Jaycees Demo Derby a smashing success

Jestin Brown, driver of the No. 55 car, burys Chance Coke into a dirt wall during a consolation match at the annual Havre Jaycees Demolition Derby Sunday evening at the Great Northern Fair. Brown and TJ Daulton won the match and moved on in to the finals.

And then there was only one left standing, or running to be more specific.

The annual Havre Jaycees Demolition Derby always brings a week's worth of excitement at the Great Northern Fair to a close, and the 2011 derby certainly sent the fair out with a bang, or even a resounding crash.

Sunday night, inside the arena at the Great Northern Fairgrounds, the 2011 Jaycees Demolition Derby saw a huge crowd turn out to cheer on 19 cars in the main event and an additional four in the Herby Derby.

A host of cars competed in the championship heat, and the final event didn't disappoint. The final heat lasted nearly a half hour as drivers put their all into every bump, push and crash. Eventually, Justin Brown captured the event as he put out the final car in his way, a car driven by Willard Hinkle. Brown was bought by Western Trailer Sales in the annual Calcutta for the championship heat.

Hinkle finished second overall, while Eric Tade placed third. Brown came through the consolation heats, which also included Seth Hamilton, T.J. Dalton and Ryan Haas. Preliminary heat winners included Ryan Erickson and Mark Gooch in Heat 1, Tade and Spencer McGann in Heat 2 and Hinkle and Jimmy Albertson in Heat 3.

Gooch earned the award for best paint job and Chris Vaughn was voted the most aggressive driver on a night when driving aggressively was certainly the name of the game. In fact, every heat featured some very competitive driving and plenty of entertaining crashes for the throngs of fans who showed up to watch the event.

Nicholas Stremcha captured first place in the Herby Derby, while Stephen Rios finished second in the event, which is reserved for smaller cars.

In all it was another extremely successful derby and as always the Havre Jaycee's thanked the community for its support and the drivers and crews who always make the derby one of the most exciting events, not only at the fair, but in Havre each and every year.