Cars have been a part of Collin Jones’ life since childhood. From going to the racetrack with his family as a kid to spinning his tires on city streets, his love for exhibition driving is now being passed onto his children.
Sideshows used to be a community event with people showing off their hobby work and skilled driving. But their growth in popularity in Kansas City has led to illegal street takeovers becoming a nuisance to residents and police, and dangerous for participants and spectators.
“A lot of people start showing up with guns, having no respect for others,” Jones told KCUR’s Up To Date.
The Throttle Dome, a relatively new space where drivers can drift their car and burn their tires without taking over city streets, is a safer alternative where Jones can take his 2-year-old son.
“I'll pick him up, put him up, you know, put him on my shoulders,” Jones said. “He'll look, and he'll go, ‘womp, womp,’ and wave his hand back and forth like everybody else. And he loves it.”
At almost 21 years old, Jones has been drifting in the same Mustang he bought when he was 16. Getting the car sideways is an adrenaline rush.
“I mean, you feel so free,” he said. “But soon as you let go of that clutch and you just go, everything just flows out of you. You feel nothing but the car.”
Crimson Smith was drawn to the sideshow spectacle after regularly attending as a videographer. But it wasn’t long until he started practicing to get behind the wheel of his own car.
But flying bullets and the chaos of people running from the police keeps Smith away.
On Sundays, he heads to the Throttle Dome, driving and using his camera to capture memories for the car community.
“We want people to stay safe and have fun, because that is what it is about,” Smith said “It's not about going out and hitting people or shooting guns or any of that other stuff. It's about going out, flipping your car around, roasting your tires.”
- Collin Jones, exhibition driver
- Crimson Smith, exhibition driver
