Editing Demolition derby (section)

== History ==
[[File:Demoltion Derby Action Shartlesville.JPG|left|thumb|Sometimes the action unintentionally spills out of the "crash zone" boundaries. Fire extinguishers are conveniently placed for easy access. Many derbies have local firefighting crews standing by in the arena.]]

Demolition derbies were first held at various fairs, race tracks, and speedways by independent promoters in the 1950s. There are unconfirmed reports of events occurring as far back as the 1930s utilizing the abundant supply of worn-out [[Ford Model T]]s. The originator of the concept for auto demolition derbies is disputed. One source says that Don Basile is often credited with inventing the demolition derby at the now demolished Carrell Speedway, near Gardena, CA, in 1947.<ref name="PopularMechanicsApril1999">{{cite web|url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/motorsports/1268911.html?page=3|title=Demolition Derby PM Style|last=Delaney|first=Bill|date=April 1999|publisher=[[Popular Mechanics]]|access-date=2009-02-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090630120811/http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/motorsports/1268911.html?page=3|archive-date=30 June 2009}}</ref> Another source states [[stock car racing|stock car racer]] Larry Mendelsohn created the concept for demolition derbies at New York State's [[Islip Speedway]] in 1958, after realizing many people favored wrecks to racing.<ref name="LATimes07212001" />

The sport's popularity grew throughout the 1960s, becoming a standard at county fairs<ref name="LATimes07212001" /> and becoming a [[subculture]] nationwide. The popularity of demolition derbies also spread overseas. In 1963, a reported crowd of 20,000 packed into the [[Rowley Park Speedway]] in [[Adelaide]] to see Australia's first demolition derby. Due to the size of the crowd (about twice the venue capacity), the [[South Australian Police|police]] closed the speedway's gates. The derby itself had over 75 entries and lasted for over 100 minutes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.speedway.net.au/release.asp?NewsId=23649 |title=Speedway Net Australian Speedway |publisher=Speedway.net.au |date=2007-07-02 |access-date=2011-08-08}}</ref> Demolition derbies in Australia generally take place at speedways (usually on the opening or closing night of the season), with most cars being older model Australian-made sedans and wagons.

[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC's]] ''[[Wide World of Sports (US TV series)|Wide World of Sports]]'' televised the World Championship Demolition Derby from the mid-1960s until 1992.<ref name="LATimes07212001" /> In 1972, the [[Los Angeles Coliseum]] hosted a demolition derby with mint-condition [[late model]] cars driven by [[Mario Andretti]], [[A. J. Foyt]], and [[Bobby Unser]].<ref name="LATimes07212001" /> The popular ABC [[sitcom]] ''[[Happy Days]]'' included the character [[Happy Days#Characters|Pinky Tuscadero]], a female professional demolition derby driver and occasional love interest to the show's most popular character, [[Fonzie|Arthur Fonzarelli]].<ref name="LATimes07212001" /> Folk-pop singer [[Jim Croce]] wrote and sung about the sport in one of his popular songs, "Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy)" on his 1972 album, ''[[You Don't Mess Around with Jim]]''.

The sport's popularity peaked in the 1970s.<ref name="LATimes07212001" /> But by the 1980s, the sport's popularity began to wane.<ref name="LATimes07212001" />  With the demise of ''Wide World of Sports'', television exposure of the game became scarce. In addition to safety concerns and the shortage of full-size vehicles, some felt that the sport had shown little change or innovation beyond its original premise.

In 1997, [[The Nashville Network]] (later part of CBS) returned demolition derby to national television in its ''TNN's [[Motor Madness]]'' series of various motor-sport events.<ref name="LATimes07212001">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jul-21-me-25039-story.html|title=Some Cars' Road to Ruin Leads to O.C. Fair|last=MacDonald|first=Brady|date=July 21, 2001|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=2009-02-04}}</ref> ''Motor Madness'' derbies were primarily for broadcast and needed to fit into a time frame. Live demolition derbies could last indefinitely. ''Motor Madness'' changed the rules from last car running to largest number of offensive hits in a time frame. However, as part of MTV Networks' takeover of CBS Cable operations in 2000, demolition derbies, as well as the rest of the CBS motor-sports operations, were removed from programming as part of MTV's move to shut down the CBS Charlotte operation based at [[Charlotte Motor Speedway|Lowe's Motor Speedway]] and generalize the network into a more broadly viewed channel. [[Pay per view]] was demolition derby's only national television outlet in the 2000s (decade). Two $50,000-to-win derbies were held in Widewater, Canada, from 2000-2001.

Later in the 2000s (decade), a proliferation of cable television shows about vehicle customizing occasionally showcased junked vehicles in bizarre competitions. [[Spike TV]]'s ''Carpocalypse''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spiketv.com/shows/series/index.jhtml?seriesID=13692&refID=carpocalypse |title=Watch SPIKE TV Shows Online &#124; Full Episodes, Free Video Clips, and Event Coverage |publisher=Spiketv.com |access-date=2015-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070224192133/http://www.spiketv.com/shows/series/index.jhtml?seriesID=13692&refID=carpocalypse |archive-date=2007-02-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref> was a [[reality television|reality]] [[Documentary film|documentary]] [[television series|series]] on variations of demolition derby filmed in Orlando, FLA. [[Speed TV|The Speed Channel]] also aired team demolition derbies in 2005. Cable TV's exposure has led to renewed interest in the demolition derby.

In 2006, the partners of Mike Weatherford Promotions (Mike Weatherford and Dustin Swayne) started DerbyMadness.com while promoting the NAPA Auto Parts Crash for Cash Series. The first annual final show paid out $5,000.00 to the winner of the series. Before competing in the final show, derby drivers across several states had to qualify at any one of the participating NAPA Crash for Cash qualifying derbies. There were over 100 cars in the final show. The series was a success and continues to grow every year. The 2007 series money was doubled, so competition was expected to increase for the 2008 series. The NAPA Auto Parts Crash for Cash Demolition Derby held in Paris, TN on September 19, 2009 was the final event in this series.