Figure 8 demolition derby teams seek more than summer race

On a dusty Tuesday evening still sweltering from the heat of a July day, scores of wrecks lumber toward the Figure 8 track at the Lenawee County Fair. The Figure 8 Car and Truck Demolition Derby is about to start.

The grandstand across the track is stuffed with spectators while the pits are crammed with families and friends, ersatz pit crews ready to jump in and lend a hand with a flat tire or a stalled engine.

The announcer calls out the cars and they line up, engines revving sans catalytic converters and exhaust systems. A cloud of carbon monoxide rises on the breeze.

Suddenly, they’re off, the wind kicking up and blasting dust and fumes east toward the pits and the standing room-only crowd.

There are more than 60 cars and they are painted with logos from businesses and political candidates as well as personal tributes to people who have died.

Ty Rodriguez, 19, a 2016 graduate of Adrian High School, is waiting for heat six to race his 1994 Buick Century. The car is painted white and is accented with painted teal ribbons, handprints and love notes to Rodriguez’ grandmother, Linda, who died the previous day after a five-year battle with ovarian cancer. She was just 61.

“She died at 6:30 (the morning of July 25),” Rodriguez said, as he paced the perimeter of the car, pointing out the messages of love from his mother, aunts and cousins.  

“She was a fighter,” Rodriguez adds. “The doctors gave her two years but she made it five years. This race really means a lot to me. Hopefully I win.”

Rodriguez, who is headed to Eastern Michigan University in the fall to study construction management, walks around the car, pointing out the modifications required for a derby car. The rear seat is gone, all of the upholstery and padding is removed, there is a special marine gas tank with a fire shield for extra protection, the windshield is missing and all of the windows have been removed. Only the driver is allowed to be in the car, and helmets must be worn. Rodriguez’ helmet sits on the floor next to the driver’s seat — where the passenger seat used to be.

On either side of the steering wheel are photos of Rodriguez with his beloved grandmother. She was a great inspiration, he says.

“I have a big chip on my shoulder this year,” he says. “I have a lot of family and friends who will be coming out together to the race.”

Rodriguez has been going to the demo derby since he was 2, according to his father, Larry Garcia.

“I have come for the last 22 years,” Garcia says. “Ty has been coming since he was a kid, about this high.” Garcia gestures with his hand about two feet from the ground.  “It’s just an adrenalin rush to be racing around the figure eight with the other cars, going through mud. The best I’ve done is finish second in a feature heat.

“But nothing really has been more fun for me than watching Ty.”

This is Rodriguez’ second time as a driver at the derby. He took third in his rookie year.

“I’m a little nervous, I’m feeling a little bit of butterflies,” he said. “But I’m sure there is someone watching over me.”

Dan Kaisler, 24, of Tecumseh is a medical student currently pursuing a master’s degree in public health from Wayne State University. His passion for the demolition derby was a case of “love at first sight,” once he actually got into a car and drove it around the track.

“The demo derby is something I’ve watched for a long time,” Kaisler says. “Once I’d been in medical school for a while, I feel like I needed to get my head out of the books and do something different.”

Kaisler spent “one long week” last year getting his Volvo 850 ready with help from friends Kyle Golab, Jordan Nelson and Ben Brehmer.

“One thing I love about the derby is it gives me a chance to get back to my roots, my country roots at the fair. It’s something I really love.”

As a graduate student at Wayne State, Kaisler says “life is busy and fast in Detroit.

“But when I come to the fair, things and time are simpler — in a good way. This is the 177th year of the fair and it has remained the same, even though things have changed around it.”

For Kaisler, the pull of the demo derby is connected to the thrill of being on the track.

“We cut out the catalytic converters and the mufflers and so there is all that noise and the track is muddy so you just get covered with it and it’s just great,” he says.

Golab is Kaisler’s “pit boss,” making sure everything is ready to go, that the vehicle has its safety equipment and devices, and that the crew can fix flat tires or other mechanical issues if needed.

“Mostly I just try to make sure that Dan is safe and that he can have a good time,” Golab said.

Kaisler said the derby has taught him “a lot about cars, which was not something I had done before, and I like learning about them.

“But there also are a lot of life skills I’m learning and I think I’m a better, more capable individual because of it.”