The Old Monroe native steered his 1995 Mitsubishi to a first-place finish during the compact division of Thursday's demolition derby. "When it came down to the top five, it was all friends of mine who come from a five-mile radius of where I build cars," said Roth. "When it comes down to your friends pounding on you, you're smiling the whole time. Every time you hit one of your buddies, you keep smiling." The headliner event at the Warren County Fair drew 24 cars - half of those competing in the compact derby. Roth didn't shy away from contact in the No. 69 car, going all out until the final flag had been waved. He and passenger Jeremiah Kersting emerged from through the windshield of the car, turned to the crowd and thrust their arms skyward. The duo was met with screams and fist pumps from a large contingent of followers. It was Roth's first win of the season and it came on what he calls the best track conditions of the summer during his fourth derby in the past two months. "This is the best track I've been on," said Roth. "That was just enough mud, that people didn't get stuck but they were still spinning." He was forced to work on a fairly congested field but Roth says he just kept his eyes on familiar competition. "You've got to watch out for people that you know out there," said Roth. "You definitely aim for the people that you don't like. You come out and have four or five cars you don't like, watch out for them, and hit them as many times as hard as you can." It was the first derby for this particular car, which Roth spent two weeks preparing for the derby. Roth's team is sponsored by Mr. Bill's Thrills Haunted Houses. Roth outlasted Joe Schulte and passenger Chad Porter, who took second in their 1980 Pacer. Tracy Davis of Winfield placed third in the compact field. The overall feature event went to a Mexico driver for the second straight year. Edward Polston, 21, hauled in top honors with his 1992 Chevrolet Caprice. It was only the second win of his career, making the finish bittersweet. Faithful followers swarmed the track to offer their congratulations. "Overall, it was a great derby," said Polston. "The tracks are wonderful when they're dry because you can get up on speed." Polston, who has been competing in derbies since age 14, had been working on his car periodically over a span of about two months. He says the overhaul included an $8,000 motor, which was a recent graduation gift. "I probably have about a grand in the car outside of the motor, which was a gift for graduating from the Missouri Institute of Welding," said Polston, whose entire family is involved in the derby business. Polston bested second-place finisher Darrin Justus of Hawk Point and third-place driver Harold Schone of Wright City. The consolation winner was Robert Bax.