http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ap-derbydownturn&prov=ap&type=lgns
I hope not. I haven't watched one in a very long time. I remember my dad taking me to a couple of demo derbies when I was a kid. Nothing like watching a bunch of old and busted Yank tanks duking it out. 
We have them 2X a day here it Atlanta, and the best part is everyone can be a driver! Unfortunately the only prize for winning is getting to do it again tomorrow.
I've been to three of them. The first was at my cousins wedding. I was 6, my brother was 8, and the reception was at the county fairgrounds. Dad was bored, Joe was bored, and I was bored. So dad took us through the parking lot to where we heard smashing noises and it was awesome. I'm pretty sure that Dad had to sleep on the couch for about a week after that.
I will be very sad if they do go.
If we all stop talking about high scrap prices, then we're the only ones who will know they're high. These are not the Hongs you're looking for. :shiftyeyes:
As long as there's cars, beer and dumb guys there will be demo derbies.
Actually any two of the three makes for exciting times.
jg
I've participated in a few of them. Our cars were built to the same level as some cars that I've seen at NASA race events. And we had to do so to be competitive. Sports Illustrated did an article on demo derbies in my hometown because they are taken so seriously.
Part of the reason derbies are dwindling are due to the lack of decent derby cars. The serious derbiers are grabbing all the remaining Imperials and '71-76 Chevies (and paying top dollar), and most other cars aren't competitive.
Demo derbies are fun. Semi-professional derbies are a lot of work, and expensive. But still fun. I won't do another derby unless I find the right car and spend about 100 hours building it (that 100 hours starts after stripping it and removing the body from the frame).
It's about as grassroots as it comes.
Im sure demo derbys will be gone soon, along with street stock dirt oval racing. Every derby I have heard of doesnt allow imperials anymore, the cars that will win are either monte carlos or chevelle wagons. Pretty much anything past the late 70s is too flimsy to take more than a few hits before it completely falls apart. Same with street stock cars, almost all of them are 2nd gen camaros, and they go though at least one car every year or two, and those cars are fast disapearing too.
I always wanted to do a demolition derby. Really, I thought it would be my first 'motorsports event.' That was until I went to one at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock GA. It looked a little different from what I remembered seeing on TV as a kid. These dudes were trying to berkeleying KILL each other. 30-40mph driver's door hits with a 4000lb. car is not my idea of fun.
If it's the same article I read...here's my favorite part:
"...Schutte[snip] is accustomed to seeing more than 100 cars at a single event. This year, there are only 40 to 50 as drivers of modest means are forced out."
I'm going to guess that as a general rule...most demo derby folks would consider themselves "of modest means" at best. That's not supposed to be taken as a dorogatory statement...btw.
Clem
The local fair has 3 scheduled. Big cars, medium cars and small cars. One of the race tracks near by has school bus demos and they are going to have an RV demo. Demos aren't dead yet.
There's still a demo derby every year at crash-a-rama. The light the loser on fire with the jet car.
I just went to one at the Ventura Country Fair. I later saw Trace Adkins play there. I love the fair 
I would think an RV demo would be a lot of fun.
how about an SUV demo?
mad_machine wrote: how about an SUV demo?
If people are really paying $5,000 for an engine, I can easily see people paying that much for a fairly decent SUV at auction and taking it to a derby. Sounds like great fun to me. I'd love to see Escalades duking it out :D
how about an SUV demo?
Brilliant!
I don't think any Demo Derby is worth being in the same place as Trace Adkins.
demo derbies are for wussies, figure 8s for the win
mad_machine wrote: how about an SUV demo?
SUV's used to be allowed (maybe they still are) in the pickup class in my hometown. A 3/4 ton Suburban, fully welded, makes for a hard hit.
DirtyBird222 wrote: demo derbies are for wussies, figure 8s for the win
Figure 8's where people crash aren't exciting. I've seen good cars torn up due to bad drivers. Figure 8's with good drivers, and no wrecks, are great.
I crewed a demo derby onece for my ex-bro-in-law. We found an old Prelude for cheap & thought we'd have fun in the compact class. When we got there, we found someone who had brought an AMC Eagle, with full cage and steel beams for bumpers!!! Which was intersting, because the published rules stated that bumpers could not be replaced. In Good Ol' Boy motorsports, it's all about who you know....
mad_machine wrote: I would think an RV demo would be a lot of fun. how about an SUV demo?
They have them with the trucks at my local county fair too. And they guy who said it earlier is right, 3/4 ton Suburbans and 3/4 ton puck ups hit really frickin' hard and don't give much. I bet the drivers in the truck/SUV class are espescially sore the next day.
I saw a trailer figure 8 race last year. Crazy.
Yep, old american Iron is going exctict...what do you think they used for all those years of DDs.
as for the suv idea, wreck it, pull the drive train and scrap it, with what iron is going for...
We had a Demo at the local oval track last night. The Promoters did a 20 lap 'enduro 'type race then the demo after with a bonus payout if the same guy won both segments. They had 4 car show up and the guy that won was driving a subaru legacy. The other three cars were a FWD Cadillac and two early 90's FWD 3100 series engined cars.
Most people around here have found that scrapping a car is much easier than putting it in a demo, which makes finding a car for a demo much more difficult.
Combine demolition derbies.
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