**Opinions and descriptions of the Team Demolition Derby Tournament of Destruction on MidwestMonsters.com are those of I, TDA Photographer Jason Twite, and do not necessarily represent those of the Team Demo Association, its affiliates or sponsors. All information has been presented as accurately as possible, with respect to race analysis and results. However, specific race details should not be considered as hard facts. If you have a correction, please email it to my attention. Thank You! **
All photos Copyright Team Demolition Derby Association/Creative One, Inc., 2007.
DO NOT REPRODUCE WITHOUT PERMISSION!
2007 Team Demolition Derby
Tournament of Destruction
Presented by series sponsor Speedway Auto Parts & Wreckers in Chicago Heights, IL
July 18th: Round 2
Killer Bees bite back; Hold 1-point lead
There was no "second round" swoon for the Killer Bees as they maintained all the momentum established in June and clubbed their way back to the Finals and put the JYD's to sleep to capture the event win and take the point's lead by the narrowest of margins! Havoc could not repeat their magic from Round 1 and did not make it out of the first heat, which dropped them out of the point's lead and into a second place tie with the Junk Yard Dogs.
No need for eyes in the back of your head when you have that.
Rebelling against tire conformity.
Another giant crowd packed Route 66 Raceway's Dirt Oval.
Round 1
Orange Crush vs. Team Xtreme
The racing action started off with a bang and that is putting it lightly. The Van Allen clan charged off the line and put a car in the lead even though Orange Crush spun out Zac Van Allen right in Turn 1. #67 for Orange Crush locked eyes on the leader and impaled the Team Xtreme car with a thunderous side shot to the #23. But, it was the #67 that came out on the worse end and #23 survived the impact and continued to lead. Orange Crush finally managed to slow Team Xtreme down and mounted a comeback with their remaining cars. #69 delivered a wicked t-bone smash on #2 Zac Van Allen, which left serious damage to the Xtreme warrior. But, neither driver gave up and the cars remained under power. The two opponents mirrored each other's moves around Turn 1 and 2 before Zac finally broke away and looked to be in open air.
The entire crowd saw what was going to happen next and Zac probably saw it too, problem was, he couldn't do anything about it. The #69 car blazed like an orange bullet from the far end of the track through the mud and completely DESTROYED the #2 car in one of the sickest, most horrific impacts ever seen! A split-second after the first hit, another Crush car nailed the #2 from the other side in the rear quarter panel! What made this collision even more frightening is the fact Zac Van Allen's seat belt broke on the previous hit! As you can see in the photo, his head is all the way through the windshield opening and within a mere foot of connecting with the oncoming car!
Even with the monstrous shots dealt, Orange Crush could not pull off the comeback and watched Trey Van Allen cruise across the finish and set off a wild celebration for Team Xtreme.
Mean Green Machines vs. Killer Bees
Wrong place, wrong time for the Machines. #1 Greg Meisch and crew tried hard to avoid a repeat of night 1, but just couldn't seem to get the cars pointed in the right direction and moving the right way. They were left wide open for a killer attack from the Bees. The carnage commenced immediately as the #18 MGM wagon locked horns with the #77 in a head-on crash along the back wall. #7 Steve Scarbro switched from doing the heavy hitting to running and was well out in front thanks to his teammates throwing down the big blocks. But, Scarbro wasn't going to go an entire run without tagging someone! He floored the #7 car across the line into Lap 4 and right into the #15 Mean Green wagon! A bone-jarring blast left the #15 down and out, while despite extensive front end damage, Scarbro's car continued to thrive! The road was clear and he finished the race untouched and Tim "Brickman" Lewis in the #71 made sure of it with a T-bone & a concrete wall sandwich of the final MGM car.
Havoc vs. Junk Yard Dogs
Was it only a one-night wonder? After this race I'm sure I wasn't the only one with that thought. Havoc was so dominant and convincing the previous month, but the only thing for sure this time was that they would not be taking two in a row. The strongest team not to make it into the Finals last month was easily the Junk Yard Dogs and they were back in winning form, leaving Havoc bruised and battered. Kahuna and the other 'Dogs refused to let Havoc build any momentum and kept all block attempts at bay, which allowed #33 Ryan Bleuer to pick up five nearly untouched laps for the win.
Damage, Inc. vs. Stranglehold
Both teams were decisively shut out on night 1and needed to right the ship in a hurry in order to not completely fall out of the title picture after only 2 events. The race was off to a slow start, until #52 for Stranglehold drove right up and through the trunk of the #80. The #80 car headed straight across the track and hit a head-on shot on the leader, #54. Damage, Inc. continued to put pressure on the former Champs as the #80 and #82 cars attacked Stranglehold members at opposite corners of the track. Damage, Inc. was doing all they could, but could not catch up to the #54 whom had yet to sustain any damage. Stranglehold finally turned the tide and delivered some pay back on the #80 and #82 including an engine exploding hit from #50 Chris McGuire. Not a pretty win, but they'll take it, and Stranglehold moves on.
Round 2
Team Xtreme vs. Killer Bees
Team Xtreme made it to their 4th Semi-Final Round appearance dating back to July 2006, but have only found the Finals once and are still seeking the elusive first event win. Yet, so were the Killer Bees. Scarbro, Lewis and Vollbrecht kept the pesky Van Allen's at bay, threw them completely off their game immediately, and cleared the way for Stahulak to pick up 5 untouched laps for the win! Bees go back-to-back to the Finals.
Stranglehold vs. Junk Yard Dogs
The battle of fan favorites brought the sold out crowd to their feet as the green flag dropped on yet another chapter in the Stranglehold/JYD saga. The men in white pushed ahead first, but did not take the lead very far. #33 Ryan Bleuer chased down the Stranglehold runners and opened the door for teammate, and former Stranglehold "big Kahuna", #35 Gerritt Vanderbilt. Stranglehold mounted a powerful comeback and had JYD on the ropes, but missed 3 separate opportunities to flat-out CRUSH Kahuna on a wide open pass. Vanderbilt dodged the bullets and led the JYD's back to the Finals for the first time since May 2006!
:: Captain Explosion ::
The explosive intermission act was none other than "Rocky Hardcore" and his human car blast! Not much to explain here other than the fact this guy continues to prove he's insane. The car and everything within 10 feet around and 50 feet high was engulfed in flames including Rocky as he kicked the door open and came running onto the track with 10 feet of flames trailing behind him. He sprinted towards the awaiting fire crew and was quickly extinguished and popped back to his feet like nothing ever happened. Rocky can continue to entertain across the country and I'll gladly stick to my day job.
FINALS
Killer Bees vs. Junk Yard Dogs
These two teams had the race of the night last month and were poised to do it again. 1st place in the points hinged on this battle, and with blood in their eyes, the car parts began to fly! Vanderbilt broke out to an early lead, but was thwarted in Turn 4 by his nemesis Steve Scarbro. The Bees took over with Stahulak out front while Lewis blasted any JYD in the way. Vanderbilt mounted his won comeback and slammed through one of Lewis's road blocks. The hit sent Kahuna shooting towards the middle of the track where he was met with a bone crushing death blow from Scarbro! The Bees continued to punish the JYD cars as Stahulak once again cruised around the track untouched to claim the victory and put a stamp on one of the greatest team demo events of all-time!
Speedway Auto Parts & Wreckers Point Standings
After 2 Events
Killer Bees 15*
Havoc 14
Junk Yard Dogs 14
Team Xtreme 12
Stranglehold 10
Mean Green Machines 8
Orange Crush 8
Damage, Inc. 8
*One point deduction due to rule violation.
Aftermath
Two nights down, two to go and if these first two rounds were any indication of what was to come, we were in for an incredible conclusion to the 2007 Team Demo season. Some of the biggest hits, fastest speeds and intense emotions have all come together to culminate with some of the greatest racing action seen anywhere. Congratulations to the Killer Bees on the victory. They really looked unbeatable throughout the night and proved it. But, no room to slack off as they have several teams still within reach of snatching the lead away.
The 2007 Tournament of Destruction continues below!
Click Here for ROUND 3: September 1st!
**Opinions and descriptions of the Team Demolition Derby Tournament of Destruction on MidwestMonsters.com are those of I, TDA Photographer Jason Twite, and do not necessarily represent those of the Team Demo Association, its affiliates or sponsors. All information has been presented as accurately as possible, with respect to race analysis and results. However, specific race details should not be considered as hard facts. If you have a correction, please email it to my attention. Thank You! **
All photos Copyright Team Demolition Derby Association/Creative One, Inc., 2007.
DO NOT REPRODUCE WITHOUT PERMISSION!