Prepping for the Demo Derby

September 8, 2018

In the weeks leading up to the SEMO District Fair's annual demolition derby, local teams work overtime hammering their cars into shape. Step inside the garage for a look at the hobby driver Matt Seiler says "gets in your blood."

Tyler Graef

Todd Hopfer at his friend Matt Seiler's shop in Oak Ridge, Missouri, Wednesday, August 22, 2018.

Tools on the concrete are seen Wednesday, August 22, 2018.

Matt Seiler and his derby partner Todd Hopfer take a break while working on Seiler's demolition derby car Wednesday, August 22, 2018.

Todd Hopfer's belt buckle is a nod to his other hobby, bull-riding. His friend Matt Seiler said he didn't believe Hopfer actually rode bulls until one night at a fair, after a demolition derby and a few beers, he paid Hopfer's entry fee to compete in a bull-riding event, which Hopfer then did. "He says he's gonna retire soon and and move to doing derbies," Seiler joked. "Bull-riding's getting too hard on his body."

Todd Hopfer jacks up the rear end of Matt Seiler's derby car in order to repair the wheel wells as the moon rises Wednesday, August 22, 2018.

Matt Seiler uses a cutting torch to help shape the wheel well of his derby car Wednesday, August 22, 2018.

Matt Seiler's girlfriend Danielle Schuette writes "Levi Strong" on Seiler's derby car in tribute to a fellow derby driver who was recently injured in a crash.

Matt Seiler is seen at his shop Wednesday, August 22, 2018.

Brandon Matty, right, consults with his friend and "crew chief" Nathan Surface as they prepare to install a gas tank in Matty's demolition derby car Friday, August 31, 2018.

Brandon Matty is seen in his garage near disassembled parts of his demolition derby car, a Buick Roadmaster wagon, Friday, August 31, 2018.

Brandon Matty, right, steadies a metal strut as his friend and "crew chief" Nathan Surface cuts as they prepare to install the roll cage in Matty's demolition derby car Friday, August 31, 2018.

Matt Seiler fires up his demolition derby car for a test drive on the county roads near his home and shop in Oak Ridge, Missouri, Wednesday, August 22, 2018.

Brandon Matty uses a cutting torch to clear a space to install the roll cage in his derby car Thursday, August 30, 2018.

Brandon Matty, inspects the stripped-out interior of his demolition derby car Thursday, September 30, 2018.

Nathan Surface works to install the roll cage in his friend Brandon Matty's demolition derby car Friday, August 31, 2018.

Nathan Surface closes his eyes for a quick tack weld as he arranges the pieces of the roll cage inside Brandon Matty's demolition derby car Friday, August 31, 2018.

Brandon Matty pats dust and caked mud off one of his "lucky seats" as he prepares his demolition derby car Thursday, August 30, 2018. The seats, he said, came from a 1984 Mercury Marquis. "It's tough to find a comfy seat," he said. "So when you find one, you hang onto it."

The nameplate on Brandon Matty's demolition derby car is seen Friday, August 31, 2018. Matty said he enjoys running wagons for their durability "with the right modifications" and for their offbeat aesthetic. "Maybe we'll keep the wood panels and just paint the rest of it," he said. "Might look cool, right? I don't know yet but we'll see."

The yet-to-be-installed engine is seen in Brandon Matty's garage Friday, August 31, 2018.

A good-luck note is seen on a bulletin board in Brandon Matty's garage Thursday, August 30, 2018.

Brandon Matty, right, smiles at his 18-month-old son Laken Thursday, August 30, 2018. "There's a future derby driver right there," Matty said. "You gotta feed the fire." "Vroom-vroom," Laken said.

Having accomplished all the tasks he could without help, Brandon Matty waits for his friend and "crew chief" Nathan Sample to arrive and help prepare Matty's derby car at dusk Thursday, August 30, 2018.

Matt Seiler, left, inspects his derby car with help from his friend and driving partner Todd Hopfer at his shop in Oak Ridge, Missouri, Wednesday, August 22, 2018.

Matt Seiler welds pieces of a "new" radiator in place as part of the in-depth process of making his 80s-era Ford junker arena-worthy. "We'll do a motor swap, rear end swap, transmission swap," he said. "Total overhaul."

A sticker memorializes Matt Seiler's late elder brother Mike, with whom Seiler built his first derby car they dubbed "the Hot Rod Lincoln" at age 14. In signature orange cars, the brothers enjoyed the sport well into adulthood until 2008, when Mike Seiler ran his last derby before being diagnosed with a cancer which proved fatal. Nearly all of Seiler's cars and derby paraphernalia now bear the logo.

A handwritten note above the driver's seat reminds Seiler to stay focused during the chaos of a derby. Put there by Seiler's 12-year-old daughter, Makayla Rangel, the good-luck totem is one of several scrawled across the car's crumpled shell.

A switch panel inside Matt Seiler's demolition derby car is seen Wednesday, August 22, 2018.

Matt Seiler adjusts parts of a radiator in preparation for a demolition derby scheduled for the week's end. "It's the little things you see that knock most guys out. You left a wire loose or something like that," he said. "So I'm never done with a car. I work on it till it's time to go derbyin'."

Matt Seiler adjusts lug nuts on his derby car's wheel  Wednesday, August 22, 2018.

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