"What're you watching?" my wife asked, puzzled. She knows I like auto racing. If it's got four wheels and a motor, you'll find me tanning in the glow of the nearest television. I'm a gearhead.

Cars crashed into one another and ricocheted off to seek another victim. Broken parts littered the racetrack. "This isn't racing. It looks more like Dr. Kervorkian owns a junk yard," she said.

"It's a Demolition Derby," I replied. I pointed her toward to the computer to click on the home page of the United States Demolition Derby Association . No better place to get the why's and wherefore's.

Say "demolition derby" and most people think of LA traffic or New York City cab drivers. If they've got teenagers, the words may even induce an involuntary shudder and a grab for the checkbook.

Nevertheless, demolition derby is a nationally organized sport, one sanctioned by such organizations as the National Demolition Derby Association .

How do you pick a winner when everyone's deliberating crashing a car? Simple -- be the last one motivating after every other participant has tried to ram you out of commission. Associations like the aptly named D.E.N.T. (Demolition Events National Tour) set the rules and pay out prizes up to $20,000.

It's crash dummy testing for sport. Put 20 or 30 cars on a track, drop the flag, and a bang-up time's had by all. There's noise, steam from broken radiators, the smell of tires burning as they rub against fenders --it's every –year-old's fantasy about breaking things.

But there's a method to the madness. Check Tony Hartin's comprehensive page for hints on selecting a demo buggy and on race strategy.

Of course, we're not talking new vehicles here. Most entrants scrounge junk yards for an old land yatch -- a two-ton behemoth from the 60's or 70's.

Station wagons are favorites. Turn to J. Brophy's The Demolition Derby Homepage , which illustrates the finer points of demo derby, with excellent links.

Derby desperados out for a bang-up time on the weekend aren't totally crazy. The old Interstate cruisers are modified for safety: no glass, no loose hardware, doors, hood and trunk are secured, flammable materials are yanked out, and the gas tank is removed and replaced with a safety tank in a relatively secure spot.

Most drivers go one step further and secure high quality safety equipment from a company like Simpson .

Demolition Derby is a beer-and-pretzels family sport, full of noise, good humor, t-shirts, blue jeans. You may be there for the thrill of destruction but it's good to know that rarely does anyone get hurt. Kevin Reed has a typical fan's page.

Demolition Derby originated at the old Islip Speedway on Long Island and spread quickly across the United States. Today there are even esoteric variations like the "blackout demos," held at night with the last car with a working headlight wins, or a "football demos," with contestants competing to shove a compact across a goal line.

Ready to study up on this American art form? Ready to get physical? A good place to start is The Internet Demolition Derby Association Web site .