Temecula’s McGowan second in Firefighter Demolition Derby Lackey takes fourth with Wagner winning Best Looking Car honor

Joe Naiman Writer SAN DIEGO – Ken McGowan of the Riverside County Fire Department placed second in the Firefighter Demolition Derby on June 11 and was part of the San Diego County Fair. “I’m excited. That’s a great job,” McGowan said.

Kyle Lackey of the Murrieta Fire Department was fourth and said, “It was intense. I didn’t think I was going to make it that far.” Riverside County Fire Department firefighter/paramedic

Tyler Wagner received the BestLooking Car recognition.

In 1995, the Cajon Speedway, the Burn Institute and local fire departments collaborated for an annual night which included fundraising and promotions for the Burn Institute and a Firefighters Destruction Derby, which was renamed the Firefighter Demolition Derby in 2017. The Burn Institute and local firefighters also collaborated on an annual exposition at Qualcomm Stadium.

Cajon Speedway closed after the 2004 season and there was no Derby for five years. In 2010, the Fire and Safety Exposition was moved to the San Diego County Fairgrounds although the configuration of the Del Mar Arena necessitated some changes. The current format has three early afternoon heats with the last two running cars in each heat advancing to the final. Two lastchance heats in the late afternoon allow the final remaining car from each heat to compete in the main event. The driver from the fire department which raises the most money for the Burn Institute is also allowed to drive in the final if he has an operational car.

McGowan and Wagner are both with Station 61 in Wildomar.

Last year Wagner drove a 1972 Cadillac Sedan de Ville in his Firefighter Demolition Derby driving debut. The car had been in Ramona before Battalion 2 of Station 61 found the car on Craigslist and acquired it. Station 61 acquired the Cadillac in January 2020, but the 2020 San Diego County Fair was not held and the Del Mar Arena was not part of the 2021 fair footprint so the crew, which consisted of 10 firefighters, began transitioning the Cadillac into a demolition derby car in February 2022.

The track is banked, and during last year’s heat Wagner was stuck on a berm near the entrance. A driver is eliminated either when he takes down the flag on his car to signal that he can no longer continue or when he is “timed out” if he has not moved for two minutes. Wagner was unable to move on the surface and took down his flag, putting him into the last chance heat but with no damage to the Cadillac. He then won his last chance qualifier heat which allowed him to compete in the main event. However, the front brakes locked, and the car was stuck in a rut in the dirt, so the main event began without Wagner although the Cadillac remained in suitable shape for this year’s Firefighter Demolition Derby.

“We just had a few things to fix on it,” McGowan said.

The plan was altered when Valley Wide Towing donated a 1964 Chrysler Imperial to the fire department. That allowed Station 61 to have two cars. Wagner took the Imperial and McGowan, who was part of Wagner’s pit crew last year, volunteered to drive the Cadillac. “I thought who would be better to drive it than the engineer of the fire engine?” McGowan said.

Wagner and McGowan are both Temecula Valley High School graduates. Wagner joined the fire service in 2009 with the U.S. Forest Service and has been with the Riverside County Fire Department since 2015.

McGowan has been with the fire service for 12 years; he started as a volunteer with the San Diego County Regional Fire Authority (now the San Diego County Fire Protection District) at Station 69 in Warner Springs and has been with the Riverside County Fire Department for four years.

Lackey is a Murrieta Valley High School graduate who has been in the fire service for 11 years including seven with the Murrieta Fire Department. He began his fire service career with the Riverside County Fire Department’s Station 71 in Palm Desert.

The Murrieta Fire Department had not previously participated in the Firefighter Demolition Derby, but after Lackey learned of the event, a 1993 Buick LeSabre was donated to the fire department. Approximately 10 firefighters spent a couple of months preparing the car for demolition derby status. Because Lackey was the initiator of the fire department’s participation, he received the right to drive the vehicle.

This year, the Riverside County Fire Department was one of five fire departments with two vehicles. The 16 fire departments combined to raise approximately $100,000 for the Burn Institute, with Riverside County providing approximately $7,200 and Murrieta accounting for about $2,600.

“We couldn’t have done it without our sponsors and our pit crew,” Wagner said. “We’ve had the best pit crew around.”

The fans voted by cheer for the Best Looking Car prior to the first heat. Wagner’s Imperial was selected.

“It’s just a great car,” Wagner said. The 21 drivers were divided into three heats. Wagner was one of seven drivers in the first heat. The Imperial was one of five cars remaining before smoke appeared underneath its hood. Wagner removed his flag.

Lackey and McGowan were in the third heat. After National City firefighter Dan McGuire and Miramar firefighter Justin Fite took down their flags, Lackey and McGowan became the final two survivors from the heat and advanced to the final.

“Just use the rear of the car, that was my strategy, save the front of the car,” Lackey said.

Six drivers, including Wagner, were in the first last chance qualifier. Wagner was the second driver to break his flag, ending his driving activity in the Derby. “It’s all going to a good cause,” he said.

When Nate Diaz of the Coronado Fire Department broke his flag, four cars remained in the final. After Lackey broke his flag, only McGowan, Carlsbad firefighter/ paramedic Matt Newlin and Encinitas firefighter/paramedic Donnie Butz had running cars.

“I was just happy to be at the final and happy to be at the top,” Lackey said.

Newlin’s car stopped responding, so McGowan and Butz became the final two drivers. Smoke appeared underneath McGowan’s hood. He was timed out and Butz won the Firefighter Demolition Derby for the second year in a row.

McGowan suspects the motor was the cause of the car’s failure to operate. “It took some pretty hard hits to the front,” he said. “There wasn’t a whole lot you can do about it.”

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at jnaiman@reedermedia. com was available to be caught while he steadily persevered to an even-par 70. Fowler was gracious in Clark’s big moment, hugging his playing partner and telling Clark his late mother would have been proud.

Alas, Fowler still has never won a major, and his only win anywhere since early 2017 was at the 2019 Phoenix Open. Fowler’s game isn’t all the way back, but he’s also a new father with an improved perspective on the game, and life. Last weekend was another sign of revitalization for the player who was once thought to be the future of the sport. Starting at Torrey Pines this past January, he has nine top-15 finishes in his last 12 tournaments, including three straight top 10s as he heads to the Travelers Championship in Connecticut this week.

While he is still waiting for his own chance to celebrate a major with family and friends, he had a legion in the galleries at the U.S. Open, just 90 minutes from his native courses in Murrieta. He also made many friends in Los Angeles by staying after to sign autographs after his rounds.

FOWLER from page C-1

“After the last few years, being in this position, how comfortable I felt this week, this is great,” Fowler said. “As much as it sucks to not be in the position I wanted to be after today, we’re just continuing to build and continuing to move forward.”

Certainly, Fowler capped his comeback from several years of disappointing play with his best result at a major since his runnerup finish at the 2018 Masters and even set a U.S. Open record with 23 birdies over his four rounds at LACC, playing phenomenal golf for long stretches. “I just didn’t have it in the end,”

Fowler said. “Iron play was very below average and didn’t make any (putts). That’s a big thing in majors, especially on a Sunday, making putts and keeping it fairly stress-free. It was kind of the opposite. I was fighting through it all day.” Clark also posted his worst score of the tournament Sunday, and he

“I definitely think we’re heading in the right direction,” Fowler said. “It’s been nice to be back and have chances in tournaments, or at least getting solid finishes. We had a lot of good stuff happen this past weekend.”

JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia. com