Behind the wheels of Fairview’s souped-up, sold-out demolition derby

The city’s two-week celebration culminated with a night of wreck-oning that included several aggressive heats, a few enthusiastic firemen who should really add “cheerleader” to their resumes, delicious wood-fired pizzas and an impressive fireworks display set to a soundtrack.  

It wasn’t just residents of the small city in Sanpete County that came to see the sold-out show, though. An informal “make some noise” survey indicated the audience was split pretty evenly between folks who called the county home and those who traveled from outside the county lines. 

In the hot seat

Nearly two dozen drivers suited up for the three competitive heats, as well as a half dozen first responders who participated in the charity heat. The driver’s meeting was short and to the point, mostly stressing the importance of safety. It was clear a majority of the drivers had competed before and knew the rules. 

Vanya Swapp, who drove a 1979 Chevrolet in one of the stock car heats, said he had been competing in the Fairview Demolition Derby since 2004. A rule change about starting the competition counterclockwise altered his typical strategy, but he was still ready to run.  Check out Chevrolet listings

There were also a few newbies in the field, including Russell Jensen, driver of the #5 KSL Classifieds car in the ‘90s heat. Russ is experienced in a variety of off-road motorsports. He recently built and drove an Ultra4 4400 racecar in King of the Hammers, a 200-mile endurance race in the California desert. But this was his first time participating in a demolition derby in Utah — or anywhere for that matter. 

“Being my first … I don’t know what I’m going into, but I’ve been told it’s not as bad as it sounds,” he said before the event. “I expect to get bumped around a little bit … and get some bruises … but that’s about all I know.” From the smile on his face, it didn’t seem like he was nervous at all. “It’s gonna be fun,” he said. 

Stock cars prepare for destruction in the Demolition Derby at the Fairview, Utah Rodeo Grounds (Photo Credit: Chad Hurst)

Fairview resident Kage Thompson was another first-time driver. His car was painted with a blue motif and featured angel wings and ribbons on the hood in honor of his older sister, Kiley Sherman. The 25-year old woman lost her battle with ovarian cancer in December of 2022. 

“The only reason I’m doing it is ‘cause [the derby] was her favorite thing to watch,” Kage said before the competition. “One and done.”

Two of Kage’s friends, Gavin Christensen and Kyler Reyes, were also competing and had angel wings in remembrance of Kiley on their vehicles. Kage and Kyler, the two rookies in the group, joked that their strategy was to take out Gavin, who was competing for a third time, so he couldn’t win the whole thing. 

Fierce and fun demolition derby cars

The first two stock/light weld heats consisted primarily of models from the 1970s, but there was a 1955 Ford in the mix as well as a 1990 Ford. That beast-like black and yellow machine #B50, aggressively driven by Landon Beebe, knocked its older counterparts around the arena with ease and agility. The crowd roared when one of Landon’s hits pushed another competitor’s car up the dirt embankment. Browse KSL Cars Ford listings

Landon ultimately took first place in the stock finals, though Corbin Jacobson was declared the Most Aggressive driver overall in his 1976 Chevy.  

Most of the stock cars were dark and dramatic, their ferocity clearly on display. Payton Thompson took home the night’s Best Paint prize with his 1972 Chysler, #175, painted black and purple. The vehicles in the third heat, which only allowed vehicles with models years of 1990 or later, were a bit more whimsical. 

Payton Thompson's 1972 Chrysler won Best Paint for its black and purple detailing (Photo Credit: Chad Hurst)

KSL Classifieds let fans vote on which demolition derby car design would come to life on its entry, with the Yeti winning by an (ahem) avalanche. Rex Jackson, last year’s ‘90s winner and this year’s runner-up, painted the Yeti-mobile along with his own entry — a 1999 Ford Taurus he picked up on KSL Cars decked out to look like an army tank.

Rex Jackson painted two vehicles this year: the KSL Classifieds Yeti-mobile and a Taurus Tank (Photo Credit: Chad Hurst)

Israel Turley, a Provo resident who drove a 1993 Mercury (also a KSL Cars find) in the ‘90s heat, said it was his uncle’s idea to turn it into a space shuttle. “He owned a body shop for more than 20 years. Whenever he gets his nose in this it turns into some sort of a masterpiece.” Flower pots were transformed into rocket boosters, styrofoam into wings. Israel even donned a space suit and helmet for the competition. See 1990s vehicles

Israel Turley donned a space suit to pilot his 1993 Mercury space shuttle (Photo Credit: Chad Hurst)

All the (off-road) rage

The ‘90s heat was one of the most fun to watch, with 11 drivers going bumper to bumper at the same time. They didn’t always drive forward. In fact, Russ’s strategy was to drive in reverse and hit with the trunk of the KSL Classifieds Yeti-mobile as much as possible to protect his radiator. 

“It’s not soft and pillowy,” he said in a post-event interview. “I took some hard hits. And all strategy flew out the window as soon as it started. You just hit everyone you can. It’s all you can do.” 

The strategy that Kage and Kyler concocted to keep Gavin from winning didn’t work either — he drove away as the winner of the ‘90s heat with a vehicle capable of running the figure-eight competition. 

When that race came down to Gavin and Rex, the two showed their sportsmanship by hitting one another when the other was stuck so they could continue to compete. Gavin also showed off some seriously impressive reverse driving skills.

“We had to drive backwards in a figure eight during range in drivers ed,” a 16-year-old member of the audience informed his parents. “It was hard. I was not good.” 

Gavin ultimately out-maneuvered Rex and won the figure-eight competition. Kage, Kyler and another one of their friends ran out on the field, jumped up on the hood of his 2006 Honda and embraced. Their excitement was palpable. Have a look at Hondas for sale

Friends embrace at the conclusion of their demolition derby heat (Photo Credit: Chad Hurst)

The Hot Shots charity heat was also a crowd pleaser. There was a collective “OH!” when one of the vehicles rammed a car at the end of the arena from behind. It had nowhere to go. One after another the remaining cars in the arena rammed into the back of a car, the audience cheering each time. The line of vehicles resembled a massive rear-end accident on I-15, but this was intentional. 

Ironically, a firefighter driving on behalf of Sanpete Kindness won when sparks under the hood of the vehicle he was going head to head with ignited. Its driver remained calm as the flames were extinguished by other firefighters in the arena. These guys worked double duty keeping the drivers safe during the competition and keeping the crowd entertained by dancing, throwing candy and leading the wave between events. And if your section didn't do the wave? You’d get two thumbs down from them. 

Hit me, baby, one more time

Fairview’s population may be small, but its namesake demolition derby in Utah is big fun. Once you experience it, you’ll be hooked and want to make it an annual tradition. Mark your calendar for the 2024 Fairview Demolition Derby — tickets sell out quickly!

Wanna participate rather than spectate? Shop KSL Cars to find vehicles from the ‘70s suited for the stock car/light weld heats or a 1990+ model year for the ‘90s class competition. Or consider donating a vehicle for next year’s Hot Shot charity heat. Contact the event organizers for more info.