Drivers crush cancer at Date Festival demolition derby

Many came geared up to see cars crushed at a demolition derby at the Riverside County Date Festival Sunday night.

But the event marked a special occasion for Bob McGinty, who helped build cars to be crushed.

“There’s eight cars, they’re all from the 1980s and they’re carburetor cars,” McGinty said. “They won’t pass smog anymore. We get them on Craigslist for a couple of hundred bucks. I put 10-inch railings on each side of them, to protect the drivers. I take out all of the wiring. Anything that can burn or crush, we take out of them. And that’s it.”

But McGinty said this wasn’t a typical demolition derby.

He and other volunteers were crushing cars to crush cancer, raising money for the American Cancer Society (ACS) to help others like him.

“13 years ago, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer,” McGinty said. “And since then, I’ve been diagnosed with two types of skin cancers. So, my way of giving back to the American Cancer Society is by putting on this event, and to raise money. And I love working on and building cars. So, this fits my lifestyle.”

The derby even had a celebrity drive behind the wheel, with Jay Leno on hand hitting the track to help drive home money for the cause.

“I know he’s crazy about cars, and he loves doing this,” McGinty said. “So, we’re going to have fun with him. It’s going to be a good experience for all of us.”

But McGinty said he hopes the message driven home is to keep on crushing.

“You can fight this and survive,” McGinty said. “I’m a three-time survivor, and my ultimate message is never give up, fight as hard as you can and you can survive.”

McGinty said this was the first year the Crush Cancer Demolition Derby was held at the Date Festival in Indio.