HICKORY, N.C. -- His real name is Raymond Rowland, but call him Sir Ray Bo.

“My real name is Raymond, but my racing name was Ray Bo,” said Rowland, one of the Knights of Destruction who will invade Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday night. “When I die, I hope they remember me as Sir Ray Bo.”

“I’m from North Carolina, so Hickory is a special show for me,” added Rowland, who grew up in Elizabeth City before moving to Orlando, Fla., for high school. “It’s one of the greatest shows in the world. There’s nothing better than us.”

He says he’s a 51-year-old grandfather, but adds, “I’m not old and crippled yet. I’m an entertainer/clown in the show, and there’s a lot of racing and wrecking I like to be the one everybody remembers. I used to be called a showstopper. When I come on the racetrack, all attention is on me.”

Rowland says he met George “Moe” Knauer, owner of the traveling show, maybe “10 or 12 years ago.”

Knauer admits it wasn’t his idea to have a traveling demolition derby that goes by Crash-A-Rama and the Knights of Destruction.

“No, it was actually the idea of Robert Hart of New Smyrna (Beach, Fla.),” Knauer said. “It was basically his idea.”

According to its web site, the Crash-A-Rama Series is a “crazy and unique twist on short track stock car racing.”

It’s all entertainment, with racing only something that might happen.

The series was born because of fans’ responses to a figure-8 school-bus race, and each year they might add a program or two to the schedule.

After Hickory, this year’s schedule features shows at Kingsport (Tenn.) Speedway, Auburndale Speedway and Orlando Speedworld, the last two in Florida.

“It seemed like last year that the folks in Hickory loved the show,” said Knauer, who lives in Geneva, Fla., between Orlando and Daytona Beach.

The typical Crash-A-Rama features a demolition derby, trailer and school-bus races, something called “the gauntlet,” a ski car race, flag-pole and chair races, enduro racing, plus stunts by Chris Morena and Tim Chitwood and more.

Knauer says one of the highlights is Morena and Chitwood doing a stunt.

“The car does a twist and a flip in air,” he said. “It’s like something you’d see in the movies. It’s a cool deal.”

Adult tickets are $15 in advance and $20 on race day. They’re $10 for kids ages six to 12, and ages 5 and under get in free.

HMS promoter Kevin Piercy says his favorite events are the ski-car race and the gauntlet, with several front-wheel-drive cars trying to stop a bigger vehicle from completing laps.

“It was a packed house (last year); it reminded me of the old Busch days, to be honest,” Piercy said. “Our crowd was full; our parking lot was full. There was a lot of crashing on the track. It was a pretty special night.”

Early last Friday, Knauer said he was traveling through Jacksonville, Fla., on his way to Newton to set up the show.

“We’ll be in Hickory in seven hours,” he said. “It takes us more than a week to prepare.”

Knauer has his own people and some cars, but he planned to spend the week looking for more people and cars in Hickory. Some of the cars, of course, came from junkyards.

And some of them, maybe all, will wind up there, too.

Tom Gillispie, the author of “Angel in Black: Remembering Dale Earnhardt Sr.,” writes about racing at Hickory Motor Speedway for HDR Sports. He can be reached at nc3022@yahoo.com.