How was Crash-A-Rama

[Jane]

With dad in the hospital and mom needing help, I did not go but how was it?? Was it packed like always? Who won the enduro??

[Andy S]

With dad in the hospital and mom needing help, I did not go but how was it?? Was it packed like always? Who won the enduro??

Hot off the presses - i.e. I've literally just finished writing it! And they said it couldn't be done...

Crash-A-Rama, Orlando Speedworld - 27th November, 2009

The Thanksgiving holiday is a time for traditions, such as big family get-togethers, pumpkin pie, turkey dinners, queuing early at the malls for ‘Black Friday’ bargains, or just settling down for the afternoon to watch the Detroit Lions lose. For the race fans of Central Florida there’s a tradition that means just as much, and one they wouldn’t dream of missing – Friday night’s Crash-A-Rama at Orlando Speedworld.

A bumper crowd of fans made their way out to Bithlo to get their fill of the legendary Redneck Rodeo, and there was standing room only as spectators filled the grandstands all around the oval track.

A big field of cars, trailers, boats and campers made their way onto the track, and by the end of the night some of them even made their way back off again under their own power. For most of the cars the night ended, if they were lucky, on the forks of the one of the massive forklifts that worked tirelessly through the night to stack the wrecked clunkers neatly in the infield. If you were unlucky your ride ended the night chained to the back of the Green Mamba jet-car, being cremated in turn 3 to the cheers of the fans.

First onto the track for the night’s entertainment came the Enduro racers, kicking the evening off with a race that at least in some way paid homage to the Orlando Speedworld track’s regular day-job. A mixture of cars made up the 28 vehicle field, with everything from tiny 4-cylinder compacts mixing it up with big, classic muscle cars in a race to see who could survive 60 laps around the track. Of course this wouldn’t be Crash-A-Rama without a twist, and in this case it came down the back straight where the cars met a wall of crushed junkers that diverted them onto the infield road and through a chicane to turn them back up onto turn 3 and off around the banked oval.

From the green flag it was the #13 car that made the early running, with cars pushing and shoving for position while trying to figure out the best lines in and out of the chicane, and negotiating the rare proposition on an oval track of a right-handed turn they had to clear. The rest of the field were in hot pursuit, with the #23 leading the pack, before the crowd were given what they came out to see – a 6-car pile-up with the unlucky #45 right at the front.

By now the cars were starting to play with their lines around the back of the track, using the chicane as an ideal passing opportunity, but as the speeds increased so did the number of risks the drivers were willing to take. Some of these risks paid off, but plenty didn’t as the #66 soon discovered as his attempt to take a tight line down the inside into the chicane saw him drive headfirst into the concrete block placed to mark the entry to the turn, going up and over the top and landing, grounded and stranded on top with his race over for the night.

The halfway point of the race saw just half the original field left in the running, and of those plenty were defying logic to still be out on track, particularly the compact #70 who had already clocked up plenty of laps with one rear wheel running with a shredded tire and pointing at a distinctly unnatural angle. The crowd by this point were engrossed with a feud developing on the track between the #37 and #93 and after several laps of close racing it came to a head when the #37 t-boned his rival on the entry into the chicane, and into a wrecked car sat helpless on the infield grass to end the #93’s night.
The #70 finally had to admit defeat when he found himself with just one tire intact, although he had made an attempt to race on three rims before it became impossible and he had to retire. Now the action was becoming more like a regular race, albeit a mix of oval track racing for 2/3rds of a lap, with the other 1/3rd looking much more like a brief rally driving exhibition as the cars slipped and slid around the corners, churning up the grass and mud as they flicked their cars to the right to exit the chicane.

With the #37 and #13 still fighting up at the front, Orlando Speedworld regulars can’t have failed to notice the familiar sight of William Hindman’s #89x making progress up through the field. Having already won Strictly Stock championships at both Orlando and New Smyrna Speedway in this very car, Hindman was looking to add a third trophy and show that it could turn right just as well as turn left, but he knew that Jim Erb, his Team Hit-N-Run colleague in the #82, was standing between him and the trophy.

With the race entering its final laps the enduro element of the race was taking its toll, as the #13 shed a wheel in turn 3 and the #37 crashed hard into the #96 to leave him steaming, wounded but able to continue. Now just 8 cars remained, of which barely half could be considered healthy, but all 8 managed to make it through to take the checkered flag, with Erb's #82 and Hindman's #89x coming out at the front.

But this was Crash-A-Rama, and a night built on feuds that ran across the different races to provide much of the excitement for the fans. Having spent most of the race sitting helpless off the track, obviously fuming about the way his race had ended, the #93 decided to let the driver of the #37 know exactly what he thought of his driving as they left the circuit!

A brief interlude that saw Jimmy Elvis jump his converted RV straight through a trailer parked conveniently on the infield grass between turns 1 and 2 – the Fordzilla truck not being quite so successful when trying to finish it off, and needing all the revs and traction he could muster to force his way through to the other side after getting stuck halfway through – led to the next race of the night: the Heavy Metal Roller Derby.

Now the ‘serious’ racing was over the rest of the evening was devoted to fun and finding any way possible to maximize contact between cars and bring the crowd to their feet – either because of the excitement on the track or to avoid the debris flying straight towards them!

The first of the night’s Roller Derbies saw the heavier reinforced cars, with the blockers of Elvis and Moe an ominous presence at the back as they raced around causing as much mayhem as possible in breaking up the pushing partnerships the unpowered cars at the front were relying on. Soon cars were stranded all over the track, feuds were erupting between teams, and the fans in the stands were getting very close views of the cars as they scraped, and in the case of the #711 headed nose-first into the track walls. Just 3 teams would take the checkered flag as the forklifts and clean-up crew got to work.

With the wrecked cars dealt with the forklifts moved one unlucky car into position in the infield, lined up with the start/finish line, signifying the next race as being the Flagpole race. For this one the remaining cars from the enduro, along with a few extra entries, made their way back onto the track for a race that saw them have to make a circle around the ‘flagpole’ – the crushed car sat in the infield – before heading off to make a lap of the oval track. Early bunching around the flagpole soon saw the race stretching out, and that’s when the fun began as the slower cars tried to enter the circle as the faster cars were leaving, seeing plenty of cars t-boned or deciding to take evasive action to preserve their car for the later races. The race would end with the #0 taking the win, and the #01 truck getting an ovation from the crowd for a massive crash into the back straight wall right in front of the grandstands!

The second Roller Derby of the night was next up on the schedule, this time featuring the smaller cars with less reinforcement and so much more vulnerable to the big hits from the blockers! Again much mayhem ensued, this time given an edge as a few of the differences that developed in the night’s opener were settled, the #37 seeing plenty of drivers out for revenge after he’d ended their enduro race a little prematurely in their opinion.

Flashes of welding in the pits let the crowd know that the skid races were up next, as cars made their way onto the track, sometimes for their third (and final) race of the night, with their rear wheels bereft of tires and with skid plates welded into place. With so little grip and control available to the drivers the lap to set up the field at the start line was just as entertaining as the race, but eventually the green flag dropped and the cars moved away. By the time the leaders hit the first turn barely any cars were still facing the right way, but a mixture of luck, skill and driving backwards saw the race run to the checkered flag in a shower of sparks and crushed metal.

The Green Mamba jet car made a few passes of the track to the appreciation of the crowd – not just at the fantastic sight of the car, but for the brief respite from the cold he gave the stands as he passed around the track blazing fire out of his engine.

The jet car was literally the warm-up act for the main events that were now making their way onto the track, and first up came the vehicles that made Crash-A-Rama the phenomena it is today – the School Buses, ready to run their figure 8 race.

The race didn’t even need to begin before the action started, with the #28 not even making it through the warm-up laps before his engine gave up in a big cloud of steam. With the green flag waved the #13 leapt out into the lead, with the buses behind heading 3-wide into the crossover for the first time. Not even a whole lap gone and the crowd got exactly what they came to Crash-A-Rama for – as the leader made his second pass through the crossover the #48 mistimed his run through, side-swiping the #13 and rolling him over and over, back onto his wheels in a spectacular crash. Of course safety is of paramount importance in these events so the race was quickly red-flagged to let medical crews check out the drivers, but both were OK and the race could continue, even though the #13 was done for the night.

As the race developed the bus drivers got into the rhythm and managed to time their runs through the crossover to maximize their speed and leave the crowd gasping as the giant busses passed within inches of each other, missing disaster by split seconds. Now the red #18 bus was making all the running, skidding into the crossover and even shooting past any competitors who were taking less risks as they ran through the center of the course. Of course the drivers had a choice to make every time they entered the crossover – go through fast and risk a big impact from an oncoming bus, go slow or stop entirely to let the other drivers through safely and get an absolute earful of boos from the large crowd!

The #18 would continue to run strongly up front until his race came to an end when the #711 saw a chance to spin him out as they came together. Although he tried to continue his night was done and he soon retired, leaving William Hindman's #32 to take the win.

Surely this late into the night the track was just way too clean? Well that problem was solved as the competitors made their way out for the next race – the boat trailer race. A mixture of cars and boats came out, including airboats and even a big cruiser that had the grandstands diving for cover every time it got a bit too close to the wall or the other cars! By the time the checkered flag was thrown the track was covered in debris that showed the carnage that had gone before, although miraculously the large cruiser was sitting largely intact on the infield track, having lost its connection to the Fordzilla truck before too much damage could be done.

With just a couple of events to go the forklifts got to work to use the wrecked cars to create a corral up on the start line for the demo derby. Plenty of cars entered, but only one could be left by the end to be crowned the winner. So as the tire smoke drifted through the air and the sound of crunching metal reverberated around the grandstands the drivers got into it, reversing hard into each other and patiently biding their time and waiting out their opportunities. Finally the derby got down to just two cars, both small red compacts, and after several minutes of close calls, near misses and all the pushing and shoving they could muster, just the #16 driven by the aptly named Demo Dave was able to splutter to life and prove itself to be the last car standing.

One last race to go and the crowd were treated to yet more carnage as the camper trailer racers made their way onto the track. Another mixture of shapes and sizes, but all eyes were definitely on two of the entrants, with Jimmy Elvis using his 6-wheeler RV to pull a houseboat out around the track, while the Fordzilla made his way around with a classic Airstream camper attached. As the last race of the night it really was a case of anything goes, and the racers were determined to make this a night to remember for the appreciative fans who braved the cold night to applaud and cheer them for every race.

Soon enough the houseboat was history up in the middle of turns 3 and 4, and the Airstream camper soon followed at the opposite end of the track. Still a few cars were running the race hard, and it was the #89 station wagon of William Hindman that was dodging his way through the wreckage to head towards another win at the track he calls home, but not before both Elvis and the Fordzilla had ditched their burdens and were taking every opportunity to plow through the destroyed camper shells left on the track, showering the delighted grandstands with every pass.

Just one last event for the hardiest of fans, and the Green Mamba made one last appearance on track to chain himself up to a hapless RV out in turn 3, firing up the engine and afterburners to leave it as nothing more than a smouldering skeleton on the infield grass.

And so another year ended for Crash-A-Rama in front of a massive crowd, all of whom know that the drivers had left nothing out on the track – other than the remains of the cars, trucks, buses, boats, campers and trailers they had raced at breakneck speeds to the delight of the fans!

[andre]

AND it was on Friday night, AND the track is still at the same place.

Which proves once again that if you present what the public wants, they will come, no matter the day or the place.

[ancrdave]

The only bad thing was the announcing... Again, the crowd for this event could probably care less, but there was no mention about food, drinks, souveniers... With all that many people they could only get $200 to the winner in the 50/50? And at no time were any drivers names mentioned which I thought was a slap in the face to the guys who work so hard to put on the show... Jim Erb and the E&H Crushing team again took the bulk of the honors... I know Erb won the Enduro and was the Bus Race winner again (in #32 not 33)... Bill Loomis won his 4th out of the last five Flag Pole races... all in the same car which unfortunately blew up in the Boat Race... I think Demo Dave Berrer won the Demo Derby because he had the trophy... One thing I will say, the trophies were fabulous and presenting them in victory lane was a nice touch.... And yes, it was cold!! Thanks to Robert Kasper for bringing the big Weber Grill that kept us all warm...

[Andy S]

Thanks for the updates, Dave - I've edited accordingly. Posting the stories up here is one of my ways of getting the fact-checked, but they always get double-checked before they get released 'officially' to make sure they're right. On here I like to think you all get the 'Director's Cut'...

With all that many people they could only get $200 to the winner in the 50/50?

When Jim passed down the back straight there was absolutely no way he could get into the stands to sell tickets, and most people were too busy watching the racing to notice him. I also think that because so few of the people there were 'regulars' very few knew about the 50/50. He was having to explain it to a few people as he went around. As you say, we couldn't hear a thing down the back straight over the PA, hence why I couldn't add much for the names of who won what.

[Jane]

Thanks Andy. I see you weren't given many names but that is always a problem with Crash-A-Rama - names and results. I tried for years to post it but I could never get the whole field of enduros or school buses. Man, would I have people mad at me for that one but I did my best. Thanks for the update.

[Hired Gun]

hey

Just for another edit... I was driving jim #32 bus this race, Jim was in the #1. My first figure bus win!!! whooo hooo.... Congrats to the Moe 15 and his group of merry men for doing a hell of a job with running the show. "The Moe Show" as we were calling it went 100% better then we all expected it would. Can't wait till June to do it all again!

[Andy S]

Thanks for the update - you had one heck of a night! On a side note, seeing you flicking that 89x through the chicane like that made me wonder just how you'd do in a rally car. I'd love to see you have a go at that as it looked like you had a very natural touch for that kind of cornering, even in a totally unsuitable car like that one!