BANKS, Ore. – Dave Duyck and his brother, Jeff, were hard at work refurbishing an old 1980s combine on a sunny afternoon last August. Jeff swung a sledgehammer to shape pieces of sheet metal while Dave welded them onto the machine. Neither had any intention of using it to harvest wheat.

“We’re taking these derelict combines and we’re reinforcing them,” Jeff said, “so that we can go out and crash and bang them together and have some fun.”

The brothers were preparing for the 25th Annual Combine Derby, a beloved tradition that takes place every August in Banks.

“It’s kind of like a car destruction derby,” Dave said. “But we just do it with bigger toys.”

The town is hosting the 26th annual event this Sunday as part of the Banks Bar-B-Que, a community festival that starts on Friday at Sunset Park. The three-day event features food, drinks, live music, frog-jumping contests, a greased-pole climb, tractor pulls and a parade.

Dave started the combine derby competition back in 2000. Initially there were only five contestants, but each year the event grew more popular. Twenty-five years later, the derby has become a bona fide tradition.

Dave has long since retired from competing and mostly spends his time refurbishing old combines for other contestants.

Jeff decided to enter the derby for the first time in 2024. He enjoyed it so much that he signed up again the following year. His wife Candace decided to join him in 2025, becoming the first woman to compete in the derby’s 25-year history.

“I’ve watched a whole bunch of years,” she said. “So it’s one of those things where I’m just going to do it.”

Most participants choose themes for their combines to make them easier to identify during the competition. Candace decorated hers with Wonder Woman decals.

“I used to watch Wonder Woman when I was a kid growing up,” she said. “And the kids love superheroes.”

“Geared up to smash and crash”

The derby takes place at Sunset Speedway, a racetrack adjacent to the park. On competition day, spectators pack the bleachers in anticipation.

Jeff and Candace walk around the track before the event, sizing up the competition.

“I just can’t wait to get out there today and just have some fun,” he said. “We’re all geared up to smash and crash and get her done.”

The derby consists of three heats. The first two each feature four combines competing against one another. The final heat is a free-for-all among whichever machines are still operational. The crowd ultimately determines the winner.

“I’m going to be in the first heat of four; she’s going to be in the second heat of four,” Jeff said. “Hopefully our two are the only ones running after those. And then it’ll be marriage counseling on the tracks.”

Before the first heat, Jeff and three other participants arranged their combines in a circle. Jeff drove a green combine covered in Incredible Hulk decals. The referees blew their whistles and the competition erupted in a flurry of dust and crunching metal. At the end of the heat, Jeff’s combine remained mechanically sound and mostly intact.

“We’re in good shape,” he exclaimed after completing his damage assessment.

Candace wasn’t as fortunate. During the second heat, her front tire was punctured and the valve stem snapped. Without a functioning tire, her combine could no longer compete, forcing her out of the contest.

“If I had a spare here, that would’ve solved my problem,” she said. “It’s all good, I’ll be back next year to show these boys how it’s done.”

In the final heat, the remaining drivers did their best to disable one another’s machines, often causing damage to their own in the process. By the end, the track was littered with tires, scrap metal, and broken combine parts. It looked more like a battlefield than a racetrack.

Jeff’s combine was one of only two machines still running when the dust settled. The crowd roared its approval, and he was declared the winner.

Jeff and Candace will square off again at this year’s derby, which starts at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday at Sunset Speedway.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/08/13/combine-tractors-demolition-derby-banks-oregon/