VIDEO: Hayward firefighters caused a multi-car pileup on Saturday but it was no accident and it was all for a good cause. It all went down at the Good Guys car show at the Alameda County Fairgrounds during a benefit fundraiser with a twist -- and a grind and a crunch.
They rumbled and rattled in from all over the Bay Area -- die-hard, first-responders braving this demolition derby competition, seeking the thrill of victory and, with luck, the coveted trophy which was basically a welded-together pile of car parts.
"I think it takes all kinds of luck," said one driver with a laugh. "That's what it's all about -- luck!"
First came the qualifying, with the 20-plus entrants trying to survive a figure-8 race where everyone soon meets in the middle, bumper-to-fender. This annual Pleasanton demolition derby is a fundraiser for the Hayward Firefighters Local 1909 charitable fund.
"There's a lot of golf tournaments, a lot of stickball tournaments, a lot of softball tournaments," said Hayward firefighter Nicholas Stevens.