BREMERTON — “You have to know something about the mechanics of a car or truck, and know how to drive to be successful at this,” said Bria Steele, one of a handful of women drivers in the local club. “To some people it looks like we’re just out there banging into each other. But it’s more of a game than that.”

Steele and driver Dan Pieze belong to the Kitsap Destruction Derby Association. That club will put on the Destruction Derby at the Kitsap County Fair, as the club has done for many years.

The derby began at 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 27, at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds, as part of the 2017 Kitsap County Fair. Tickets, combined with admission to the fair, cost $13; the covered bleachers, where spectators could comfortably sit in the shade, was completely full within a half hour; the uncovered bleachers were close to full as well.

To read an article about the Kitsap Destruction Derby, written by Leslie Kelly, visit www.kitsapdailynews.com/life/its-a-lot-more-than-just-smashing-cars-kitsap-county-fair-stampede.

All photos by Michelle Beahm, online editor for the Kitsap News Group. She can be reached at mbeahm@soundpublishing.com.