomplished,” he said.
Entertainment at the derby between the different heats was put on by the local country band, Rough Stock. Between the third heat and the main event, fans in attendance were invited to the center of the arena for a dance contest where $25 was awarded to the winner.
“Everything from the cars and fires to the music and the dancing makes this great,” Redd said. “It sure as hell beats dragging Main Street any day.”
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