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A pack of sedans, minivans and other mud-spattered cars in the MWFA class maneuver their way through the infield pit at the Mercer County Fairgrounds grandstand venue on Saturday afternoon.
CELINA - Not long before the green flags waved Saturday afternoon, the demolition derby drivers in the MWFA class were given a little extra encouragement by public address announcer Dustin Hughes: If anyone ever had a beef with the Mercer County Commissioners, now was their chance to get revenge.
The men and women behind the wheels of the seriously dated sedans, minivans and even a PT Cruiser revved up their engines and proceeded to buffet, batter and bash their foes' vehicles to kingdom come.
Amid the freshly watered dirt pit, outlined by concrete slabs, was a dilapidated gray minivan already destined for the junkyard, belonging to the fairgrounds. In it sat Mercer County Commissioner Dave Buschur, a demo derby neophyte who, just shy of 41, was about to experience the jolt of a lifetime.
Mercer County Commissioner Dave Buschur drives the fairground's demoted minivan in the demolition derby Saturday afternoon.
"That guy really helped me out," Buschur said sarcastically about Hughes. "I had a sheriff star that said 'cadet' on the door, which they might as well painted a bullseye on me."
The salvo of vehicular wallops and poundings came fast and furious from all directions of the muddy battleground, offering Buschur a stupefying introduction to the wild world of the demolition derby.
"That was a shocker, especially when you didn't see it coming," Buschur said of the first smash-up. "It happens fast out there. You hit somebody and you hurry up and pop it and drive and get away from them, because if you're sitting too long, you feel like you're going to get lit up by somebody else."
Buschur emerged triumphant from the three-way Celebrity Derby Driver contest against Mercer County Sheriff Doug Timmerman and Mercer County Common Pleas Probate/Juvenile Court Judge Matt Gilmore by garnering the largest amount of donations in his name.
In addition to helping raise money for the sheriff's office cadet program, Buschur earned a spot in the MWFA class of the Mercer County Demolition Derby Saturday evening, going head-to-head with other mostly novice drivers.
"Once I won out of the three elected officials, then I really wanted to win the whole race or at least get third, because once you're in third, you're in the money. Then I thought if I win some money, I could donate into the cadets program as well," Buschur told The Daily Standard on Sunday afternoon while nursing his body aches.
Buschur was assigned an old minivan decommissioned by the Mercer County Fairgrounds, according to fair board president Bart Leininger, who helped organize Saturday's demolition derby.
"It was an old maintenance van from the county that we used around here for our maintenance guy to drive around until we got a different vehicle," Leininger said. "The vehicle was basically on the verge of (us) getting rid of it - take it to the junkyard and be done with it."
Instead, fair board members decided to put the moribund minivan to use in a Celebrity Derby Driver contest to raise funds for the sheriff's cadet program. The demolition derby has hosted similar fundraisers in the past for Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE), FFA and junior fair committees.
Mercer County Fair Board members vow to make the fair a premier derby site. Over the last few years, a new sound system, lighting and video screens have been added.
"We just continuously try to think of different ways to raise money to support those guys that come out here and support us," Leininger said.
The sheriff's office cadet program focuses on recruiting deputies and putting them through training, Mercer County Sheriff Doug Timmerman said.
Make no mistake, the celebrity driver contest also helped drum up enthusiasm for the demolition derby.
"He always draws a good crowd," Leininger said of Buschur. "People like to see Dave and go out there and support him."
To get the minivan ready for the demolition derby, officials gutted most of the interior, glass and sideview mirrors, paring it down to its essentials.
"Those would have been helpful when you're backing up," Buschur said about the sideview mirrors. "I just had that rearview mirror on the windshield, no sideview mirrors."
In total, More than 130 derby cars and 24 power wheels cars competed across nine classes of action at the fair on Saturday. The demolition derby started at 4 p.m. and ran past 10 p.m.
Ahead of entering his first demolition derby, Buschur sought out some pointers from experienced drivers.
"You know, try to hit the back end of the car so you save your motor and your steering, things like that," he said. "Until you start doing it, I think it's learning really quick on the job whenever you've got a bunch of people trying to hit you."
Among the people Buschur asked for advice was Leininger, who said he grew up in the demolition derby world.
"He actually came up to me before he went out there, and he's like, 'I've never done this before, so what do I need to do?'" Leininger said. "Well, I said, 'First of all, don't hit any driver's doors to protect your front wheels because that's the thing that's going to keep you moving. Somebody blows your wheels off, you're done."
He also advised the newbie driver to use the back end of his minivan as much as possible.
"Basically using the back, you're not as worried about blowing the radiator out, which will lose your water; your motor's going to get hot and shut off," Leininger explained. "You want to try to protect your front tires because those are front-wheel drives, so if you break an axel, you're not going to be moving."
The demolition derby drew a good-sized crowd to the grandstand and pit areas at the fair. Spectators enjoyed several hours of smashing entertainment under a blazing sun Saturday.
Prior to the MWFA class round, a truck sprayed water on the dirt pit, not only to keep the dust down but to protect drivers.
"As you get to the bigger cars with the bigger engines and stuff in them, you've got to keep the speed down, too. So you want them spinning tires and throwing mud, not getting enough traction to run 40-50 miles an hour across the track and hit somebody," Leininger said. "You're out there to have fun, and not try to hurt somebody."
Buschur's minivan got stuck in the mud at times.
"At times you couldn't get enough traction to get going very fast, and you'd have to kind of claw your way out of the mud hole, then gutting a little bit better," he recalled. "Anytime you weren't moving fast, you're always paranoid you're going to get lit up again."
In the end, Buschur's minivan was rendered inoperable when his steering cut out, but he still managed to finish in a commendable fourth place, albeit winning no cash prize.
"My engine was still running but I lost the ability to steer, so I'd say I broke some tie rods," he said. "It was having some issues in reverse but we were getting by with that, but then I busted some tie rods."
Though he banged up his knee and hip on his left side where his minivan absorbed the most impactful blows, Buschur said the demolition derby was a thrilling experience that also brought some attention and money to the sheriff's office cadet program.
"It was a really good time. I kind of got a whole new respect for those guys doing it," he said. "It's easy to sit in the grandstand and watch them, but it is a little bit nerve-wracking when you're in a car and you try to keep your head on a swivel to see if you're going to get hit from a different direction. So a whole new appreciation (for the sport)."
The demolition derby was axed from the fair's line-up in 2014 due to profit losses the previous years but came soaring back to life in 2019. Its popularity continues to grow each year, according to Leininger.
"Not trying to toot my own horn, but the way our derby is put together, I feel like we're more at that national level of derby," he said. "Mercer County is known for derby. I mean, some of the best derby (drivers) around are from Mercer County."
This year's power wheels cars class attracted 24 entries.
Saturday's action featured nine classes of vehicles, from the power wheels cars driven by children all the way to Pro Stock vehicles operated by seasoned derby masters who battled it out for a top payout of $5,000.
"We had a lot of classes, but overall it was a great show, especially with what the circumstances were," Leininger said, alluding to the original promoter that pulled out at the last minute.
However, disaster was averted when Midwest Derby Team stepped in.
In total, more than 130 actual derby cars and 24 power wheels cars showed up. To accommodate the large number of racers, the derby started early at 4 p.m. and ran through about 10:15 p.m.
"Mostly, they're locals, but we had a lot of people from Portland. We had some from this Outlaw class - that was a new one - those guys came from like West Virginia," Leininger said.
Looking forward, Leininger said he'd like to increase the payout amounts by gaining more event sponsors and consolidate some of the classes to streamline the action.
"There is a lot of work that goes in with it that people don't understand, and then with a promoter backing out two days prior to the derby, that threw another wrench, especially when we had two days of concerts, trying to prepare for this also. But we got it done," he said proudly.
A severely crumpled yet still operable car powers ahead at the demolition derby.
