A small delay couldn’t smash the hopes of hundreds of spectators who gathered for the demolition derby.
A rousing cheer erupted from the packed stands on Aug. 5 as the steel monsters rumbled in to the ring.
For one driver in particular the derby was more than just about smashing his vehicle or winning his heat.
“My cousin was supposed to build a derby truck, but he passed away earlier this year. Putting his name on my truck was the least I could do. I think he is really proud of me,” said Marlo Mast.
Drivers took their place at the four corners of the ring for the opening heat. The sun hung high in the nearly cloudless sky as the drivers started their engines. The reinforced steel monsters rumbled to life and all plunged into the middle of the ring, where axles twisted and tires exploded.
The sheer violence of each collision rocked the drivers in their padded, stripped-down cockpits.
“It’s all adrenaline in there. It’s like a blackout - you don’t remember anything. You get hit, you black out and then you just keep on going, keep on hitting. It’s a blast,” said Mast.
Unlike most of the derby drivers, Mast has been using the same engine in his lime-green 1980 Chevy three-quarter-ton for more than a few years and consistently finishes at the top of the field.
“Watch the green truck. That guy is really good,” said Sean Holtham.
For Josh VanKasteren, getting back into the derby has been a long time coming. He was released from the hospital in January after recovering from burns he sustained in a fire in 2010.
“It feels really good to be back out there,” said VanKasteren.
The derby concluded with a scene that could have been something out of the novel Carrie by Stephen King. VanKasteren’s silver camouflage 1976 Chevy three-quarter-ton truck sat busted and alone in the centre of the ring.
Three backhoes surrounded the silver Chevy as the sun began to set off in the distance. The crowd hushed as one of the backhoes raised it’s bucket into the air like a clenched upraised fist. With one destructive swoop, the bucket came crashing down on the crippled truck delivering a heavy knockout blow.
The two other backhoes followed up with crushing blow after crushing blow until VanKasteren’s truck was reduced to a pile of twisted metal. If it weren’t for the engine block and the tires strewn about the ring, the ’76 Chevy would have been almost unrecognizable following the vicious onslaught.
“I was a little bit disappointed with the low turnout of vehicles, but the weather turned out really well, we have a huge crowd here, and everybody seems to be really enjoying themselves. Maybe we’ll get into smashing mini-cars in the future,” said organizer Greg Petruchik.
