Jaimison Henton made her Olsen Auto Demolition Derby debut July 31 at the Washington County Fairgrounds.
The 20-year-old Blair driver was nervous to get behind the wheel of her No. 32DD car, but not too nervous to batter the other vehicles into submission.
“I've watched a ton of these,” she said. “I grew up watching it at the fair, so I'm excited to do it myself.”
Henton, however, still managed to keep her expectations for the 2024 fair's grand finale in check.
“I don't have too high of hopes just because I'm a rookie. I don't want to get out too quick,” she said. “I want to make it as long as I can.”
Sure enough, though, the first-time driver survived a slashed tire and a bent-to-heck passenger side to earn a first-place finish alongside the other classes' victors — Kirk Sake of Yutan and Wayne's Ethan Beemer. Friends and family met her in the pits afterward, wrapping her in hugs before she could even removed the helmet from her head.
And, to think, some wondered aloud whether the Arlington derby would go on as scheduled at all as storms passed overhead earlier in the evening.
While Washington County Fair officials were steadfast that it would, some drivers couldn't help but remember the 2023 cancellation.
Getting ready to wreck
Mike Pedersen arrived at the Washington County Fairgrounds before the storm July 31 and kept an eye on his phone where he'd pulled up up-to-date radar images.
“We sat here and waited out the hail, the wind and everything,” he said. “It just barely missed us.”
The local driver of the No. 08 car attempted to compete in last year's canceled derby, too.
“It would have been a real bummer to have two years in a row get rained out,” Pedersen said.
Luckily, it didn't and the driver beat his goal in the compact class Henton wound up winning.
“Last more than 5 seconds,” he said before lasting into the final four.
Josh DelSenno, who also attempted to ride a bull during the fair rodeo, made an impact in the compact class, too, driving an old Toyota Camry. His goal had been to “get some good hits,” but, mostly, he just wanted to avoid another called-off derby.
“Last year, obviously, the car was ready,” DelSenno said. “It was going to be our first derby and it got rained out. We thought it was going to happen again.”
In 2023, Logan, Iowa, driver Russell Allen was filling both his truck and his derby car with gas in Missouri Valley when he heard the Washington County event was canceled. This year, though, he beat the storm to Arlington and competed.
“I'd rather be early than late,” Allen said.
The driver was rewarded with a second-place finish to Sake in the stock class.
“We're going to give a whirl tonight and see what she's got,” he said during the lead-up.
While the Yutan driver knocked Allen's car out to win, Beemer lasted the longest in the Mod class and Henton outlasted Marshall Strom of Wahoo.
“It was pretty good,” Blair's first-timer said, laughing after her victory. “I focused a lot on keeping my driver's side inside. That way, they couldn't hit me too hard.”
Direct hits are against the rules, but back bumper smashes are not. It's how Henton earned a win in her debut and how she plans to go after a second victory in the future.
“Oh, I think I'll go next year,” she said, smiling wide. “I'll get other people to do it with me, too.”
DEMO DERBY LINEUPS
Washington County Fair, July 31
Compact class: Josh DelSenno, Blair; Marshall Strom, Wahoo; Mike Pedersen, Blair; Jaimison Henton, Blair; Cara Grace, Norfolk; Trevor Lenton, Hadar.
Stock class: Kirk Sake, Yutan; Dusty Rhodes, Council Bluffs (Iowa); Russell Allen, Logan (Iowa); Austin and Jacob, Fremont; Dillon Thurman, North Bend; Dan Tranmer, Tekamah.
Mod class: Mike Rozeboom, Inwood (Iowa); Cody Lockhart, Adel (Iowa); Craig Berkenpas, Le Mars (Iowa); Ethan Beemer, Wayne.
