The Six Best Days of Summer concluded with a bang, crunch and boom.

The Freeborn County Fair came to a close with a demolition derby produced by the Masters of Disaster that had plenty of oohs and ahhs for the capacity crowd in the grandstand.

A total of 69 cars participated in the demolition derby and Mapleton’s Randy Mosloski came away with the feature win. Mosloski was the last driver standing after a four-car pileup near the announcer’s stand. Mosloski was the only driver whose car was still running and he captured the win in his first appearance in the Freeborn County demolition derby.

It appeared as though the cars were going to be pull apart to keep the finale going, but after derby officials realized Mosloski was the only car left running the finale was called.

It wasn’t the mash ’em up crash and bang ending some would have liked, but it was the way it ended.

“It ended the way it should have,” said derby organizer Paul Nielsen. “It was an average finish. It wasn’t an across the track, the way you want it to. You could hear the crowd, “pull them apart, pull them apart” If they were stuck we would have pulled them apart because you don’t want it to end that way.”

The win was costly for Mosloski, who made a bet with his son before the race that if he won, he’d have to get a tattoo and a Mohawk.

“I had a good time,” said Mosloski, who promotes the Mapleton derby and has run in derbies for the past 21 years. “Very well-built cars, very good drivers. A lot of good, old-time drivers in here.”

Those in search of the big hits didn’t go home disappointed because the powder puff and truck features had loads of the crowd pleasing big hits.

“They do a good job,” said Hartland resident Kristie Thofson. “I just love to see them smash each other and there are times I wish I could be in it.”

Though many derbies don’t feature a powder puff division, the feature has been one of the most popular in Albert Lea, Nielsen said.

Heather Nielsen, Paul’s wife, won the powder puff for the third year in a row. She also took home the hardest hitter award.

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First place: Randy Mosloski

Second place: Colton Neuhalfen

Third place: Shawn Ellingson

Fourth place: Jacob Jacobson

Fifth place: Jake Knutson

Sixth place: Mike Gaines

Seventh place: Loren Prange

Eighth place: Jesse Crews

Ninth place: Jamie Neilon

10th place: Derek Lau

11th place: Kevin Hersam

12th place: Kelly Ellingson

13th place: Rusty Cordes

14th place: Jim O’ Byrne

15th place: Micah Hrdalo

16th place: Mike Anderson

17th place: Scott Scheid

18th place: Kris Knutson

Hardest Hitter: Darren Sonnek

Compact

First place: Cody Gaines

Second place: Mike Hage

Third place: Josh Pfenning

Hardest Hitter: Mike Graber

Powder Puff

First place: Heather Nielsen

Second place: Brooklyn Bergerson

Third place: Heather Cameron

Hardest Hitter: Heather Nielsen

Trucks

First place: Lee Gulbrandson

Second place: Jason Pestorious

Third place: Mike Boettcher

Hardest Hitter: Lee Gulbrandson

hardest hitter Mike Graber, Mike Hage Josh Pfennig

The truck division provided one of the wildest runs of the evening as Albert Lea’s Lee Gulbrandson came through with the win after battling Jason Pestorious in a punch-out, drag-out fight.

“It was fun to get the crowd into it, fun show,” Gulbrandson said.

Both cars were stuck for a few moments before finally firing up and getting in gear for one last showdown. In the end Gulbrandson’s 337 truck landed three more hits to knock Pestorious 622 truck for his first derby win. Gulbrandson also picked up the hardest hitter trophy in the truck division.

“When it got down to it I think we’d both had enough,” Gulbrandson said. “About all my body could handle.”

Gulbrandson’s win came after a scary moment, which delayed the derby for several moments.

Gulbrandson’s truck was stuck in front of the entrance to the track when Darren Sonnek’s B100 truck hit Gulbrandson, who was sent through the open entrance and struck derby worker Mike Thistlethwaite. The impact sent Thistlethwaite several feet back and knocked him unconscious momentarily.

“I was doing everything I could to get it stopped and my truck was in reverse and he was pushing on me from what I’ve been told,” Gulbrandson said. “Just a bad situation. No one wants to see that happen.”

A nearby ambulance rushed him to the hospital, but he returned after the nearby with a cut on the back of the head and otherwise unharmed from the impact of the hit.

In the compact division 15-year-old Cody Gaines defended his title, outlasting the competition.

The number cars entered was down slightly from last year, but this year’s derby had more cars from outside the area than in year’s past, Nielsen said.

All and all it was another exciting show for fans in Albert Lea, which has always supported the derby.

“Derby’s been big around here,” Nielsen said. “We work hard to try to put a good show on.”