Team demolition derbies a hit in Joliet

BY TINA AKOURIS takouris@suntimes.com September 26, 2013 6:28PM

Brice Martin and wife, Michelle, of Lockport. Martin drives for Orange Crush. | Tina Akouris~Sun-Times Media

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About an hour before the demolition derby was to start at Route 66 Raceways dirt oval in Joliet, there was nearly a half-mile backup on Route 53, and signs on the Raceways box office windows said the event was sold out.

The parking lots were full, and the smell and smoke from barbecue grills hung in the humid evening air. Some tailgaters had elaborate setups; others just sat on lawn chairs eating and people-watching.

Most demolition derby fans got to Route 66 right when the gates opened at 4 p.m. on this particular Saturday, Aug. 24.

But this isnt your county fair kind of demolition derby, or so says the Route 66 public-address announcer. Its team demolition derby, with two teams of four cars on the dirt oval during each round of racing.

And you can tell its a different kind of sporting event right from the get-go when the national anthem is played its Jimi Hendrixs version that he played at Woodstock in 1969.

Eight teams have competed in the derby this summer: Orange Crush, Real Steel, Junkyard Dogs, Mean Green Machine, Reckoning, Full Throttle, Seek-n-Destroy, and Damage, Inc.

Orange Crush and Real Steel are tied atop the team demo rankings with 35 points each.

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Team demolition derbies a hit in Joliet