History of the Demo Derby
According to the popular version of the sport's origin, stock car driver Larry Mendelsohn is credited with organizing and promoting the first true demolition derby, in Long Island, New York, in the late 1950s. However, there are accounts of earlier events. One of the most interesting references to the sport comes from none other the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th edition, which states that the term was added in 1953. (See sidebar.)
Demolition derby:
n. (ca. 1953) A contest in which skilled drivers ram old cars into one another until only one car remains running.
At issue: ca. 1953 in the Merriam-Webster's definition indicates the term was in fairly common use well before the late 50's, when demolition derby is generally believed to have begun. In order for the term to have been commonly understood by 1953, there must have been a significant number of demolition derbies around the country prior to this time. This is especially noteworthy in light of limited national media coverage of sports in those days. The World Series or a heavyweight championship fight would have received national coverage, but a demolition derby at a country fair would not. Thus it must have taken some years prior
to 1953 for the term to enter into common use by word-of-mouth and possibly local newspaper accounts.
The best-documented account of another early event comes from Kevin Baxter's article "Going to Wreck and Ruin," in the December 22, 1999 Los Angeles Times. Baxter's account describes West-coast racing promoter Don Basile's 1946 staging of a "full-contact" race among four drivers at Carroll Speedway in Gardena, California. In Basile's event the participants' cars had been secretly rigged to disintegrate upon impact. Purists may argue that the event was in fact a race and not a true demolition derby -- in which the sole objective is to smash and disable the competition. Interestingly, the description of Basile's event sounds very similar to what has become the popular sport of "Banger Racing" in England as well as several European countries and Australia.
Following his 1946 event, Don Basile went on to be a successful promoter of traditional races as well as demolition derbies for the next five decades. One of his more memorable events was held at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1972, where he promoted a nationally televised demolition derby involving Indianapolis 500 champions A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones, and Bobby and Al Unser. According to Basile's son Bob, who is a present-day promoter, the Indy champs not only smashed beautiful new cars, but also destroyed Evel Knievel's donated Rolls Royce.
Another early account of a demolition derby comes from D.E.N.T. (Demolition Events National Tour) promoter Todd Dube. According to a Boston Phoenix article, in searching old county fair records, Dube found that a used car dealer named "Crazy Jim" Groh promoted a demolition derby in Franklin, Wisconsin in 1950. The LA Times article also mentions earlier derbies "springing up at county fairs during the Great Depression," but offers no further explanation. Perhaps someday additional primary source information will come to light to explain the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary assertion that "demolition derby" was in common use by the early 1950s.
Banger Racing
In British and European banger racing, cars race around a track for a designated number of laps, as in traditional automobile racing. However, in banger events, drivers attempt to disable one another by crashing into opponents or running them off the track. This type of competition is known as enduro racing in the United States. At the conclusion of many banger events, all cars in running condition participate in an American-style demolition derby, in which the winner is the last car able to move.
Despite its uncertain beginnings, the sport's popularity grew steadily throughout the 1960s, establishing a strong tradition as part of county fairs in rural communities and becoming identified as a quirky subculture on the national level. ABC's Wide World of Sports, a weekly sports program with a vast viewing audience in the days before cable television, provided occasional national coverage of demolition derby in the early 1970s. Perhaps the best indicator the sport had "arrived" was when demolition derby became associated with Happy Days, one of the most-watched television sitcoms of the 70s. Happy Days' main character, Fonzie, a loveable rebel without a cause, had an on-again, off-again relationship with Pinky Tuscadero, a professional demolition derby driver. The plot line of three related episodes in the program's second season revolved around demolition derby, demonstrating that by the 70s the sport had entered mainstream American consciousness.
Although demolition derby's passionate competitors, promoters, and fans do not seem overly concerned with the exact beginning of their sport, some are worried by its uncertain future. The unpredictable mix of technology, economics, and politics makes it impossible to predict whether the sport will be around a generation or two from now.
The Future of the Sport
While not an imminent threat to demolition derbies in this country, environmental laws have outlawed events in France, the Netherlands, and Germany. In the course of competition, gasoline, oil, transmission fluid and anti-freeze are routinely spilled onto the ground. Additionally, large clouds of unfiltered exhaust are released into the atmosphere, because catalytic converters and other pollution control devices are stripped off the cars prior to competition. In Europe, concerns over these pollutants have led to legislation preventing the growth of the sport. Luckily for American demo derby competitors and fans, the current popularity of auto racing and other events such as monster truck racing make the idea of restricting motor sports based on environmental grounds almost unthinkable. And reports from England indicate that banger racing and demolition derby are -- for now -- both thriving.
If trends in American and British environmental law follow those in Europe, a generation from now there may be specific restrictions on demolition derbies. Already the laws governing automotive technology for emissions control and fuel efficiency are impacting demolition derby in the United States. Emission control standards have given rise to computerized ignition modules, oxygen sensors, and other sophisticated pollution control devices on auto engines. This technology has improved air quality in recent years, but as any backyard mechanic knows, the days of doing your own tune-ups have all but ended. Newer engines are too complex for nonprofessionals to tinker around with, and once stripped of all the pollution control devices in preparation for a demolition derby, the newer engines run very poorly -- or sometimes not at all -- in the hands of casual competitors. Such competitors make up a significant percentage of the field in most events. As older cars with standard carburetors, distributors, and other traditional mechanical systems become scarce, it will become more and more difficult for newcomers to enter the sport.
The Chrysler Imperial, '64 through '67, is the hardest car ever made for the general public. Most demolition derby competitions don't allow it -- it's simply too powerful. We asked Speedo to explain why. He says there are two reasons. First of all,the Chrysler Imperial has a truck chassis -- far heavier and thicker than a regular car body. But there's another reason the Imperial is so strong. That is, the frame of the car is made from a single band of steel (called an "O-frame") that goes all the way around the car. Most cars have holes or weak spots in their frame which are made to twist and bend on impact. These are known as "crumple zones." An SUV, for example, uses a "C-frame" that doesn't go all the way around the car. "If an Imperial was to have a head-on collision with an SUV," says Speedo, "The SUV would be completely undriveable. The Imperial would back up and drive away." Crumple zones are an important safety feature that every modern car has. When a car crumples on impact, it absorbs most of the force, protecting the driver. An Imperial doesn't crumple. So all the force goes right into the driver's body. Photo by Bill Lowenburg |
Some promoters are very concerned about this reality, while others are not. Veteran promoter Elwood "Sonny" Hall, who has been staging demolition derbies in Michigan and the surrounding states for twenty-five years, expressed his concerns in an article in Amusement Business, a trade publication devoted to out-of-home entertainment activities. "Computers [in the newer engines] will kill us," said Hall. "I hope to get three or four more years out of what we're doing. It's getting harder to find rear-wheel drive carbureted cars. In the last 15 years, with all the fuel injections, sensory intakes and exhaust manifolds, the cars are getting too hot and shut down."
In contrast, Delbert "Rudy" Rudolph, whose R&R Productions is based in Kentucky, and who stages over 60 demolition derbies around the country each year, feels the sport is "at least holding its own." He cited the small Plainfield Township Farmers Grove competition held annually outside Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, as an example. "Here's a small country venue," said Rudy, "and in two nights we'll have 130 to 140 cars here." The number of newcomers he saw at this particular derby also encouraged him. "Out of all the drivers here, there's maybe 15 to 18 I'd call semi-pro, or real serious competitors. Most of 'em are just out to have a good time."
Regardless of trends in technology, the basic economic principle of supply and demand is entering into the lives of those who participate in demolition derby on a regular basis. Competitors in some parts of the country complain that their favorite demo cars from the 1960s and 70s are increasingly harder to find. The mindset for traditional demolition derbies has always been, when it comes to cars, "the bigger the better." Bigger cars not only crash more spectacularly, they are more durable and can be repaired to compete in more than one event. With the supply of older eight-cylinder cars becoming thin, the past few seasons have seen the rise of compact car derbies.
Compact cars, of which there is an abundant supply, provide their own unique brand of entertainment for the fans -- and new challenges and thrills to the drivers. Compacts are lighter, more maneuverable, and equipped with front-wheel drive, making their rear ends well suited to battering one another. Additionally, their four-cylinder engines can often run longer without overheating like the eight-cylinder engines in bigger cars. Despite offering less protection for the driver, there is no shortage of competitors willing to crash compact vehicles. Assuming that demolition derby survives the next decade, larger vehicles will almost certainly make a comeback, as SUVs, minivans, and pickup trucks presently account for more than half of all vehicles sold in the US each year, and their size makes them excellent candidates for derbying.
Many prominent competitors and people central to the sport today believe demolition derby is on the upswing. Sam Dargo, president of the International Demolition Derby Association, scoffs at the suggestion that the sport is doomed, or even in serious trouble. Responding to the concerns, he explained in a phone interview that demo competitors will simply adapt and modify the newer vehicles as needed. Brothers Woody and Bob Kemmerer, who own 422 Auto Inc., in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and who both compete in and serve as officials at national events, agreed that from what they observe around the country, the sport appears to be growing.
While technological advances in vehicle emission controls have challenged competitors, other technology offers positive opportunities. Through websites like the IDDA Homepage which has over 10,000 registered members, the Schutte Demo Page and others, the Internet has greatly fostered communication among competitors and fans. Through these online forums, competitors share information and help one another to locate vehicles, solve technical problems, and find events.
The economic outlook for demolition derby is in many ways quite optimistic. Estimates vary on the number of events held nationally each year, from a low of 750 to a high of over 2,500. Most are held at county fairs, although there are also independent promotions. According to Amusement Business, "demolition derbies are currently the largest draw at county fairs, outside of top name talent." While some fairs hold two derby events, most hold one, generally on the last night, when attendance is highest. Amusement Business confirms that for most fairs around the country, there are "few if any empty seats in the grandstands." Attendance at demolition derbies is estimated to exceed one million spectators each year, with some big events drawing ten thousand fans or more. Television coverage on the Discovery Channel and other cable stations is sporadic, but, like those demolition derby cars that just won't seem to quit, it keeps coming back.
Bill Lowenburg is a photographer and writer. His book, Crash, Burn, Love: Demolition Derby Photographs, is scheduled for release by Lodima Press in the summer of 2004.
The Rules of the Pit
Preparing a car for competition
- Entry fees are generally around $30 per car. Heat winners receive $40 to $60 and a trophy, and feature winners are awarded from $400 to $1500 plus a trophy. Each year a few televised events offer prize money of $10,000 to $25,000 or more.
- All glass and trim must be removed from the car. Some promoters allow drivers the option of retaining or removing the windshield. Those who remove it may install a wire screen to protect themselves from flying debris.
- All flammable material from the car's interior must be removed: passenger seats, dash board, carpeting, etc.
- The gas tank must be removed and replaced with a small two-to-three gallon tank, located behind the driver's seat. This tank must be secured to the floor and shielded against impact. Competitors use sheet metal, small oil drums, or beer kegs to protect their fuel tanks.
- The muffler, catalytic converter, and exhaust pipes must be removed.
- The battery must be relocated to the floor on the passenger side, where it must be secured and shielded.
- The trunk, hood, and doors must be secured with wire, chains, threaded rod, or welds. The amount of welding allowed varies greatly and is a controversial topic among competitors.
- "Outlaw derbies" allow extensive welding and reinforcement to the interior, exterior, and frame of the cars. Vehicles in these derbies are so strong they generally fail from overheated engines rather than structural damage.
- Stock tires are generally required. Many competitors use slightly under-inflated snow tires in the hope of achieving better traction.
- A hole of 12 to 18 inches in diameter must be cut into the middle of the hood so a fire hose can be inserted if necessary.
Driver Requirements
- Drivers must be 18 years old and possess a valid driver's license. Some promoters require competitors to provide registration cards for the cars when checking in to prevent wrecks from being abandoned at the venue.
- Competitors and crew members must sign release forms in order to enter the pit area.
- Drivers are required to wear a helmet, goggles, and gloves, along with a long-sleeved shirt and long pants. Some also wear a neck support in order to prevent whiplash.
- Alcohol is not allowed in the pit area, and anyone suspected of being under the influence is ejected.
Rules for competition
- No head-on collisions and no driver's door hits. Both are grounds for immediate disqualification.
- Competitors must hit a "live" car every sixty seconds. To hit only as often as required or to brake just before contact to preserve one's car is known as "sandbagging." To be regarded as a sandbagger is the biggest disgrace to aficionados.
- Teamwork (pinning or blocking a rival so a friend can smash into them) or "ganging up" on a competitor is illegal, but it is almost impossible to enforce and does take place in many derbies.
- Drivers' arms and heads must remain inside the car. As obvious as this sounds, competitors sometimes get to gesturing and shouting at one another in the heat of battle and must be reminded on the public address system to protect themselves.
- Engine fires are usually cause for disqualification. Some judges decide on a case-by-case basis, allowing minor fires to be extinguished and the car to continue. Fully equipped fire-fighting crews are always at trackside and are frequently called into action. Ambulance crews are present as well but are seldom needed.
Strategy Basics
- Ideally, hit the front of someone else's car with the back of your car. Try to damage the competitor's motor and cooling system and preserve yours.
- Damage the competitors' steering by hitting their front wheel wells from an angle.
- Flatten opponents' tires by ramming them with the end of your bumper.
- Knock competitors up over the concrete or log barriers around the perimeter of the arena. Conversely, avoid getting pinned against the perimeter or in among a group of "dead" cars.
- Time your collision to coincide with another car, hitting an opponent from the opposite side. This is very difficult to accomplish, especially early in a heat when many cars are still active.
Bill Lowenburg is a photographer and writer. His book, Crash, Burn, Love: Demolition Derby Photographs, is scheduled for release by Lodima Press in the summer of 2004.