Demolition Derby roars through the night
<p>Cars smashed their way through the night as the annual Demolition Derby closed out the Sanders County Fair.</p>
PLAINS – Tires kicked up mud and vehicles careened into one another as the Demolition Derby was held on Sunday night in Plains.
The popular yearly event marked the official close of the 2014 Sanders County Fair and drew a sizeable crowd to the main arena of the fairgrounds.
The Plains Lions Club, whose members donning yellow shirts could be seen around the arena ensuring the event moved smoothly and was successful, put on the derby.
Once the derby got underway destruction proved to be the name of the game as drivers piloted their vehicles through the muddy grounds of the arena, all the while trying to avoid their fellow competitors.
Attempts to evade destruction ultimately proved futile and despite the skill of many drivers it was not long before they had been tracked down by an opponent or simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Nonetheless, the cars, some of which looked as if they would be unable to make it into the arena under their own power, held up remarkably well.
The drivers dished out nearly as much punishment as their vehicles incurred drawing excited hoots, hollers and screams from the jam-packed arena.
The big collisions always drew the loudest roars of approval from the attendees who came for the destruction and chaos, which came to characterize the evening derby.
In total, this year’s derby had 31 drivers who willingly threw themselves and their vehicles into the chaos and excitement of the muddy arena.
Of the total, six of the drivers were females partaking in the powder-puff event, which took place following the conclusion of derby competition. The remaining 25 drivers competed in the heats of the derby starting at 7 p.m.
The grand prize for the first place winner of the demolition derby was $6,000 with the runner up driver receiving a prize of $3,000. The third place finisher received $2,000 and the driver who finished the evening in fourth took home $1,000.
Before the main event, the final round, there were three heats where the field of 25 was slowly whittled down.
The top three drivers from each heat earned their place in the finals, where the remaining 12 drivers determined the final standings of the competition.
The final three drivers in the last round of competition were those who had not made it out of the preliminary heats but were given one more chance to earn a top three finish.
“It’s a last chance qualifier. It’s called the hard luck heat,” Marv Tanner of the Plains Lions Club said.
Some heats were more destructive than others and following the conclusion of competition debris, including tires and other car parts were cleared from the arena as tow trucks ferried the drivers and their damaged vehicles to safety.
Other events organized by the Plains Lions Club, include the annual Easter egg hunt and the lights on Highway 200 in Plains during the holidays.