As the wife of a demolition derby driver, Sheryl Ellingson has seen plenty of trophies up close.

Now she has one of her own.

Ellingson placed first in the Powder Puff Division of the Albert Lea Jaycees Demolition Derby at the Freeborn County Fair Tuesday night, claiming a trophy and a check for $294.

It was only the second derby for Ellingson, 25, whose husband Shawn won the feature in 1997 and his a perennial contender. Her brother-in-law, Kelly, took the overall championship Tuesday.

&uot;I was just gunning it and going for it,&uot; said Sheryl Ellingson, who drove a Dodge Monaco. &uot;Thankfully, I’ve got a trophy to go along with my husband’s.&uot;

Ellingson said she felt no aches or pains from the crashes.

&uot;I just felt muddy,&uot; she said. &uot;I was pretty much eating dirt.&uot;

Second place and $84 went to Dawn Omvig.

Jo Dagestad, the 2000 Powder Puff champ and yet another Glenville competitor, finished third and earned $42.

Sue Smith of Albert Lea was voted Hardest Hitter.

Also driving in the Powder Puff were Amanda Clausen, Kristen Villarreal, Chris Arnold, Carol Thistlewaite, Roxanne Callahan, Melissa Johnson and Heather Nielsen.

Albert Lea’s Ken Laite won the Compact Car Division, which was added to the derby in 1999. It was the first time finishing in the money for Laite, who has entered between 10 and 15 derbies. He drove a 1991 Ford Tempo.

&uot;I made it to the feature with the big cars, but that’s it,&uot; said Laite. &uot;I switched to the smaller ones. The smaller ones are a lot more fun. They move better.&uot;

Laite was surprised to outlast more than one AMC Pacer, which tend to dominate the compact car classes.

&uot;I kept going after the Pacers &045; right to the floor,&uot; said Laite. &uot;There’s a lot of luck involved. You just got to hit and move.&uot;

Russ Besco took second, earning $108. Steve Thistlewaite got $54 for third.

Terry Smith of Albert Lea was the Hardest Hitter.

Others in the Compact Car Division were Jeremy Westrum, Ryan Kleinbeck, Greg Olson, Jeff Minear, Jerrod Vrieze, Steve Groess Jr., Travis Cameron, Brian Holland, Bruce Holland, Jeremiah Johnson and Wade Johnson.