Beware of Dogs!
Junkyard Dogs back on top; four-way fight to the title!
After being denied victory in the first two events, the Junkyard Dogs struck back and defeated Seek-N-Destroy in one of most intense finales of the season! JYD find themselves in the familiar spot on top of the points standings with two races to go! Last month's winner, Reckoning, was defeated in the first round by Damage, Inc, starting an eerie trend of event winners losing the first round the next month!
The Dogs have not been threatened in the first race, nor the second race for the past two events, but that came to a slamming halt with a stiff encounter against Damage, Inc. during the Semi-Finals. They have been pushed to the limit and defeated twice in the Finals and were on the ropes again this month, but the comeback didn't fall short this time around as they stopped Seek-N-Destroy's power-punch and blazing speed to capture the Round 3 victory.
Pre-race pit shots:
RACE 1 HEAT 1
The opening contest was a lop-sided slaughter for Seek-N-Destroy, but had the potential to be much closer. Mean Green Machine's #10 Steve Schaefer actually claimed the lead through turns 2 and 3 after Seek-N-Destroy's #22 Robbie Stahulak was spun out. But Schaefer's lead was stopped dead in the mud thanks to a busted drive shaft! Schaefer was visible ticked off in the car and had to watch Stahulak recover and blow right on by and never look back.
ROUND 1 HEAT 2
Stranglehold has been searching for a foothold through the beginning of 2009 and really ever since the start of 2008. They've fallen in the Semi-Finals the last two races and the team has not seen the Finals in over 2 years. Stranglehold ran an impressive race against Reckoning last month and were going to need a repeat or better performance against the powerful Orange Crush.
#66 Ron Tyrakowski sprinted to the front around the first turn with #50 Zak Van Allen trying to keep pace. #63 Tom "Brickman" Lewis tracked Van Allen the whole way and t-boned his car into and through the concrete wall! The #50 car was jammed into and on top of the barrier with no hope of recovery. And instant 4-on-3 advantage for Crush, but Stranglehold had more in store.
#57 Matt Pierce looked to pick up some laps while #56 Trey Van Allen and #54 Jay Van Allen went on the attack. They pounded Tyrakowski multiple times, but the #66 refused to die. The rest of Orange Crush returned the favor and struck back with even bigger hits.
Turn's 1 & 2 was an absolute war zone of repeated shots and Stranglehold finally knocked the #66 out on Lap 3! However, #69 Carl Brouwer was running the same lap as Tyrakowski and took over the lead and held on for the win. Excellent race, easily Stranglehold's best of the year, but another notch in the belt of the surging Orange Crush.
ROUND 1 HEAT 3
"We need to win the first round." The words of Reckoning's #7 Brian Anderson rang very true this month and in September of 2007. Then, Anderson was on the point's leading Havoc team and lined up against the winless Damage, Inc. A victory would've made Havoc National Champions. Instead, Damage Inc. stocked up on powerful cars and veteran drivers to slam the door on Havoc's title. Havoc finished 3rd overall. This year, Reckoning sits in 3rd and again paired with Damage, Inc,. winless in '09, ready to end the streak.
Anderson started in the 3rd position off the line and couldn't break free of an early tie-up in Turn 1. #84 Nick Ritter charged to the front for Damage, Inc. #78 Chris "Disturbed One" McGuire and #74 "Speedy" Steve Volbrecht rocked Ritter on Lap 2 but could not slow him down. Hired gun #81 Steven "The Human Sacrifice" Scarbro & #8 Dave Swanled the onslaught against Reckoning, leaving them crippled and twisted all over the track. Scarbro ended McGuire's race with a SICK full-speed trunk shot, folding the #78 into the wall and gernading the motor! Incredible hit.
Anderson managed to collect a few laps but had to stop Ritter first. Damage was took its toll on Anderson's #7 and he could not keep up with Ritter. Reckoning was silenced as Damage, Inc. collected their first win of 2009 and perhaps dealt another lethal knockout to a title dream.
ROUND 1 HEAT 4
The First Round ended with a rather anti-climatic contest that looked more like a Bye-run for the Junkyard Dogs. Their opponents, Smash Bash & Crash had 4-cars lined up in the pits, but then only two managed to make it into the mud. The two cars made it a total of three turns and became extra turning posts for #35 Gerritt "Big Kahuna" Vanderbilt and #03 Ryan Bleuer. #33 Joe Snow was at least merciful with two shots on #44 Steve Bracy. An easy one for JYD.
SEMI-FINALS HEAT 1
Orange Crush verse Seek-N-Destroy. Some of the biggest hitters and best runner's in the sport matching up for the first time in 2009. What had all the makings of a epic showdown quickly became a frightening scene no one saw coming.
The runner's for both teams got caught up in a Turn 1 tangle which allowed #20 Ron Johnson, a usual crusher, to a solid lead around Turn 3. Johnson was spun out in Turn 4 by Tyrakowski in a borrowed Team #7 wagon, but he used the new direction to blast #69 Carl Brouwer with a head-on shot to stop his run. #26 Levi Turnbaugh took over the lead, but only momentarily, before running into the block of #64 Tom Lewis in a borrowed JYD car!
Ultimately, #22 Robbie Stahulak grabbed the lead into Lap 2 and had a wide open track in front of him until Tyrakowski again created a spin out. Stahulak threw it into reverse and charged down the back stretch still with a wide lead.
#67 Elmer Fandery flew across the infield out of no where and landed a nasty driver's door shot on Stahulak! The #22 came to a sudden and eerie stop against the back wall. Stahulak was not moving inside the car, hunched over on the passenger side. Cars continued to collide along the back stretch for a few moments until TDA officials threw the red flag and paramedics rushed to Stahulak's aid.
Emotions were at a fever pitch with insults and finger pointing unnecessarily thrown all around. Several tense minutes ticked away as the fire & rescue squad cut off the car's roof. Stahulak was taken from the car on a backboard and sent to a local hospital for observation. He was released 2 days later with amazingly and thankfully no serious injuries.
Orange Crush was disqualified giving Seek-N-Destroy the option to move to Finals. They had a very short time to collect themselves, come to an agreement and find their own hired gun.
SEMI-FINALS HEAT 2
Junkyard Dogs handled Damage, Inc very well back in May, but were in for a very different race this time around. Team #8 rolled out some serious power for this race along with more driver changes. #87 Jason "Rotten" Ritacco bolted away from the rest of the pack right off the flag showcasing Damage Inc's new-found strength immediately. #84 Nick Ritter provided support with a good spinout of #03 Ryan Bleuer. Ritacco's lead disappeared just as quickly as he took it when #33 Joe Snow demolished the #87 in Turn 4. #38 Kyle Shearer took control for JYD.
The next time by, Ritacco was re-fire and ready for revenge as he and Ritter teamed up on Shearer. But the JYD wagon wouldn't bend and Shearer pushed through to the next lap. #34 Johnny "Rude" Ryan crushed all comers with several hard hits across the track. Bleuer was suffering car problems and kept stalling out leaving Shearer alone to run laps. He maintained a smooth pace, but Damage never back down and continued to re-fire and go after the Dogs.
Bleuer gave up on running laps, got the car to re-fire once more and rocketed across the track and into #88 Rich Wilson knocking both cars out of the race. Shearer survived the threat and roared across the line to take the checkered! Very good race.
FIGURE-8 RACE
Several current and former Team Demo drivers along with a host of others competed in a wild Figure-8 race before the demo Finals. Wally Hartung, John Klimek, Greg Mesich, Tim Pankow all caused a little chaos throughout the 10 laps of treacherous crossings. Pankow held an early lead and really had the crowd behind his momentum and psychotic driving. #000 Bryce Southcomb was out to create chaos and drove most of the time in the wrong direction, colliding with on coming cars more than a few times; including derailing Pankow's lead. #03 Ed "Booger" Walker grabbed the lead and fought his way through bashed in and broken down relics. #27 Brian Pietrarosso was the smoothest and easily the loudest car on the track as he tried to reel in Walker. Pietrarosso ran right up on Walker on Lap 9, but got tangled up in lap traffic and Walker opened the lead back up to a 1/4 lap. Walker cruised to victory and is very lucky this race did not go the scheduled 15 laps because the results may have been very different.
Very fun race to watch with several exciting moments. The response was so positive that TDA Officials have added the Figure 8's to the September event lineup!
FINAL ROUND
Seek-N-Destroy arrived back in their second Final round appearance, but without a main part of the team. Robbie Stahulak's crash left a void in the #22 car, one that couldn't be filled by just anyone. It had to be someone crazy enough, angry enough, and willing to sacrifice their self in the line of fire to get Team #2 the victory. Enter: Steven Scarbro. "The Human Sacrifice" already raced and won on Damage, Inc. and is always willing to inflict more pain. The teaming of Steven & Art Scarbro is a rarity on its own. Most recently, these two were trying to maim each other a season ago with Steven on the KillBillies and Art on Beyond Driven.
The intensity and emotions inside the Team #2 pit area were something to experience. Figure-8 cleanup was still in progress and all four drivers were strapped in, hands on the wheel staring straight ahead. The most telling part of it was the shear silence. Nothing. No talking, no engines, only concentration. My footsteps alone were enough to ruffle the intense emotions building for the Finals.
Blood pressures were nearing maximum levels in the Team #3 lineup as well. Ready to strike. Ready for revenge. Speed vs. Power on both sides. It was going to be fast. It was going to be frantic. It was going to be team demolition derby at its best.
JYD lineup front to back: #03 Ryan Bleuer, #38 Kyle Shearer, #34 Johnny Ryan, #33 Joe Snow
S-N-D lineup: #26 Levi Turnbaugh, #22 Steven Scarbro, #23 Art Scarbro, #20 Ron Johnson
All 8 drivers slowly inched towards the staging area on the front stretch, nudging back and forth, playing mind games and looking for every single advantage possible. The green dropped & Bleuer blasted out of the hole leaving Turnbaugh spinning in the mud. Steven Scarbro shot around his teammate and pulled even with Bleuer even before the first turn. Johnny Ryan went for the knockout shot, but came up empty and ate the concrete.
Scarbro nearly spins out, but regains control and takes the outside line around Bleuer who had to dodge Johnson's head-on block. Bleuer slides against the wall as Turnbaugh t-bone's Shearer in Turn 2. Ryan launched another attempt at Scarbro and went full tilt all the way across the track to nail Scarbro but missed again and side-slapped the wall! That would've been massive carnage if he connected.
Scarbro leads through Lap 1 with Bleuer still on his trail. Johnson can't cutoff Bleuer as he crosses the stripe, but slams a prone Ryan up against the barrier! Snow joins in and plows Johnson to the side for his trouble.
Shearer heads towards his first complete lap.
Turnbaugh connect with a wicked passenger side t-bone to Bleuer giving Scarbro an even wider margin. The Scarbro's run side-by-side around Turn 3 & 4 still firmly in control as Joe Snow eats concrete after a missed shot. Johnson's car has yet to move and its a 4-on-3 JYD advantage. Snow & Art Scarbro collide in a twisted head-on collision along the back stretch and Steven continued to open up the lead after 2 1/2 laps. Johnny Ryan finally connects with a glancing blow to the passenger side, barely slowing down the leader. Bleuer trials by half lap.
Disaster strikes at the start of Lap 4. Art & Levi get crossed up and collide head-on! Steven is momentarily on his own and Bleuer is gaining ground. Levi's car dies out into Turn 4 and Art's car is not in an offensive spot to protect the lead. Steve rounds Turn 4, actually pushes Steven out of the way and then gets HAMMERED by Joe Snow! Massive impact! Smoke pours from both cars and the Seek-N-Destroy fans are stunned while the JYD loyal goes crazy.
Bleuer races past the mangled metal and into the lead on Lap 5!
Art gets the #23 to re-fire and goes for Bleuer on the back stretch but doesn't have enough power left to make it in time. Bleuer circles the last two tires and slides across the finish line a winner! Insane race. What a ride!
AFTERMATH:
Junkyard Dogs are once again the team to beat, taking a pivotal 4-point lead over Seek-N-Destroy with two events remaining. Reckoning and Stranglehold are the other teams still mathematically able to win the Championship and will need not only the race of their lives on August 22, but a little luck and help from the other teams to knock out their opponents. JYD control their future and have three teams hunting them down, ready to make their lead a thing of the past.
Who... Will... It... Be?! The fight for the title is on! Be there August 22 and September 19 as we crown the 2009 Team Demolition Derby Tournament of Destruction National Champions!
Check out the Round 3 Highlight Video & pickup the full DVD to witness all the carnage. But nothing beats the LIVE! Team Demolition Derby experience at Route 66 Raceway!
