Canton’s Blake Buckwalter Qualifies for Youth National Derby

Canton, MO – The world of demolition derby is hard-hitting, fast-paced, and unpredictable. But for young Blake Buckwalter, it’s an opportunity.

Blake competed on July 29 at the Adams County Fairgrounds in the youth compact class. With his father, Cyle Buckwalter, riding in the passenger seat, Blake battled his way to a second-place finish in his first-ever demolition derby. That strong showing earned him an invitation to the Youth National Derby, set for October 3–5 in Washington Court House, Ohio.

The event, hosted by Hard Core Derby Promotions, will feature 11 different classes for both full-size and compact cars.

Blake said he got into derbying because of his dad, who has competed in the past. “I got into it because my dad likes to derby, and I’ve always thought it was cool. I finally got to do it and I love it,” he said. Running at a local show where family and friends could watch made it even more special, as Blake added, “It was a lot of fun, everyone is bragging about it too.” Outside of derby, Blake keeps busy playing soccer, riding his four-wheeler, and, in his own words, “disobeying my dad.”

For Nationals, Blake plans to run a 2000 Chevy Lumina, a popular choice among compact derby drivers. Of course, building a car takes a lot of work — stripping the interior, welding in a cage, removing parts, reinforcing weak spots, even prebending the car so it folds the way you want it to. Blake’s favorite part? “I like changing the tires.” The Buckwalters will also have to follow a strict set of build rules, which tell them what they can and can’t do, such as the size of plates they’re allowed to use or the type of bumper that’s permitted. And as any derby driver knows, unpredictability is always part of the game; at the Adams County Fair, Blake’s car kept stalling out on them.

Cyle praised his son’s instincts behind the wheel. “He would just make perfect hits. I pointed maybe a couple times,” he said, explaining how he gave advice from the passenger seat.

Cyle is no stranger to the derby scene himself. He started running in 2016 after watching his brothers do it. “My brothers did it, I just loved it. The one thing we looked forward to as kids every year was the county fair,” Cyle said. “I always said as soon as I could do it, I was gonna do it. I bought my first one in ’16. I think I’ve only missed three years since then.” He also noted how much the derby scene has changed over the years. “A lot of shows now are one-and-done heats. Back then you’d run heats and try to fix your car up for the feature or the consolation to get into the feature. I remember taking parts and working on the car from the time you got there to the time you left, even if you didn’t make it to the feature.” For this upcoming trip, Cyle added, “Hopefully we pretty much take a whole other car’s worth of parts with us too.”

The demolition derby scene is a close-knit community, and others have stepped in to help the Buckwalters. DJ Shepard and his son Mason Shepard donated the Lumina Blake will run. But how much more support they’ll need is still uncertain. “I don’t even have a clue what it’s gonna cost to get us out there,” Cyle admitted. Anyone wishing to help Blake can donate to their Cash App at https://cash.app/$Blake4nationals.

As Nationals draw closer, Blake is excited for the chance to line up against some of the best youth drivers in the country, but he’s “ready to slam into other people.”