NEW HAVEN — When the members of the Vergennes Fire Department reacted quickly to put out the second engine fire in Chance Mahoney’s battered dark sedan, that left only one vehicle running out of the 25 that started Thursday’s action-packed, deafening and rain-soaked finale on the third and final night of the G. Stone Motors Demo Derby at Addison County Fair and Field Days.

That gray sedan, topped off with a “Tinker Tierney” sign on that Aug. 8, belonged to Brandon Tierney. And he walked away with $3,500 for dishing out and taking bone-jarring blows in two heats over Tuesday and Thursday last week.

Drivers qualified for the compact car finale by managing to survive heats on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday as one of the final two drivers running, or by being named the “Mad Dog” driver by announcer Kylie Martell. To earn that honor a driver must be the most aggressive behind the wheel in the first two minutes of a heat.

ALEXIS WHITNEY, WHO won a Field Days Demo Derby heat on Wednesday, took to heart the organizers’ suggestion that drivers should decorate their cars with slogans and names of family members or friends.
Independent photo/Steve James

The Field Days Demo Derby also offered heats for V-8s, minivans and pickups (see the winners for V-8s and trucks and Tuesday and Wednesday compact heats in a related story), but those larger rides weren’t allowed to compete for the big bucks in the compact final.

Before the finale began, organizers called for a front-loader to scrape mud and water off the surface of the track, a move that gave the cars more traction than the almost helpless minivans in the heat that came just before it (see below).

As a result, despite the crowded and still slippery arena, the 25 drivers got after each other.

Among those who were notable for aggressive driving behind the wheel — at least to an observer trying to keep track of the mayhem through the smoke and steam — were Mahoney, who as well as finishing second earned the Mad Dog award; Tyler Hebert, whose car announced, “It’s a girl”; Alexis Whitney; Trey Daniels; Aiden Putnam, aka “Ice Cold”; Nick Ouellette; Kyle Bianchi and Carter Markwell.

Other competitors couldn’t be identified by cross-checking car numbers with names provided by organizers, but we saw you, drivers of 26, 48X and 98X — you all showed up to dance.

DENNY’S NAME SURVIVES on the hood of this Field Days Demo Derby driver’s car, but the fate of the vehicle looks uncertain.
Independent photo/Steve James

One driver was too aggressive and was disqualified for violating the rules (yes, there are rules, especially limiting special preparation of the cars). His violation was hitting drivers’ doors, a dangerous move, once too often. The driver, whose name is omitted to protect the guilty, protested, and on the way out during the stoppage in the action he exchanged gestures and pleasantries with derby fans behind the fence.

In the demo enclosure, one by one the cars broke axles, suffered from overheated engine, or had wheels fall off, and they lay dead in the mud, leaving just three cars running: Ouellette’s, Mahoney’s and Tierney’s. Also running regularly were Vergennes firefighters. The fourth car running was 98X, and action stopped while firefighters ran to snuff the blaze, and then there were three.

Ouellette’s white sedan gave up the ghost shortly after that, and that left Mahoney’s dark sedan and Tierney’s gray sedan to duel for the big payday. Mahoney gave Tierney’s ride a couple shots, and then they met head-to-head, but not too hard, up against the concrete blocks on the far side from the grandstand.

Then flames shot up from Mahoney’s hood. Firefighters sprang back into action and put it out. But when the two cars clashed again, another fire started in Mahoney’s engine. Back came the firefighters: The battle was over, and the trophy was Tierney’s. The two drivers popped out of their cars and embraced as rain continued to fall.

THIS SMASH-UP OCCURRED during the first heat of Tuesday’s Field Days Demo Derby. Surprisingly, the 77X car driven by Brian Sheppard, despite its mangled back end, won the heat, and Sheppard drove it well in Thursday’s finale.
Independent photo/Steve James

EARLY HEATS

The Demo Derby ran three heats on Thursday before the big compact car finale. In an active Compact Heat One, Kyle Bianchi and Bubba McPhee drove hard and qualified for the finale as the drivers of the last two cars running, while Trey Daniels earned the Mad Dog nod.

Also making impacts in the heat were Ross Whitney, Landon Lathrop and Chuck Haven.

Ten competitors squared off for the Compact Heat Two. Bridget Sheppard and Logan Boyer qualified for the finale as the last running, while Logan Many was named the Mad Dog driver.

THE DRIVER OF the No. 79 car in a Tuesday Field Days Demo Derby heat thought it would be nice to honor his Mom and Dad on his car. But the No. 10 driver, Chuck Haven, showed no parental respect in this collision. Haven also advanced out of the heat to qualify for Thursday’s finale.
Independent photo/Steve James

Also delivering crowd-pleasing thumps were Reid Lumbra, Chance Mahoney, “Bad Dog” Dylan Mason, and Ricky Stalkup, whose car claimed, “If you ain’t first, your last.” Sadly, according to that logic Ricky joined another seven heat drivers in last.

The card also ran a five-vehicle minivan heat that was as exciting as listening to a pitch for investing in Bitcoin. It wasn’t the drivers’ fault, but a hard rain struck just before the heat was set to begin, and the minivans might have well been novices on ice skates.

Despite the drivers’ best intentions, rain drops were hitting the minivans harder than they were hitting each other. It was an open question if the vans would run out of gas before they could do enough damage to knock each other out of commission. One couldn’t even move in the mud, and another, actually a rainbow-colored SUV, made it about 50 feet to the right before getting bogged down next to the concrete blocks.

IT’S GENERALLY CONSIDERED smarter to ram your opponents with the back end of your car in a Field Days Demo Derby heat. But it wasn’t clear if anyone came out ahead in this collision on Tuesday.
Independent photo/Steve James

Given the pouring rain and lack of both action and shelter, most fans headed for dryer places on the fairgrounds while the minivans churned in the mud.

Finally a third van stopped running, and after a few more harmless love taps organizers persuaded the last two drivers, Nick Ouellette and Josh Kennett, to split the winner’s share. Ouellette won the Mild Dog, er, Mad Dog award.