Modesto’s Frank Borba outlasted fellow rookie driver John Daley of Valley Springs to capture a hard-earned victory, along with a $4,000 first-place purse, in the 50th Annual Stanislaus County Fair Demolition Derby held inside the Food Maxx Arena on Monday night.

The grandstands were once again packed on Monday for the first of two straight nights of heavy metal derby thunder, this year dubbed "Summer Smash" and "Mayhem and Motorhomes" by the Turlock Lions Club, which puts on the event and uses the proceeds to fund local charities such as the Turlock Quarterback Club, Pitman Boosters as well as a variety of Turlock youth organizations.

After last year’s disappointing car count of only six entries, this year’s event rebounded by attracting a solid field of 16 cars for the traditional derby, plus a six-car MWFA class field for the smaller bone stock unmodified-style cars that competed in a preliminary derby before the traditional derby finale.

“Talking to the community and adding that bone stock class has really helped us a lot this year,” explained Paul Baker of the Lions Club. “I am expecting up to 30 cars for tomorrow’s main event for the bone stock cars. Along with the Powder Puff event and motor homes, we could have up to 50 cars on Tuesday.”

Following the traditional opening parade of cars, the field was split into two groups of eight for the preliminary heats. Drivers normally take it a bit easy in the heats as they attempt to minimize the damage to their cars in order to save them for the main event. However, on Monday, the hitting was fierce right from the drop of the green flag in the opening heat, causing the crowd to erupt in a show of approval on multiple occasions.

“It was supposed to be an easy heat, but they went right after my brother (Keith) and me,” commented 25-year derby veteran Jason Yamamoto of Westley, before adding wryly, “We held our own though.”

The action was just as intense in the second heat. A red flag was deployed by officials on one occasion to clear out various large pieces of metal that had fallen off of multiple cars and, on another, to replace one of the heavy concrete barriers that line the arena after it was knocked over.

Borba was declared the winner of the first heat, and Daley prevailed in the second heat.

As wreckers hauled the car back to the pits, the drivers and their teams spent the next 40 minutes preparing for the finals by executing emergency repairs with a vast arsenal of heavy-duty tools, including sledge hammers, blow torches and portable metal band saws.

"That was a pretty good, hard heat. It didn’t go quite like we wanted it to, but we are fixing it up, and we will be back out there for the final," said Turlock’s Mark “Crash” Cabral, a 42-year derby veteran and former two-time derby winner. “I am hoping for a top three, or maybe we can even win it, but there is always a lot of luck involved.”

Cabral, who also announced that he is retiring from the derby wars after this year, added, “I will miss it on derby day, but I am not gonna miss all the work it takes to build the car for it.”

The MWFA derby that preceded the main event turned into a real crowd-pleaser as the lighter but quicker cars zipped around the arena inflicting constant hits on each other. On two occasions, the event was stopped after a perfectly placed shot caused the victim to rollover.

Tuolumne’s Gaige Foster topped Kyle Watson of Modesto to earn top honors for the class.

After the MWFA derby debris was cleaned up, 14 surviving cars rumbled into the arena for the traditional derby main event. The arena quickly filled with smoke and dust while the crowd cheered on every bone-jarring hit over the next 25 minutes. Ultimately, only the cars of Borba and Daley were still moving when the checkered flag finally dropped to end the carnage.

“I tried to save the car to the very end, but we lost the steering, and all I had after that was front and back. I still think I might have it though,” said Daley. “This was my first time here, and it was awesome. I will be back.”

As the judges tallied up the scores, which are based on the number and severity of hits inflicted on each other, the drivers climbed out of their cars to inspect the damage and congratulate each other.

After a five-minute delay Borba was declared the winner over Daley, while Dominic Assali of Ceres, Ryan Pearson and Dan Hicks, both of Turlock, rounded out the top five.

“What a rush. This was my first derby ever, and I have always wanted to do it, and it was even more than I expected, just great. It was pretty violent, but once your adrenaline gets flowing, you don’t really feel it anymore,” exclaimed Borba. “I am really thrilled just to participate in this, and winning it is just icing on the cake.”