Colton’s Hudson looking for another winner

Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter | Jun 27, 20130

To get started, it took an ’88 Mercury Tracer sitting in a field behind his brother’s girlfriend’s house.

Last spring, Logan Hudson of Colton made a deal for the car. She would give it to him, and in return Pam Nagle would get the scrap proceeds after Hudson drove it in the Lewiston Demolition Derby.

Two first-place trophies later, Nagle received $139 in scrap metal.

Now Hudson is looking for another car.

The 2013 Colton High graduate long wanted to race in demolition derbies, watching them as a kid with his brother, Zach, and parents Todd and Amber.

But he had to turn 18 to be eligible.

He did in September 2011 and once he had Nagle’s old car, he started modifying it according to IMCO rules and regulations. First, everything flammable had to be removed, beginning with the interior, including seats.

“The car has to be completely bare besides a driver’s seat and a pad door,” Hudson said.

Then, using the welding skills he learned from his dad, he reinforced the car with six-inch channel iron, which was scrap metal at Bernie Schultheis’ Farms where Hudson has worked for the past six summers.

The scrap had to be cut down, then welded and bolted.

After 50 hours and the addition of a roll bar, Hudson was ready for Lewiston.

Last May was his first race. He placed a $50 entry fee and debuted in the traditional warm-up figure eight race. The goal is to avoid getting hit, and Hudson hit somebody and broke a distributor cap.

He was out and couldn’t run in the demolition derby.

Three months later, last August, on a Saturday waiting for wheat to ripen on Schultheis’ farm, Hudson was back at the Lewiston Rodeo Grounds.

This time he took second in the figure eight race, and did not place in the derby.

In May of this year, nearing graduation from Colton High, he made the final round of the figure eight before smashing his way to first place in the derby.

“The last aggressive hit is the one that wins,” said Hudson. “Luckily for me, I got it.”

His dad was one of his two pit crew members, there to bend out a fender, change a tire or whatever might be needed after the figure eight race.

Hudson’s victory ended up condemning his No. 80 car, which is his favorite number and what he wore for the Wildcats football team his junior year.

With two months to go now before the next derby, Hudson hopes to find a car and then get lucky on the whims of ripening wheat. Even if he finds a car, he may have to work, he said, as it will be harvest time.

As far as finding a vehicle, he said he keeps his eye out while driving county roads.

A range of old vehicles would do, he said, since there are four divisions in the demolition derby – compact, full-size, half-ton pickup and compact pickup.

He said if he sees something he likes, he will just go ring the doorbell of the nearest house.

In the fall, Hudson will go to Spokane to enroll in the OXARC Welding Program.

From there, he hopes to continue racing.

“I’d like to,” he said. “It’s expensive and time consuming. But it was a blast and I hope I can do it about every year.”