In his words, all Darell Cordary does is “cars.”

He fixes cars all day. He races stock cars every weekend. Yet, there’s something different about demolition derbies.

“It gets you jazzed up,” he said. “It’s a feeling like nothing else. You just get to go out there and literally raise chaos.”

This year’s Durango Demolition Derby at the La Plata County Fair will take place at noon Saturday. It will be Cordray’s 11th year competing at the event.

The event has three categories: cars, mini cars and trucks.

Drivers spend weeks leading up to the event preparing their vehicles. Glass and plastic must be removed. The car can be reinforced with welds and, of course, the cars are often painted in outlandish – and at times political – patterns.

Many of the drivers know each other and work on their cars together. One driver will sometimes build six or seven cars for other drivers in the same event.

“You might be friends with the person parked right next to you in that arena,” Cordary said. “And once the green flag drops, you’re out there to beat the heck out of each other, and that’s the fun of it.”

Ted Neergaard has been driving even longer than Cordary. Neergaard has been smashing old cars at the Durango Demolition Derby since its inception 26 years ago.

After over a quarter-century behind the wheel of ill-fated vehicles, Neergaard can tell where a car is going to bend when hit repeatedly.

For example, old Fords bend at the axle humps. Chryslers will bend at the firewall, between the passenger cabin and the engine.

“There’s quite a few tricks that I’ve learned over the years as to … getting it (the car) to start bending the way you want it to, instead of the way it wants to,” he said.

But at 63, Neergaard says he has a hard time turning around to see, meaning he rarely uses the rear end of his car for hits.

“I’m well known for using the front end of my car more than the back end,” he said. “It has served me well.”

Like many of Neergaard’s fellow demolitionists, the derby is a hedonistic enterprise for the body-shop owner.

“I fix everybody’s cars, and decided it was time to tear some up,” he said.

Ralph Brawley, a driver of 16 years, spent 23 years as a police officer in New York City.

“My first derby here, I called my brother back in New York and he asked me, ‘Ralph, how was it?’ And I go ‘Pete, it’s an adrenaline rush. It’s just like driving in New York – except you get to hit everybody!’” he said.

Drivers do stand to win some nominal amount of money, typically between $1,000 and $2,000 in Durango.

It has been a challenge to find cars to run in Durango, drivers say, as scrap metal prices have increased. Neergaard said he will spend anywhere between $500 and $1,000 just to find a vehicle, before he sinks another $900 into a car to prepare it for the arena.

Ten years ago, Neergaard said the entire car would cost him just $500.

He is focused more on recycling amid rising costs. Neergaard cuts out the reinforcement bars after each derby to save the steel, and this year’s car, a 1973 Dodge Coronet, is the same one he ran last year.

Despite costs that can even exceed the potential prize money, drivers say they are in it for the fun.

“It’s not for us the drivers, it’s for the fair,” Brawley said. “The money derived from the demolition derby supports the fair board, the fair (and) all the kids and that’s the big reason why we run the demolition derby.”

Fair board treasurer Sheryl Ayers said that the event sells out every year. The revenue it generates is one of the largest sources of income the fair has.

In 2022, the derby generated $27,406 in ticket sales and had $14,600 in expenses, generating $12,806 in net revenue. Ayers said those numbers do not include proceeds from the rampant beer sales that occur during the event, which are split 50/50 with the Rotary Club.

Last year, the fair generated a total of $41,000 in net revenue, making the derby one of the most significant sources of income.

With a full slate of vehicles welded, reinforced and ready for demolition, drivers and organizers are anticipating another successful derby this year.

La Plata County Fair Parking

Attendees of the 2023 La Plata County Fair are encouraged to use public transportation and/or the provided shuttle service, as parking will be extremely limited in and around the La Plata County Fairgrounds.

Because of several factors, there will be almost no available parking at the fairgrounds. Further parking will also be unavailable at Durango High School and Miller Middle School due to construction projects.

Attendees are encouraged to consider these options:

• Park downtown and take a free Durango Transit Trolley that runs every 20 minutes from the Transit Center to the DHS until 8 p.m. Daytime parking will also be available at the CDOT building at 3803 N. Main Ave. (north of the Hampton Inn), also with free trolley service available until 8 p.m.

• Park at the Durango Public Library or the old Mercy Hospital (after hours) and walk the River Trail to the Fairgrounds.

• Carpooling with other families/friends is strongly encouraged regardless of where you choose to park.

• Shuttle service will be available Friday from 6-10 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. for a park & ride from the Durango Public Library and Needham Elementary School.

All presale tickets have sold out, but more will be available for purchase on Saturday morning at the fairgrounds.

The gates open at 10 a.m. and the event starts at noon, although organizers warn tickets could sell out by 11:30 a.m.

rschafir@durangoherald.com