While many Canberrans were hoping to avoid a car crash on their way to the south coast, others at Moruya were deliberately seeking one.
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Moruya's finest, clad with flannel shirts and beers in hand, watched a dusty demolition derby from the comfort of their living room couch, perched on the back of their utes, of course.
The rules of the game were simple - drive your car into other vehicles as fast possible and cause as much damage as possible, while avoiding injury.
"The demolition derby is the real drawcard for people who haven't been to a racetrack before," race marshal Ian Riley said.
"The drivers hold up a white flag when they've had enough and the cars often leave a metre or two shorter."
Mr Riley, who resembled Moruya's Hunter S Thompson lookalike, organised the drivers with no sign of a serious injuries he got just six weeks earlier.
While racing at another meeting, Mr Riley struck a wall at 80km/h in his cart and broke three ribs, punctured a lung, and damaged vertebrae.
He was just one of many drivers who boasted about their extensive injury lists, added to over many years at racetracks on the south coast.
Race stewards said they had had to cut a couple of people out of cars on occasion at the track but there had been few serious accidents in recent years.
Moruya Speedway secretary Kay Nash said the demolition derby was not as dangerous as it looked, despite gasps from the crowd at each high-speed collision.
"They might have a sore arm or something but no one has had a serious injury here, just a few broken egos," she said.
"The cars all have numbers and have to bash into each other, with the last man standing taking out the $1000 prize. It's the highlight of the night.
"This is our first meeting for the season, with all cars having to have licenses and meet safety standards under Speedway Australia before they can take part in the races."
Victorious burnouts after each race were applauded with cowboy screams and raised bottles among the 300 people watching.
While the crowd was colourful it was well behaved, with young children granted front seats throughout the event.
"Every racetrack you'll go to shows this is a family-friendly sport, because the husbands often race and they bring along all their children, who are allowed in the pits once they turn 16," Ms Nash said.
A charity bus drove children around the track during the quiet moments and gave a guided tour of the pit area as cars assembled for races in the afternoon sun.
