sn 7-29-2023

Page 12/The Sun and News, Saturday, July 29, 2023

just one heat of demolition
derby as the grand finale to the
evening’s show.
Chad likes the smashing of
the derby better, but acknowl-
edges that the off road derby is
better for many because of
how many more years of rac-
ing a car will last. He said he
was lucky to have a demoli-
tion derby vehicle last more
than two events.
Everybody in his family
was driving a Chevy Lumina
Friday. Chad and Logan have
had their current cars running
through three competitions at
the Barry County Fair and one
at Lake Odessa. He said

Sarah’s car has been running

derbys for at least five years.

“I didn’t have to build a

fresh one this year, so that

makes it a lot easier,” Chad

said.

He said it takes about two

full days or two weeks of

nights to be able to get a vehi-

cle ready to compete in the

derbys.

“You must take out the air-

bags. You must have a driv-

er’s net. The only window you

can leave in the vehicle is the

front windshield. The gas tank

can either be moved into the

back of the car or be left in the

stock position,” Trolard

announced to the standing

room only grandstand crowd

Friday as the Rowleys and

Keizers lined up for their race.

“That is pretty much it. You

have to have one roll-over bar

in the driver’s door.”

Matt and Chad agreed that

things are a bit safer now than

they were in their early years

as the UMS crew got help

watering down the track to

slow the course down a bit

between races. Races were run

in a clockwise pattern, always

turning right, Friday. That

changes up from event to

event, but Chad said running

in that direction can limit hard

collisions on the drivers’ side

of the cars.

“In those early years [of off

road derby], there was a single

and then a double [jumps on

the track],” Chad said.

“But nobody doubled it but

Chad though,” Matt said.

Matt cuts grass for a living

in the summer, and the dry

weather for much of June and

early July gave him plenty of

time to think about racing and

to prep cars.

Eva said she stripped down

her first car and built it into a

derby car with her dad’s help.

She is 15 and said her driver’s

education teacher questioned

her about where she’d picked

up her driving skills when she

started class.

“It was pretty cool. That

was nice. I am glad Jim let us

do this,” Eva said of the family

race.

Eva and her big sister

Megan ran in a youth race at

the Lake Odessa Fair in the

summer of 2022, with Megan

winning the trophy and Eva

placing second.

Megan got to experience

some drama Friday.

McKaylya-Hope Page from

Allegan got credit for the vic-

tory in their collision-filled

powder puff heat, but Megan

had mostly avoided the car-

nage and her supporters she

was the rightful winner of the

heat.

Page said her 1999 Pontiac

Grand Prix has been doing

really well. She said she has

won five trophies since start-

ing racing last fall, with a front

end painted with “BRCA1” in

honor of her mother who had

breast cancer.

Megan and Page took the

time to rest on a hood and

watch the video of their heat

on a phone and then when it

was clear Megan deserved the

win Page passed off the tro-

phy. Page got her own trophy

later on finishing second in the

powder puff feature.

Brynn Bolo of Hastings

won that powder puff feature.

Joe Morey of Middleville

won the 4-cylinder feature and

the 6-cylinder A feature cham-

pionship went to Randy Kill of

Hopkins. Brad Hall of Carson

City won the demolition derby

at the end of the night.

DERBY, continued from page 11

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Drivers take off at the start of the powder puff final during the Unique Motor
Sports Off Road Derby in front of the grandstand at the Barry County Fair Friday,
July 21. (Photo by Brett Bremer)

Logan Keizer lines up for a youth race Friday, July

21, during the Unique Motor Sports Off Road Derby

at the Barry County Fair. (Photo by Brett Bremer)

The Rowley and Keizer families gather with their trophies after the Unique

Motor Sports Off Road Derby Friday at the Barry County Fair. The two families ran

a seven-lap race to open the evening’s grandstand show. Pictured are (from left)

Clara Keizer, Chad Keizer, Sarah Keizer, Logan Keizer, Eva Rowley, Matt Rowley,

Keri Rowley and Megan Rowley.