Mike Kraft/MDN Karson Dixon (No. 68) and Garren Rounds (No. 33) compete in the Demolition Derby at Nodak Speedway as part of the North Dakota State Fair on Monday. Dixon and Rounds were the two finalists in the opening session, with Dixon claiming the title.

Karson Dixon chalked it up to luck, but it takes more than just good fortune to be the last car standing in a field that features some of the state’s best drivers.

When the literal smoke – and the occasional spark of fire – lifted and the roar of the car engines came to a stop after 40 minutes of adrenaline-inducing collision, only Dixon’s No. 68 car remained. Dixon bested Garren Counts at the end to claim his first Demolition Derby at the North Dakota State Fair on Monday at Nodak Speedway.

Dixon got the final collision of the night, taking out Garren’s steering ability in the process and timing him out to claim the title. Demolition Derby rules state that a driver must initiate contact with another driver within 60 seconds to remain in the competition.

“It was pretty exciting,” Dixon said. “It was the first time ever winning at the State Fair. It was wild.”

With the track consolidated to a small section of the front straightaway, there was little room to work with and plenty of collisions to be endured. There was also plenty of dirt, as no car left the track without a thick layer of debris from the track’s surface.

It didn’t take long for the field to be whittled down to the final four cars. It soon became as much of an obstacle course as it did a demolition derby with the number of unoccupied cars littering the track. It added an extra layer of difficulty and strategy.

“It’s so tough because you’re bent up and you can’t see,” Dixon said. “Everyone’s car is smoking and you’re trying to weave in and out of dead cars.”

Dixon said he was a bit sore following 40-minutes of delivering and receiving hits, but the adrenaline is what carried him through, along with the energy from a raucous crowd that filled nearly the entire grandstand.

“It’s wild,” Dixon said. “Full crowd like that. I don’t know how many people were there, but it was pretty awesome.”

Dixon was making his fourth appearance at the State Fair, but started participating in demolition derby events when he was 15. He said he plans to use the prize money to buy more cars because the reason he got into the demolition derby circuit is because, “I like building them and wrecking them.”

Dixon’s victory was no small feat considering the person he defeated at the end in Counts. The No. 33 car is no stranger to victory lane in this event, as he won the event last year as well as in 2022. He finished second in 2023.

“This is my second time getting second place here,” Counts said. “Being in the top five, it always feels good. If you can do that it’s good because these are the best drivers from North Dakota that were here today.”

Counts said his strategy entering the event was to avoid any collision that would have taken out his front tires, but unfortunately wasn’t able to perfect his plan as Counts managed to get a solid shot to those tires and disrupt his ability to steer.

While first place would have been a bow on what Counts said was an overall great experience at the State Fair, the excitement of the crowd is really what the event is all about.

“That’s why I keep coming back,” Counts said. “This crowd is amazing. You could hear the roar from them when you’re in the car. It’s awesome.”

Counts said he’ll use the second-place prize money to salvage the car with new parts as opposed to just purchasing a new one. He expects it’ll take roughly 20-30 total hours to get his car up and racing once again and being back on the track at Nodak Speedway for next year’s derby.