Luke Taylor: Where do drivers get cars for demolition derbies?

Where do people find cars to wreck in demolition derbies?

Just about anywhere you can find a cheap old car, according to Derby Icons owner Taylor Feldkamp.

“Facebook Marketplace, a lot of demo derby chatrooms, junkyards, driving down the road into a subdivision and seeing an old car sitting out front with license plates from five years ago. People stop and knock on the door and ask if it’s for sale,” Feldkamp said.

A single vehicle might last a driver as many as five derbies, but a rough go might knock it out after one. Feldkamp said it depends on what the car’s frame looks like after the derby and if it can be stretched back into shape or repaired.

Before the derby, drivers have to get their cars up to Derby Icons’ standards, including safety cages and safety fuel tanks, to avoid serious injuries.

Derby Icons employees check over both the track and cars before letting anybody get started.

All of that is especially important because Feldkamp said the excitement takes over when you’re out on the track.

“You can pretty much be hurt and then not know you’re hurt until after the event, because your adrenaline just gets going,” he said.

Of course, purchasing cars to crash on purpose and rebuild can get pretty expensive — Feldkamp said a basic demo car is worth $10,000. On the other hand, prize money can also rack up to $20,000 or $30,000.

“I have a couple demo cars of my own that I’ve probably got $50-$60 grand in each one, just to go out there and tear up,” he said. “But it’s a hobby, and it’s fun, and hopefully you win. And sometimes I’ve went out there and destroyed everything and not won anything.”

Feldkamp was expecting plenty of drivers for Saturday’s demo derby at the Champaign County Fair and hoped a big crowd would turn up to match.