Demolition derby cars lead a hard life. In fact, you could say every car that enters a derby is about to undergo the worst retirement party imaginable. These clunkers, typically at the end of their useful lives, rarely emerge from the other side under their own power. Demo derbies are a great way to have some weekend fun whether you\u2019re a spectator or a driver, but chances are you haven\u2019t heard much about the history of this particular brand of automotive mayhem. It turns out that derbies have been going on for decades and have a colorful past as loud and abrasive as their present.<\/span><\/p>\n From Legitimate Racing To Pure Entertainment<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n According to lore, the very first \u201cfull contact\u201d<\/span> racing event<\/a> <\/strong>took place in 1946 in Gardena, California, where a local promoter set a group of jalopies free at Carroll Speedway and charged spectators to view the carnage. It wasn\u2019t until the 1950s, however, that demolition derby cars became a regular fixture at county fairs and race tracks across the country, where they quickly moved away from their motor sports roots and embraced the automotive agony that comes from seeing a crowd of vehicles ram into each other at a high rate of speed.<\/span><\/p>\n Demolition derbies became a worldwide phenomenon, too: crowds gathered in Australia, England, Canada and the United States to witness the spectacle. It wasn\u2019t long before fields were climbing in size, with as many as 75\u2013100 cars spinning through the dirt at the same time. Television smelled blood in the water and networks began to broadcast major derbies throughout the 70s and 80s before leveling off and slowly disappearing from the small screen by the end of the 90s.<\/span><\/p>\n The Bigger The Better<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Traditionally, demolition derby cars have been full-size sedans and wagons, with the latter revered for their additional ramming space between the back axle and the bumper. With all glass removed and a safety cage installed, drivers seek to disable other participants by hitting their rides in the most vulnerable area, the engine bay, in the hopes of puncturing a<\/span> radiator<\/a><\/strong> or cracking a block. Big overhangs and heavy metal guarantee more protection for vital components, but in truth there have been derbies where even brand new automobiles have been used as a promotional stunt.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s all about what will attract a crowd and create the biggest, most adrenaline-filled show. This has lead to bizarre situations where lawn tractors, farm equipment and even school buses and motor homes have entered the demolition derby fray. Sometimes extra points or cash prizes are awarded for the most aggressive drivers or the most spectacular collisions, in addition to the money given out to the last driver still mobile at the end of the fracas. With as many as 2,000 derbies underway in the United States alone in a given year, there\u2019s as much variety out there as there are cars in your local mall parking lot.<\/span><\/p>\n For more information on racing and derbys, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local<\/span> NAPA AUTO PARTS store<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n Photo Credit:<\/span>\u00a0Destruction Demolition Derby 5<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by<\/span>\u00a0Chase Anderton<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(<\/span>FreeImages.com<\/a><\/strong>).<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n This article has been reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder, National Automotive Parts Association. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Click here for more\u00a0<\/i><\/span>automotive tips and stories<\/a><\/i><\/strong>\u00a0from NAPA.<\/i><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":8307,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[136],"tags":[3342,4108,4109,4106,4102,4105,4104,4107,3491,3037,3028,4103,2241],"class_list":["post-8305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-automotive-history","tag-benjamin-hunting","tag-carroll-speedway","tag-cracked-block","tag-demo-derbies","tag-demolition-derby","tag-demolition-derby-cars","tag-derby-cars","tag-first-demolition-derby","tag-napa","tag-napa-auto-parts","tag-national-automotive-parts-association","tag-racing","tag-radiator"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t