All bets are off when a car enters the Summit County Fairgrounds arena, and Saturday night, Aug. 5, was no different as a sold-out Demolition Derby left cars undrivable and spectators cheering.
To kickoff Coalville’s week-long Summit County Fair, the anticipated Demolition Derby featured a record-breaking 58 cars competing in six action-packed heats.
As the sun went down, and before the cars got smashed to bits, the audience voted on Best in Paint by cheering for their favorite paint job — Car 2.0, “Beauty by Laney,” won and drove away with a $1,000 prize.
Now for the action.
To win, drivers aimed to be the last person standing, avoiding major hits while trying to do the most damage on others. Cars were eliminated if they went too long without making a hit, which usually happened if a driver wasn’t able to get their car started or if they got stuck in a pile-up. For safety purposes, referees would pause the events to remove debris and lost wheels.
The first heat was the “Youth Wire,” featuring seven cars. This group warmed up the crowd with some spectacular crashes, leaving cars smoking and towed out of the arena.
The “Power Wheels” event brought out kids to participate, driving electric toy cars. “We start ’em young in Summit County,” said the announcer as small children bumped into each other at a safe speed. The “heat” ended with a chaotic race.
With the kids out of the way, the adult heats ramped things up. The ’80s Wire event had viewers on the edges of their seats, and the battle for first and second sent car X20 driving up and over the barricades as the crowd cheered with excitement.
The Mini Cars heat was also especially exciting, as the front-wheel drive of these smaller vehicles made for fast and relentless hits. With an unexpected win, car 18 drove away with a $4,000 prize and almost all four tires falling off the rims.
It was a crazy night and competitors did not disappoint.
The Summit County Fair has events all week, ending with a morning parade and the PRCA rodeo on Saturday, Aug. 12.