(Sept. 29, 2016) After watching from the sidelines for about eight years, Charity Smith decided to give Pocomoke’s annual demolition derby a go for herself.
“I just decided this was something I was going to do, and it was something I was going to try,” she said.
There was something about the cars.
“The car is the reason I wanted to do it. One fell into my lap for $200 in August. A 1989 Oldsmobile,” she said.
Smith’s husband, Shawn, was not only supportive of his wife’s destructive tendencies, he performed most of the modification work on the Oldsmobile himself, saving the couple a bundle in the process.
“We spent like $75 on parts, that’s it,” Smith explained.
And the work was not insubstantial — in all it took about three weeks to get her car ready to be demolished.
“He had to weld the doors shut, weld the trunk shut, and the interior needed to be removed in case of fire,” she explained.
Concerns about fire are taken very seriously at the demolition derby. A hole is cut in the hood, windows are removed, plus the fuel tank and battery are relocated inside the cab — and the volume of gasoline is intentionally limited — all to reduce the risk of fire.
Though it might take a little more effort to get it running for the next event. During her debut performance at the derby, the radiator was her downfall. She took a direct hit to the front of the car early, and while she recovered, she was still plagued by stalls during the competition.
“It kept getting too hot and shut off,” she explained.
But she, and the car, made it to the end.
According to the rules, drivers have 60 seconds to make contact with other cars during the derby or they’re disqualified. Smith’s car was the last to go before a winner was crowned.
She quickly became a fan favorite during her first and only heat of the derby, and went on to place second in her division, beating out four other cars with more experienced drivers.
“It was exciting,” she said. “I wasn’t nervous, I was just ready to hit the next driver.”
She competed in the light cars division, which went first in the demolition derby. For safety reasons the smaller cars were grouped together before the larger vehicles took center stage. After those initial heats were completed, a feature derby was held that mixed up all the still-operable vehicles in a free-for-all. But, since she was a first-year driver, Smith could not participate in that event this year due to safety concerns. The feature was only open to more experienced drivers.
Which was OK with her, since she plans on returning to this, and only this, event next year.
“I like this local one. It’s good family event,” she said.
Several other drivers also compete in the demolition derby at the Delaware State Fair. “All the drivers helped work on the cars — it was a good environment. They were competitive, but not in a mean-spirited way. They weren’t aggressive about it,” Smith said.
And she intends to run the same car next year.
“We towed it there and back, and it’s still drivable. So I’ll be back with this car,” she said. “I wouldn’t change a thing. The best part was getting second place, I just didn’t want to be the first one out.”
“I just decided this was something I was going to do, and it was something I was going to try,” she said.
There was something about the cars.
“The car is the reason I wanted to do it. One fell into my lap for $200 in August. A 1989 Oldsmobile,” she said.
Smith’s husband, Shawn, was not only supportive of his wife’s destructive tendencies, he performed most of the modification work on the Oldsmobile himself, saving the couple a bundle in the process.
“We spent like $75 on parts, that’s it,” Smith explained.
And the work was not insubstantial — in all it took about three weeks to get her car ready to be demolished.
“He had to weld the doors shut, weld the trunk shut, and the interior needed to be removed in case of fire,” she explained.
Concerns about fire are taken very seriously at the demolition derby. A hole is cut in the hood, windows are removed, plus the fuel tank and battery are relocated inside the cab — and the volume of gasoline is intentionally limited — all to reduce the risk of fire.
Though it might take a little more effort to get it running for the next event. During her debut performance at the derby, the radiator was her downfall. She took a direct hit to the front of the car early, and while she recovered, she was still plagued by stalls during the competition.
“It kept getting too hot and shut off,” she explained.
But she, and the car, made it to the end.
According to the rules, drivers have 60 seconds to make contact with other cars during the derby or they’re disqualified. Smith’s car was the last to go before a winner was crowned.
She quickly became a fan favorite during her first and only heat of the derby, and went on to place second in her division, beating out four other cars with more experienced drivers.
“It was exciting,” she said. “I wasn’t nervous, I was just ready to hit the next driver.”
She competed in the light cars division, which went first in the demolition derby. For safety reasons the smaller cars were grouped together before the larger vehicles took center stage. After those initial heats were completed, a feature derby was held that mixed up all the still-operable vehicles in a free-for-all. But, since she was a first-year driver, Smith could not participate in that event this year due to safety concerns. The feature was only open to more experienced drivers.
Which was OK with her, since she plans on returning to this, and only this, event next year.
“I like this local one. It’s good family event,” she said.
Several other drivers also compete in the demolition derby at the Delaware State Fair. “All the drivers helped work on the cars — it was a good environment. They were competitive, but not in a mean-spirited way. They weren’t aggressive about it,” Smith said.
And she intends to run the same car next year.
“We towed it there and back, and it’s still drivable. So I’ll be back with this car,” she said. “I wouldn’t change a thing. The best part was getting second place, I just didn’t want to be the first one out.”