Demolition Derby Rock and Roll

You know its summer when the State or County Fair is in town. With their down home charm, these Fairs offer the public a chance to experience local flavor and interests. One of the highlights for me is watching the Demolition Derby at these events. An American Motorsport that started in the late 40's or early 50's, Demolition Derbies have given thrill seekers an outlet to watch cars crash into each other for generations. I just love this type of entertainment. It's automotive smash and crash at its best! 

Also known as Stock Car Racing in Australia and Banger Racing in Europe, Demolition Derbies in the US are less about racing and more about smashing into each other.  The thrill of seeing a car crash over and over again draws us in. West-coast racing promoter Don Basile has been credited with the invention of the sport back in 1946 at Carrell Speedway in Gardena, CA. He was keen enough to see that some people were more interested in the crashes of a race than in the race itself. Although some say the derbies he promoted were closer to the race tracks seen in Stock Car and Banger Racing. There is also word that used car salesman "Crazy Jim" Groh set up a smash and crash Demolition Derby in Frankin, Wisconsin in 1950. Leave it to a used car salesman to get a bang out of his buck!

The largest and heaviest cars were sought after for their durability and safety on the track. The Chrysler Imperial outlasted so many cars that it was eventually band from competition. This sweet little V8 7.2L 440 engine could not only withstand the punishment, it delivered it! Glass, trim and interior fixtures are taken out and replaced with roll bars and fire extinguishers. The doors are welded shut. Bright paint is applied to the drivers door along with the drivers number to help other drivers avoid as it is against the rules to ram the drivers door. The rawness of the paint jobs really adds to the DIY esthetic of the Demolition Derby. Spray painting the numbers on the car looks like graffiti and adds to the mystique of this subculture sport.

Last weekend at the California State Fair in Sacramento, California, they held their yearly Demolition Derby State Finals. The prize this year was $10,000! The photographs seen here in this blog are from the California State Fair I went to in 1998. The thrill was still there. The sounds, smells and sights got the entire crowd up on their feet. It was fun to see that some old cars had hung around long enough to go out in a smash up.

Pop culture embraced this form of sport primarily in the 1950's - 70's.  I remember them being televised on the program The Wild World of Sports! They aired the Wold Championship Demolition Derby from 1964-92 on ABC. Unfortunately interest started declining in the 90's and programing was pulled. As the great gas guzzlers began to become less available, other motorized vehicles began to be seen. Variations on the sport include the compact car derbies, which just doesn't seem right to me, as well the use of lawn mowers, SUV's, school buses and combine harvesters. More in the spirit of the original derbies, the Outlaw Derbies seem to have upheld the grit that made the sport a thrill to see. These cars are customized and modified.

My very first introduction to the sport was from the tough talkin', pink haired, motocycle riding, demolition derby driving, Pinky Tuscadero on the 70's sitcom "Happy Days". She was cooler than the Fonz by a long shot! To make her untouchably cool her sister, Leather Tuscadero, was played by none other than Suzi Quatro who fronted an all girl band on the sitcom. I used to idolize those chicks when they appeared on that show. Pinky and Leather stripped Fonzie down to the Henry Winkler he really was! The General Lee on The Dukes of Hazard was also a pop cultural icon that got me interested in muscle cars. Who didn't want to take a ride in the souped up 1969 Charger with a 426 Hemi with an Eldebrock torker intake?

Lawlessness on the road, DIY custom alterations and paint jobs, the sense of danger at every corner, beefed up super engines in full metal jackets raced by daredevils out for a thrill ride... If rock and roll were a sport, Demolition Derby would be it!

Julie Pavlowski Green

July 20, 2013