Rihanna may sing about finding love in a hopeless place but Wasatch County Parks and Recreation’s marketing coordinator Jen Bowman is living it.
When she moved to the Heber Valley 10 years ago, she said everyone told her she had to attend the Wasatch County Fair’s demolition derby.
“I was taking pictures of the derby, and I'm like, ‘Who is this crazy driver out here? He's crashing and hitting so hard–he’s an animal,'" she said. "And we were just watching in such awe about how hard this car was hitting. Fast forward three years when I bought a puppy from that hard-hitter, Brad Bowman, and here we are.”
Her hard-hitting hubby Brad said the Heber Valley hosts one of the best derbies in the nation thanks to the high level of competitors and hospitality of the hosts. “I always tell people it's kind of like modern-day gladiators. You take your car and you build it into a war weapon, basically. You go out in the arena and you run into each other and you go until the last person is running.”
Brad co-owns the company Destructive Behavior with Ryan Simpson. They are contracted with the county to produce the derby through 2026. They try to ensure drivers of every budget and skillset can participate.
In addition to the experts in the weld class, this competition of chaos features powder puff, stock and youth divisions. There’s even a Power Wheels showdown for kids. The total purse in the weld division is $65,000; first place will take home a $15,000 prize.
It would be easy to dismiss the derby as barbaric bedlam but there is a method to the madness. Safety requirements like roll cages, helmets and seatbelts mean very few major injuries. Brad’s strategy is to keep moving.
“So my goal is always to hit and try to drive through the people," he said. "Or as soon as I hit, grab reverse and back out of the hit, or vice versa, I hit drive. The other strategy is I try to drive with my driver's door in towards the arena because you're not allowed to hit the driver's door.”
Brad said many are surprised to learn the time and money spent on his obsession. He estimates about 300 man hours and $30,000 on a car he took to a derby in Rapid City, South Dakota.
“I always wanted to do it. So, when I was 15 years old, I bought my first car and built it and crashed it and I've been hooked ever since. I'd have to do the math but I've probably built 100-plus demolition derby cars now and driven in probably close to 200 demolition derbies.”
And all that twisted metal is proof of a smashing good time.
