When looking for a change of pace in one’s typical weekend entertainment buffet of movies, TV, concerts and special dinners, there’s a family-friendly dish of destruction being served up at the Kitsap Fairgrounds.

From April through September, members of the Kitsap Destruction Derby Association are regularly racing and knocking fenders at the track on Saturday nights. The next installment is slated for this weekend, starting at 4:30 p.m. July 14.

And while it’s nothing new — the KDDA has been kicking for more than 35 years — drivers say the demolition derby’s popularity on the Kitsap peninsula has been surging in the past three-to-five.

“I’ve been here for three years now and it’s just amazing in the course of those three years how much our fan base and awareness has grown,” said KDDA secretary and car No. 77 driver Bria Steele.

“It’s even hard to find a seat there sometimes,” added car No. 41 driver Pat Duncan of the Duncan racing team. “People have to show up early usually because once the racing starts, it’s a packed house.”

While the crowds gather to hear roaring engines and collisions, the KDDA is also sounding out a cash register for local charities and non-profit causes.

Already this year, the group has raced to benefit the fight against cancer. The event on July 14 will be raising funds to bolster literacy programs within area schools.

Qualifying rounds start at 4:30 p.m. July 14, followed by the dash races, the special event — mini-car football — and the main event — the demolition derby.

“Everybody shows up and they’ll bring on car to race with … and a separate car for the main event,” Duncan said.

There are a few different collision courses featured in a night of KDDA derby at the Kitsap Fairgrounds.

First is the racing.

On both oval and figure-8 tracks, the derby cars race much in the same fashion of any other car race — except it’s full contact on a dirt track.

Reaching top speeds between 35 and 45 mph, “It’s every man for himself,” Duncan said.

The top 12 cars out of the afternoon’s qualifying rounds take to the track for a 10-lap race — the biggest of the night for the drivers standings wise and prize money wise.

But for the crowd, the most exciting events are likely yet to come, depending on how one gets their kicks.

Following the races is a roll-over contest in which drivers attempt to flip their cars as many times as possible, garnering points for each side that touches the ground.

Then comes the special event, followed by the main event.

The special exhibition July 14 will be a game of mini-car football in which the field of mini-cars will be divided into two five-man teams that will square off against each other.

A stripped down, dead car painted like a football is placed in the middle of the field and each team then tries to push the “ball” into its opponent’s endzone for a touchdown — all the while beating the heck out of each other.

“It’s similar in some ways (to normal derby) because you are trying to hit cars in places where you can break them and not break yourself, but on a normal demolition derby, it’s every man for himself,” Duncan said.

That free-for-all — also known as the main event — will cap the evening. A $10 admission pays for around five hours of racing, and the kids love it, Duncan said.

The combination of a thrilling sport with a family-friendly atmosphere creates the demolition derby’s allure. That and the smashing cars and the smell of exhaust.

“A lot of it is, it’s just something you don’t see every day,” Duncan said.

Internet video versions are available online through the KDDA’s Web site at www.kitsapdestructionderby.com, but the sight live is truly one to behold. And there are only four chances left this season, beginning with the July 14 event. The three final events of the year are slated for July 28, Sept. 8 and Sept. 22.

For more information, visit the KDDA’s Web site, or ask them at the race.