When Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” drowns out a cheering crowd eagerly waiting for an array of old American cars to start ramming one another in the mud, you can only be at one place: a demolition derby.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Barry Passmore and Andrew Anderson behind the wheel Punishment at the Peak, a demolition derby in Grantsville on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021. 21, 810
Spectators flocked to the Deseret Peak Complex in Grantsville on Aug. 7 for Punishment at the Peak, one of the first big shows of its kind to be put on since COVID-19 largely shut them down in 2020.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Fans cheer at Punishment at the Peak, a demolition derby in Grantsville on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021.
“Last year was pretty tough on drivers,” said Del McQuiddy, owner and operator of Whiplash Racing, which put on the sold-out event. “It’s our life; it’s what we do.”
The point of demolition derby is to smash your beastly car into the other beastly cars, leaving them as mangled and abused as possible. Looking like they drove straight out of a 1970s chase flick, the cars are essentially gutted, then modified to handle heavy impact while still protecting a helmeted driver inside.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Anthony Trippler during Punishment at the Peak, a demolition derby in Grantsville on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021.
In the stock event, Dalton Gullo from Ogden placed second and won the coveted “Mad Dog” title for most aggressive driver, even though he ended up having to bail when heavy smoke started pouring out of his 1973 Impala.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Dalton Gullo took second place in stock, despite his smoking car, during Punishment at the Peak, a demolition derby in Grantsville on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021.
Gullo, who’s a deputy with the Weber County Sheriff’s Office, also drove a blue 1977 Monte Carlo with “Back the blue” written in white on the side. He drives under the number 16 — an homage to his mom, Jeri, who was the first member of the Gullo family to compete in demolition derbies and drove under the number 6. Dalton’s dad, Johnny, stood by in the pits Saturday to keep both cars in fighting shape.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) John Gullo works to get his son's car back into working condition during Punishment at the Peak, a demolition derby in Grantsville on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021.
McQuiddy was happy to see drivers from all over the U.S. after the long break. “Every derby,” he said, “is like a dysfunctional family reunion.”
The demolition derby community is tightly knit, Gullo said. Contestants may be out for blood in the arena, but behind the scenes, they’re willing to supply whatever parts a stalled-out driver might need to get back to crashing and thrashing. “It’s a really cool community to be a part of,” he said.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Riley Johnson's car is knocked onto the wall during Punishment at the Peak, a demolition derby in Grantsville on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021.
But enough with the mushy stuff. On that Saturday, when the announcer decided the cars weren’t hitting one another hard enough, he shouted, “We’re not playing bumper cars, this is demolition derby.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Zeb Hansen gets a sendoff from his family before competing at Punishment at the Peak, a demolition derby in Grantsville on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021.
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Photos: At the 'Punishment at the Peak' demolition derby, adrenaline seekers drive fast and hit hard - Salt Lake Tribune
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