MOUNT VERNON — Mud and car parts were flying Monday night at the Knox County Fairgrounds as the Demolition Derby drew a large crowd to enjoy the action. Cars took their best shots at each other until there was just one car standing at the end of the night. Ryan Wisecarver of Zanesville was the champion, outsmashing 12 other finalists who made it through three heats to the feature.
“This is an adrenaline rush,” said Wisecarver. “It’s an adrenaline rush like no other. We travel to a lot of these for the adrenaline. It’s like jumping from an airplane, but you better have a parachute.”
Three drivers from each of the three heats, and three drivers from the consolation heat made it to the final feature event. In Heat No. 1, Jamie Arnett of Mount Vernon, J.R. Moreland of Mount Vernon and Curtis Brown Jr. of Polk all made it into the feature.
“Sometimes you can really get jarred around,” said Brown, “but that’s why it’s fun.”
In the second heat, Scott Annett of Mount Vernon, Jamie Sigler of Wooster and Eric Wilson of Walhonding all advanced. The third heat featured Wisecarver, Joel Nicholls of Mount Vernon and Chad Kelly of Crooksville all advancing to the finals.
“We put a lot of time and effort into these cars to come out and put a show on for the people,” Wisecarver said. “That’s what I am here for. I don’t want to take a car back in the same shape I brought it in. That is the way we do things.”
The fourth and final heat was the consolation heat, in which any car that did not qualify in the first three heats had a shot at making it to the feature. Although many cars took the chance, only three qualified to continue — Jim Kelly of Crooksville, Marcus Bailey of Butler and Don McDaniel of Howard.
While the feature event was set, the compact cars came into the ring to show the hits that they can dish and take, and they put on quite a show themselves with some of the hardest hitting of the night. Dusty Dady of Roseville finished first, with Moreland, who competed in both the compact and feature derbies which put him out in the action three separate times, finishing second and Bob Fry of Mount Vernon finishing third.
“I had a blast,” said Dady. “I tried to stay out of the middle of the track, and work the track as best I could. I try and stay serious about the derby. We run in a bunch in the year, at least two or three times a month. I like Mount Vernon because it is close to home.”
Dady did just that as he survived the lengthy battle among the compact cars. Their one and only derby was one of the most action packed of the night with the hits coming from every direction and no car safe from getting slammed.
“I like hitting people and tonight I was getting hit a lot,” said Dady. “This was my second run on this car and it didn’t look like it got hurt too bad, so I’ll use it again for sure.”
At the conclusion of the compact car derby, the finalists were brought out for the feature. One car could not make it, but the rest showed up and gave the crowd exactly what it was looking for — hits and retaliations. Wisecarver came out on top, with Brown Jr. finishing second and Jim Kelly finishing third overall.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Brown Jr. “I was trying to place. I tried to go out there and tear it up, and ended up placing.”
“It’s all about fun and making a little bit of money that you put right back into the cars,” said Wisecarver. “If I am going, I am going to win. I couldn’t do this without my brothers and all their help. My girlfriend is great, putting up with all the garage time.”
Wisecarver used his demolition derby experience to outlast and outfox the other drivers on his way to winning, but he knows without the crowd he couldn’t keep on competing.
“I have been doing this since I was 18 so I am going on my 11th year, and I am starting to get a little sore from it,” said a smiling Wisecarver. “I got whacked around a few times out there. I lost the power steering about halfway through the feature and that wore me out. Even though you are putting the hits on people, you still know you are hitting, you feel it too.”
“The crowd is what gets you pumped,” Wisecarver continued. “You know they are seeing what you are doing. They see when you are hitting people hard.”
