Enjoyed it!
by Sue on 8/1/22OC Fair & Event Center - Costa MesaThe OC Fair was fun and the demotion derby was a blast. So glad we purchased the seats in advance. Recommend and will go in future!!
Motorsports/Racing
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About the Orange Crush Demolition Derby
Each August, Costa Mesa, California, hosts a demolition derby contest to coincide with the Orange County Fair. The Orange Crush Demolition Derby is held at the Action Sports Arena on the Orange County Fairgrounds as part of the Orange Crush Week of Destruction, in conjunction with the Motorhome Madness and Damsels of Destruction demolition derbies. The facility, which has a capacity of 6,500, first opened in 1969, and is also known as Costa Mesa Speedway, a mecca for motorcycle speedway racing.
History of the Orange Crush Demolition Derby
While its official origins have been disputed, demolition derby has been wowing race fans since at least the late 1950s, rising in popularity in the ensuing decades through exposure on ABC's Wide World of Sports and in film and television. Demolition derby gives fans the excitement of drivers bumping and crashing into each other in a safe and controlled setting until one reigns above all others. Older, mostly American-built vehicles that would normally be sent to the wrecking yard are given one more shot at glory, with windows removed, doors welded, and holes cut into the hoods to allow for easier fire extinguishing.
Sunnyside Promotions, which runs Orange Crush Week at the Orange County Fair, has over 80 years of auto racing experience dating back to founders Don and Bob Basile. Since the mid 1980s, the company has focused on demolition derby racing, after finding success in NASCAR and as part of driver Parnelli Jones' 1963 Indianapolis 500 winning team. In addition to the main demolition derby, Orange Crush features a night of demolition derby competitions between police personnel and firefighters, as well as figure-eight races, which precede each main competition. The 2019 Orange Crush demolition derby had a wild finish, in which #13 Tim Greenleaf and #86 Tom Strong went head-to-head in one final crash, with Strong narrowly defeating Greenleaf to take the top prize.
The OC Fair was fun and the demotion derby was a blast. So glad we purchased the seats in advance. Recommend and will go in future!!
These shows are always a blast and I only wish they were longer since they are only an hour.
We didnt even get into the event!! We were there 2 hrs early and couldnt get parking. By the time we did and walked alllll the way to the fair entrance the show was 90% over. This was a gift for fathers day to my dad, bro & hubb and it was frustrating and disappointing. I was also charged for a ticket insurance fee i didnt want and everytime ive called im left on hold forever
There was one figure 8 race and one demo derby. Total 45 minutes. Too short for that price.
We paid $35 per ticket and had NINE people. When the show was only one event I was sooooo disappointed. I’ve been to MANY demolition derby’s and I’ve never been to one that was over in 25 minutes. I think the drivers put on a great show and were entertaining I just think I it would have been better if you broke it up into two or more groups and in the end had the winners of the groups go head to head as the champions. We will not attend the OC demolition derby again.
Last year (2017) the event included the police demolition derby, figure 8 race and fire dept motorhome derby, making for a little over 2 hours of fun entertainment. This year they made it into two separate night events, so the police demo derby and figure 8 race lasted just over an hour, and the motorhome derby was done another night. I don’t see time being an issue, so if the change was made just to sell more tickets and make more money, that sucks. Had I known I was paying for an hour of fun, I would have saved my money and waited in line for the free bleacher seats!
The demolition derby is always fun, but it was a very short event. Only h two "races", totalling about an hour.
It is a very short event. Will last at most 40 minutes to an hour. It truly can get boring after awhile but still a fun event if you have never seen one. Bonus is there is a bar next to the arena. So grab a beer and watch the cars crash into each other. Honestly there is no bad seat in the place but I do highly recommend buying tickets vs doing standby because when you buy a ticket, you can arrive five minutes before the race. With standby, you need to be there at least an hour before.
First time to a Demolition Derby and We will be Back. Awesome show & a great crowd.
My daughter and I were at the Fair and someone said to us I have these tickets to the demolition derby and we can't go, do you want them?...I was skeptical, and it was something I would have never thought of doing but we thanked him and went. We had a blast and now it is a tradition for the last 10 years...every year "Dad when are we going to the fair and demolition?" The mobile home one is also fun, as is the damsels. Highly recommend, especially if you think it's not for you.
Great show, lots of action, fun! Will definitely go again next year!
This was my first Demolition Derby and at first I'll admit I wasn't sure I would like this sort of thing - but I did it for my husband. By the end of the show I was cheering and totally into it. Great showmanship and great show!
It was so much fun to watch. I haven't been to a demolition derby since I was a kid. It would make a great family outing. Especially for boys over the age of 5. The crowd was good natured and fun. Lots of cheering.
Event was kinda short, just as things start to get exciting, boom, it's over. But for $20 you get a ticket to the fair as well. Good deal, if you ask me!
Awesome! But over too quick. Those cars can take a beating!
The car demo derby was great on Wednesday, the show was a bit short relative to past years, but a great derby! The Motorhome derby on Sunday was fun, but the whole show from start to finish was only 44 minutes! What a disappointment that was!
The derby was great!! The Ochoa Bros were like the Malachi Bros from Happy Days! And a woman driver as Pinky Tuscadero! Crowd was great!
We loved watching this event!! It was our first Demolition Derby, we can't wait for next year, we will definitely purchase tickets!!
An hour and it was over. Also, as a Derby fan, I like the 2nd chance Derby, the fun of watching these guys get those cars running and get a 2nd chance after they were smashed the first time around. This Derby did not have a 2nd chance round. Mostly I was disappointed it went by so fast. Barely had time to finish my beer!
Always fun for my whole family. Just wish we could have seen more