Solid night of Demo Derby action

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XENIA — Fans who witnessed Monday night’s Smash It Demolition Derby saw one of the better demolition derby events to hit the Greene County Fairgrounds infield in recent years.

Large car counts. Seven separate events, and even one for little kids. And plenty of closely contested events.

The fun got under way with a Big Wheels demolition, with 14 helmeted youngsters crashing into each other in their Power Wheels battery-powered toy cars. In that fun event, which was held on the front stretch of the fair’s Chip Noble Memorial Racetrack, everybody went home with a trophy.

When the adults got involved, the demolition derby action moved within the cement barrier-encased infield.

In the evening’s opening adult event, Cable, Ohio’s Truitt Thomas outlasted Nick Hampshire’s machine from Washington Courthouse, with Xenia’s Brian Ellis earning third prize. The 13-minute battle of souped up and armored lawn mowers ended when Hampshire’s white machine named “Emily” failed to answer the call for a final head-on ramming attack with Thomas and stalled out with a puff of smoke.

In the Mini Street Stock division, Matt Edwards of Port William won the eight-car battle when Michael Wilson’s Washington Courthouse-based machine had to call it quits when officials ruled that it had suffered damage to its gas tank. Adam Ewing of Xenia finished third.

Clarksburg’s Roger Colter won the Compact Cars event in roughly nine minutes, when runner-up Shawn Johnson of Millerstown couldn’t keep his engine running after a final head-on collision with Colter’s machine. Another Washington Courthouse driver, Troy Shiltz, claimed third.

Eleven cars were in the first heat of the Street Stock competition. With the fans screaming “Cassie! Cassie! Cassie! with each hit of her pink-clad auto, Xenia’s Cassie Storer won the heat over Wilmington’s Mike Decker. Logan Cook of Martinsville finished third.

In the 12-car second heat of Street Stockers, Tyler Collins of New Vienna needed nearly 25 minutes to finally claim the win when the car’s engine of London’s runner-up Jordan Hutchinson gasped its last breath. Wilmington’s Jason Cook was the third-place finisher.

In the non-regulated Smash It class, where the competitors have their cars angled up to protect the radiators, lowered in the back, and layered in enough armor to almost qualify them as tanks, Lima’s Dean Allen delivered a hit that disabled the machine of South Charleston’s Zach Ruhe to win the class. Springfield’s Shane Sprinkle was third.

The Smash It Demolition Derby series heads to the Auglaize County Fair in Wapakoneta on Thursday. They’ll then host a demolition derby at the Preble County Fair, Saturday in Camden.

Jack Connor climbs through the front window to escape his burning demolition derby car, during the second heat of Street Stock competition, Monday July 31 at the Greene County Fair. Connor was unharmed in the fire.
https://www.fairborndailyherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2017/08/web1_JackConnor_PS.jpgJack Connor climbs through the front window to escape his burning demolition derby car, during the second heat of Street Stock competition, Monday July 31 at the Greene County Fair. Connor was unharmed in the fire. John Bombatch | Greene County News

Runner-up Zach Ruhe (right) of South Charleston congratulates Smash It division winner Dean Allen of Lima after Monday’s July 31 final demolition derby competition at the Greene County Fair in Xenia.
https://www.fairborndailyherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2017/08/web1_DeanAllenZachRuhe_PS.jpgRunner-up Zach Ruhe (right) of South Charleston congratulates Smash It division winner Dean Allen of Lima after Monday’s July 31 final demolition derby competition at the Greene County Fair in Xenia. John Bombatch | Greene County News

By John Bombatch

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Contact John Bombatch at 937-372-4444, Ext. 2123. Or look for John at the Greene County Fair. He’ll gladly take his photo with you for the Scavenger Hunt.

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