Demolition Derby drivers crash, smash their way to glory at DuPage County Fair

It might seem crazy to spend weeks getting a car ready for a show only to smash it as hard as you can into other cars.

But the competitors in the demolition derby at the DuPage County Fair live for it.

If it moves — stock cars, welded vehicles, minivans and trucks, four cylinders or six, even lawn mowers — derby drivers will crash it. And back it up and smash it again. And again. Until just one vehicle remains with the ability to drive off under its own power.

The spectacle — with its body-bending, window-smashing, bone-jarring hits — will thrill audiences at 1 and 6 p.m. Sunday, July 31, in the Grandstand Arena at the DuPage County Fair.

Among the competitors will be Joe Jackson, a 24-year-old driver from St. Charles. For Jackson, the demolition derby is a family affair. His dad started about 28 years ago, and his cousin, grandpa and sister also compete.

Derbies are a great frustration reliever, Jackson said.

“When I'm going at someone, I can see their eyes get really big and they think, ‘Uh oh, I'm about to get hit really hard,'” Jackson says. “I'm like, ‘Yes you are.'”

Jackson is bringing his all to the DuPage County Fair, as it is his hometown show. He feels some pressure to perform well, knowing his family, friends and even some of his high school teachers will be there watching him.

Though it raises the stakes, the crowd can be a great motivator, too.

“If I can see the crowd going crazy, it makes me want to do stronger hits,” he says.

In his 10 years competing, he has gotten used to delivering stronger hits, though when he first started out he was intimidated by what seemed like bigger, stronger cars.

Now, he says, he's becoming known in the world of competitive demolition derbies and some drivers target his car right when they get in the ring.

The demolition derby is one of the most popular events at the fair, says Mark Harvel, promoter at MPH Demos, which brings the derby to the fair. And, he says, it's easy to see why.

“People like to see cars get smashed,” Harvel said. “It's an old sport.”

Beyond the excitement of seeing the crashes, audiences are treated to the intensity of competitors vying for trophies, prize money and — maybe most important — bragging rights.

Planning and preparing for demolition derbies can be a year-round hobby, Harvel said. Organizers field questions from drivers all year, and some can spend anywhere from two weeks to months building their competition vehicles, he said.

The trick to being the last vehicle standing, whether you're in a car or lawn mower, Harvel says, is to keep moving.

“You've just got to make aggressive hits every minute and a half,” Harvel said. “We don't want people just driving around and not hitting anything and winning the show.”

Though he was a hard hitter, Harvel was never a first-place winner at fair demos.

“I always made the kill shots and killed myself,” he explained.

However, he still misses the adrenaline of demo driving, which he had to stop after he broke his neck when his car rolled over while racing.

Whenever he watches the derby, Harvel is reminded of how much he misses the sport, he said. In his head, he even coaches the competitors on what to do.

“I am constantly thinking of myself (competing in the demolition derbies),” Harvel said. “I think, ‘You should do this, you should do that.'”

Although the event is kept relatively safe, cars still roll over and small fires can occur. The fire department will be on hand at the derby to make sure things don't get too out of control, Harvel said.

DuPage County Fair

<b>When:</b> 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. through Sunday, July 31

<b>Where:</b> DuPage County Fairgrounds, 2015 Manchester Road, Wheaton

<b>Admission:</b> $10 ages 13 to 61; $4 for children; $5 for seniors; military personnel free with ID

<b>Info:</b> <a href="http://www.dupagecountyfair.org

">dupagecountyfair.org</a>

<b>Friday, July 29</b>

Sock Hop with the Neverly Brothers

<b>Saturday, July 30 </b>

Latting Rodeo, 1 and 6 p.m. in Grandstand Arena ($15 tickets in addition to admission)

<b>Sunday, July 31</b>

Demolition Derby, 1 and 6 p.m. in Grandstand Arena ($15 tickets in addition to admission)