Derby packs out Grandstands

Sometimes it's not about the money.

The Grandstands and Beer Gardens were packed during the 104th Annual Phillips County Fair's Crash for Cash Demolition Derby and those in attendance bore witness to plenty of twisted metal, fire, big hits, and a special moment for a community that lost a young man too soon.

During the Chain car event, Malta's Trey Shores could be seen driving a 1974 Dodge Coronet that was sponsored by several companies throughout the Phillips County community, but the trunk of the car had the deepest meaning as Shores dedicated the car and his outing to his fallen friend Landon Costin.

"When I put that on the car. I knew I had to get first place and that's what I got," Shores said. "Landon and I were best friends in high school. We grew up together and were good buddies and he passed away, so I thought it would be kind of cool to put his name on the back of the car. It pumped me up a little bit."

As Shores landed hit after hit against his four opponents, the crowd went wild. He won after he landed a monstrous hit on runner-up Frankie Nieft.

"I felt a little bad for hitting him so hard but I guess he is alright," Shores said.

It was the first time that Shores had been in a derby, and he bought the car sometime last year for $100.

"It had been sitting in a field for 20 years," Shores said. "I rewired the whole thing and got it to run how it runs now."

After the Chain event, Shores was invited to the main event, but he turned the offer down. Shores plans on fixing up his car for next year's fair.

"I am a hometown Malta guy and I like to fish and hunt too much to get too far into this, so this will probably be a Dodson Fair car."

The main event was won by Garrett Powell, who has won the P.C .Fair Crash for Cash for three of the last four years. Powell found himself at the wrong end on a scrum, almost being pushed out of bounds but he escaped and turned the tables eventually becoming the vehicle that pushed three or four opponents out of the ring.

"I just wanted to get out of it," Powell said about being cornered. "It felt good (to win). It was a good show."

He was faced against Chris Moore, who he eventually rammed out of the arena after two huge hits.

Kevin Elias, who has been announcing the P.C. Fair Crash for Cash for the past four years, has become fond of the fair in Dodson.

"It's a really good time and it is one of the most fun fairs that I get to go to," Elias said.

The event's coordinator Scott Skoyen shared what he thought of this year's event.

"So far, it's been going really good," Skoyen said. "I think everybody's getting a really good show."

He spoke about the event's newest category which featured plenty of locals racing around barrels in dirt bikes and ATV's while the derby drivers prepared for the main event.

"I think it helped because it keeps the people entertained," Skoyen said. "Nobody wants to just sit and wait while these guys work on their cars and those guys need time to work on their cars so they can put on a better show."