Yes, it recklessly burns gas that costs well over $3 a gallon.

And, yes, the $100 payout is way less than the money that actually goes into putting the cars together to get them into tip-top, ready-to-smash condition.

But, c'mon, it's the county fair: how could you not have old, beat up cars colliding into each other for the amusement of hundreds of fans?

Despite some pre-game sprinkles and a half-hour delay, nine Northern Virginia drivers careened and crashed their way to glory Monday night at the Prince William County Fair during the R&R Productions Demolition Derby, performing as the main attraction at the Grandstand.

Seven men and two women competed for trophies and a cash prize on a dirt and mud course that turned surprisingly dusty, even with a couple light showers before the festivities got underway.

Once the spray-painted clunkers from the first heat of the derby began to arrive on the track, an immediate dust bowl kicked up, causing the emcee Rudy to ask the local fire fighters to spray water on to the driving surface to keep the dust down.

As it turned out, the track actually made for somewhat decent driving conditions, at least to the winners or those placing high at the end of each round.

"I like it a little bit dry like that. You can really get going," said Rick Mockabee of Lorton after claiming the brass and hardwood for the first heat. "It beats driving on ice."

Duane McConnell of Manassas Park disagreed slightly despite outlasting his competitors in the second heat.

"It was a little slick," he said.

Nokesville resident Sabrina Dowell had to tackle major issues with her steering and ignition before the grand finale Monday, as her car stayed stalled at the top of the pit until 8:12 p.m. when the final race finally began.

Without power steering, she could be seen jerking the driver's wheel sharply to the left and right, skidding about as she entered the demolition field next to five other junkyard-style cars.

"Well, I don't have a key for the car," she said after the final bout of the three-heat race.

Instead, Dowell and her team had to break enough parts of the car until the safety features broke off and it could be started with the steering wheel loose.

The evening's events began with a simple three-car crash-a-thon featuring the No. 58 car from Manassas driven by Stanley Smith and two Lorton drivers, each with the numbers 007 painted on the side of their cars.

Smith instigated the first crash of the night by whacking into the side of one of his yellow-car foes with the back of his car, a common strategic move in demolition derbies so the person causing the crash does not damage his or her engine.

When Smith eventually got hit himself, however, his car ended up with the front of the engine hanging over a mud mound by the guardrail, eliminating him from the heat as he could not back up.

In the second round, Dowell took a double collision from both Andrew Slemp of Manassas in the 55 car and eventual co-winner Matt Davidson of Manassas, who ended up as one of the last two running with McConnell by the time everything finished.

Davidson said he had one strategy in mind on the track: "Don't give up."

Smith apparently held the same idea during the last heat as his red-tipped glove on his left hand pumped out the window after surviving the final endurance challenge of the night.

Somehow, Dowell managed to make it to the final three out of the six cars competing at the end, despite her lack of power steering or even much of a functioning car.

Yet it was Smith and McConnell duking it out for first, running laps around Davidson’s car until McConnell’s finally gave out.

When it comes to knocking out an opponent, Dowell offered some simple advice.

"A lot of people try to aim for the tires," she said. It often results in a take-out.