As published in the Hendricks County Flyer, August 18, 2005

Fairfield Jr. pins Fairfield for win
By Carly Nation
carly.nation@flyergroup.com

DANVILLE -- The 25th annual demolition derby at the Hendricks County 4-H Fair kept fans cheering as the metal crashing, smoke billowing, confined road rage sport provided hours of entertainment last Saturday.

After dominating the first heat, Jessie Fairfield Jr. in car number 381 came back victorious in the feature event after pinning M.J. Fairfield in car number 118. While the two Fairfields are not related, Jessie said he helped M.J. get his car running before the feature event.

"I guess I did too good of a job," he explained about the drawn out battle between them that included a full-force head-on collision that resulted in their vehicles becoming attached at the nose.

After they finally broke free from one another, Fairfield Jr. managed to align and secure Fairfield's rear and front in a pinch between the arena barriers and car number 318, driven by Phillip Shelton.

Shelton and Matt Galliher, car number 76, came out of heat two while Fairfield Jr. and Kim Jackson, car number 96, came out of heat one for the feature event. Joining them were 007 driver Joshua McClaine and 316 driver John Goodwin from heat four and Fairfield from heat three. Brett Whilhite, driver of car 20, made it out of heat three with Fairfield but couldn't show at the feature because he lost his steering. Making it out of the consolation rounds were driver of 34, Matt Ludlow, and driver of 42, David Hix.

Goodwin, who won the "hardest hit" title for the past four years, made heat four the shortest of rounds at about 10 minutes by pushing three vehicles out of bounds -- one completely out of the arena. After the seemingly easy win there, it was especially frustrating for him to be the first eliminated from the feature event.

"I would have done good, but my throttle cable broke," Goodwin said. "I probably would have won."

Also an upset, during the second consolation round, John Bogle, with car number 23, lead the entire heat until a final hit against Hix's vehicle bumped him onto the arena poles and out of the event.

Thirty-year-old Fairfield Jr. of Lebanon, also a "hardest hit" winner, said he plans on using his winning 1975 Chevy Impala 4-door hardtop and "mad dog" driving style again in the Pittsboro Jaycees' "Last Crash" at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds.

That derby is scheduled for 6 p.m. Aug. 20 and is so named as it will be the final demolition derby to be held at the current fairgrounds.

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Top 10

1. Jessie Fairfield Jr.

2. M.J. Fairfield

3. Phillip Shelton

4. Matt Ludlow

5. Kim Jackson

6. Matt Galliher

7. David Hix

8. Joshua McClaine

9. John Goodwin

10. Brett Whilhite

Truck winner -- Todd Kilguard