The rural Riverside resident has been competing in derbies since 1995 and when slamming and being slammed out in the arena, there is nothing better than to be wrapped in a lot of steel that Detroit was once famous for. He is currently driving a 1973 Impala and finding such large hulks is becoming harder and harder. The high prices for steel more than a year ago, he added, saw a lot of old beaters turned in for salvage.
Since starting more than 15 years ago, he has seen the entries going to lighter vehicles from the 1980s.
He has driven even bigger junkers - such as Chryslers with 440 V8s. Such a monster powerhouse will hurl the old battlewagons into the opposition with greater force, but Sweeting said they tend to overheat. He prefers his small block Chevy engine.
The life of a demo car is obviously limited. If you're lucky, he said, one will last the season. Sometimes their lifespan only covers a couple derbies. He salvages the rear ends, transmissions and engines for the next sacrificial vehicles. He has had one engine in eight or nine different cars.
He often searches as far as South Dakota and Texas for the junkers. The Southwest is the best place for cars, Sweeting said, because they have less rust, which results in a stronger body.
Before one of his demo cars finally goes to that big scrap yard in the sky, brother Ben will give them one more trip into the gladiator ring. Though they are on their last legs, Tony noted with irony that his brother often does better with them than he does in a less battered car. Just last week Tony took second place at the Columbus Junction derby while Ben placed first.
"He said his back hurt from everyone patting him on the back," Tony observed.
"He drives like he stole it," Sweeting added of his brother's aggressive driving style when behind the wheel of a borrowed car, noting that Ben doesn't have to worry about nursing them for future races.
"He likes to break expensive parts like transmissions and rear ends," Tony said dryly of Ben as only a brother can do.
The strategy for demolition derbies is to do as much damage to the others as possible, while in turn escaping as much harm as possible. This means ramming with the rear of the car so as to protect the vulnerable radiators. Rear axles and front wheels are traditional targets.
Another factor involved in the demo warfare is when drivers team up to take out their competitors one-by-one. This can cause a lot of hard feelings, said Sweeting.
There is bad blood between some groups," he observed.
Besides the cost invested into a derby car, sometimes as much as $3,000 to $4,000 when first beginning, it is also time consuming. Getting a new car ready can take him three to four weeks.
The financial return is iffy. A first place can net a driver $1,000 to $1,500, with seconds often $750 and thirds $500. But you must win to bring home the bacon.
Sweeting says he pretty well keeps even now, but recalls his first years of racing when as an unknown he was picked upon by the veteran drivers, didn't have good cars and wasn't experienced.
Tony works for the family business, Sweeting Built Construction. He also has his own business, S & S Roofing.
He says he doesn't know how long he'll continue to compete in the sport. The number of derbies has dwindled during the past few years, noting that Wellman used to have two a year and now none. Riverside has gone from two to one and Sigourney no longer has derbies.
There is also a new attraction in his life - Angie Mougin. The couple is getting married next month. So far, said Sweeting, she has been his biggest fan. Which means someday Tony may be more worried about fitting a babyseat into the back of his car than transferring a transmission from one battered Impala to another.
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