Another wild ride
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Nothing signals county fair week like the simultaneous squeal of twisted metal and excited demolition derby fans.
By 7 p.m. Tuesday, fair-goers had packed the bleachers of the Budweiser Grandstand for the Valone Ford Championship Demolition Derby, the first qualifying round of the 2008 Chautauqua County Fair competition. The demolition derby this year featured the traditional small, medium and large divisions of vehicles, with over 90 cars converted into four-wheeled wrecking crews bent on powersliding into Sunday's finals.
"It's crashing cars. It's danger," Bruce Kaus, announcer for the event, said about the appeal of demolition derbies. "There's always the possibility one of these things is going to roll over. People have big interests. Their kids are out here; their grandchildren are out here; their brothers and sisters. This is an event I've been involved with since I was 14 years old. I've never not seen it draw a big crowd. It's always big."The section of track below the grandstand used for the event was already a bit muddy and rutted in places from the heavy rains earlier in the day. However, it was nothing compared to how the track looked three hours later after countless crashes and a bonanza of mud-bogging burnouts.
As the first of the evening's five heats began, the acrid smell of burnt motor fluids and rubber drifted to the height of the grandstand. Soon, the cheers of the crowd grew to rival the rev of engines and roar of two-ton collisions.
Traditionally, the last two cars making hits in each heat qualify for the finals, along with the Best In Show as decided by crowd fanfare afterward.
However, this year, a new feature was added to the demolition derby. After each heat, the car numbers of all non-winners were placed in a bag and a drawing was held for a bonus chance at entry into the finals.
After a few short delays during Heat A - small cars - in which Jason White (A4), of Fredonia, was forced to bow out due to a broken seatbelt from a driverside hit and Chuck Dillenburg (A3), of Sheridan, suffered a minor injury from a big hit, the first finalists of the evening were announced.
The winners were Brian Gonzalas (A13), of Lakeview, and Mike Hodkin (A11), of Fredonia, with Dillenburg as Best In Show. Mike Crowell (A17), of Irving, was picked as the bonus finalist.
The winners in Heat B - 6-cylinder front-wheel drive cars - were Gonzalas (B42) and Tim Kolassa (B67), of Fredonia, with first-time driver Josh Borrello (B40), of Fredonia, as Best In Show. Ed Bowman (B37), of Ashville, was picked as the bonus finalist.
The highlight of the heat occurred about midway through when Cory Near (B46), of Dunkirk, had his car flipped onto its side. Once his car was righted, Near still managed to finish the heat.
The final three heats brought the big boys out to battle, and the hits became even more ear-splitting and ground-shaking.
The winners in Heat C - 8-cylinder new models - were Tom Schaffer (C63) and Dan Adamczak (C60), with Chad Ellman (C66) as Best In Show, all of them from Dunkirk. Nate Smith (C62), of Sheridan, was picked as the bonus finalist.
There were three winners in Heat D - 8-cylinder new models - due to an extremely tight finish. The winners were Andrew Diaz (D103) and Ed Paluch (D97), both of Dunkirk, and Duane Nickerson (D96), of Fredonia, with first-time driver Melonie Schmidt (D101), of Silver Creek, as Best In Show.
"It rocked," Schmidt said after the heat. "I ran a couple of other places, but this was my first time here. It's awesome. Chicks can do it just as tough as the boys. We can play."
Aaron Clark (D104), of Brocton, was picked as the bonus finalist.
The winners in Heat E - 8-cylinder old models - were Kevin Davis (E123), of Dunkirk, and Dan Kessler (E136), of Fredonia, with Hank Pencek (E120), of Dunkirk, as Best In Show. Nate Case (E133), of North Carolina, was picked as the bonus finalist.
All winners were awarded a trophy and $200, and Best In Show were awarded a trophy.
There is another round of qualifying heats scheduled for Sunday at 4 p.m., followed by the demolition derby finals.
Comments on this article can be sent to jcuthbert@observertoday.com
