DEMO founder and owner Dustin Woods hopes a great weather forecast for the weekend in Northeast Tennessee will give his event a shot at redemption to impress the many motorsports fans throughout the region with this weekend’s DEMO3 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Oct. 1-4.
The mega demolition derby event was marred by Hurricane Helene last year and Woods feels like with Mother Nature’s cooperation it can live up to its full potential this time around. Last year Woods held the event at BMS rain or shine, but afterwards made a solid gesture monetary donation from the event’s proceeds to those whose lives were impacted by the terrible flooding.
“Last year was unfortunate for us and there were bigger things happening in the community with the storm and we tried to do our part and do whatever we could to help,” Woods said. “We are looking at a better forecast this year and we are a year removed from what happened so we hope everyone will be able to come out and join us and have some fun.”
Woods’ bills his events as the biggest demolition derby events on the planet. Forever a favorite in the Midwest at state fairs and other large exhibition gatherings, demolition derby competitions haven’t been as quick to catch on or as prevalent in the East. Woods hopes to change that trend by showing Bristol fans how much entertainment and value is available this weekend at DEMO3.
“I like to tell fans to think of it as like a UFC fight except with cars in the ring,” Woods explained. “We like to call it combat motorsports. These competitors have $40- and $50,000 specially-constructed cars and are racing for more than $100,000 to win. Bristol Motor Speedway is the perfect venue because these drivers are Gladiators and The Last Great Colosseum is the perfect place to watch these cars battle.”
Woods and his team have been here all week getting the dirt octagon that is sitting near the middle of the iconic Bristol Motor Speedway infield ready. He said it takes three full days to build the square arena of dirt.
It takes significantly less time for a car to be destroyed in the arena. Some of the main targets are disabling steering, wheels and tires. Other big targets are engines, transmissions, rear axles and the vehicle frame. Vehicles can crash into any part of their opponent’s vehicle except the driver-side door.
“This is entertainment at the highest level, it’s a combat form of entertainment with high horsepower machines doing battle,” Woods said. “These cars hit hard and some of them get destroyed. There are teams of four that compete against each other and the objective is to immobilize your competition and ultimately eliminate them. Each driver has 60 seconds to make a hit and if they can’t make a hit they are deemed out. Every hit resets the 60-second hit clock. There is just a lot of action going on.”
Recent winner Nathan Grace, who claimed the Pro Team Division title at DEMO2 in June at Lima, Ohio at the controls of his modified 1998 Crown Vic “Triple Threat” with a Chevy engine attached to it, says he hopes he can keep his momentum going with a victory at Bristol this weekend.
“Everyone that you run against are top notch, the best drivers in the sport,” Grace said. “You have to keep your head on a swivel, and try not to put yourself in a bad spot and lookout for your teammates. You try to keep the front wheels on it and keep it steering the best you can. If you can do that you might have a shot at it.”
Fellow driver Derek Kreitlow, also a past winner in Pro Team Division, says this is his second year racing DEMO at Bristol and he would love to grab a victory at Thunder Valley.
“We won a big show in South Dakota, but to win here at Bristol would top it all,” Kreitlow said. “All the people who have competed here in all types of racing and won here, it would just be amazing to put my name on that list.”
Kreitlow says he has been involved in the sport since he was a kid and is fully addicted.
“I love the build and the people who are in the sport,” Kreitlow said. “ I have been around the sport my whole life. I started my own business building cars recently. I live and breathe this. I like challenging myself and building these cars is a great challenge. I just love this sport.”
Grace says he hopes fans will come out and check out the sport. He knows the ones who have never seen a demolition derby won’t be disappointed.
“There won’t be a quiet time on the track,” Grace said with a smile. “It’s going to be loud from the git-go and there will be a ton of action.”
In addition to the Pro Division, there will also be competition in the Futures Division, which showcases the ‘next stars’ of the sport, and also the Elite Lite category, which features battles in full sized stock cars and compact cars.
Grandstand tickets are $15 and for those who would like to get a closer look at the racing vehicles and meet the drivers, $70 pit pass tickets are available. To purchase tickets, please visit the DEMO website.
