Article by OnAllCylinders guest contributor Evan J. Smith.
Over the last decade, the racing world has been captivated by Drag and Drive events that thrill fans with out-of-the-box builds and quarter-mile performance that was once achievable from Pro Mod race cars.
It takes a special passion to do five days of street driving and racing—and the camaraderie amongst competitors is unmatched in modern motorsports. It can only be described as roadworthy insanity, as Drag and Drive events capture the imagination of enthusiasts at all levels who push their builds to the brink (and sometimes beyond), while searching for the ultimate timeslip.
Fans of this madness enjoyed “Sick Week,” which kicked off the 2024 racing season in grand fashion. The creation of champion racer Tom Bailey and his band of “sickos” at Sick The Mag, Sick Week is a drag racing adventure where racers combine five days of quarter-mile racing with transits from track to track, all while using the same vehicle for the entire event—no support vehicles allowed.
Competitors must make a minimum of one run per track, but they can make multiple passes to improve on their elapsed time. Once the timeslip is turned in to officials, participants must drive the same vehicle to the next location, which is typically about 200 to 300 miles away. In addition, they follow an assigned route with checkpoints. This proves the streetability of the vehicles and the tenacity of the drivers.
After the five days, each racer’s best runs are averaged to determine the overall winner and the winners in each class.
Unlike conventional racing events with specified rules, Drag and Drive competitions favor wild builds with the old “run-whacha-brung” attitude. And while vehicles are categorized by build type, year, or tire size, the vibe is adventurous and raw.
For some, simply finishing the five days is considered a win.
Notable Driver Results for Sick Week 2024
Sick Week 2024 drew racers from across the globe, but it was local racer Bret LaSala who set the world on fire with his “Snot Rocket 2.0” Coyote-powered S197 Mustang. LaSala, who has been cleaning up as of late, took down the entire Sick Week field after averaging 6.340 at 227.23 mph across the five-day competition. What make the performance so impressive is that it uses a sleeved OE Ford Coyote block, ported OE Ford heads, a back-half chassis (as compared to the Pro Mod-type cars in Unlimited) and he was running on small 275 Mickey Thompson Drag Radial tires!
And while some teams make it look easy, there’s a lot that goes into a winning combination. First you have to learn how to survive the week, and that means your car has to resist overheating or breaking down. Next, you have to adapt to different race tracks and weather conditions. Lastly, you have to unlock all the performance and make it hook.
Notables for Sick Week 2024 include Unlimited Class winner Stefan Gustafsson from Sweden with a 6.74@210 mph average in his C4 Corvette; Chad Fegley won the Stick Shift category running a 7.90@185 mph average with his 2010 Corvette, and Matt Sweet has the quickest naturally aspirated machine, clocking a 7.73@176 mph average from his 1976 Nova.
Bryant Goldstone took top honors in Unlimited Iron with his nifty Javelin with a 6.51@223 mph five-day average with Alex Taylor trailing in her popular 1955 Chevy with a 6.97@209 mph finish, despite having to rebuild the transmission on Day 2 at the track.
And while he was unable to complete the five days, Jeff Lutz produced the quickest single pass of the event, a blistering 6.17@247 mph.
Along with the competitors, Sick Week offers the Summit Racing Sick Ward, a fantastic concept that’s a rolling car show for those who want to follow and do the drives and enjoy the thrill of each day, but without the competition. Sick Ward participants get the same perks as the racers and get the best seat in the house to watch the action.
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More details and results of the annual Sick Week drag and drive event can be found at SicktheMagazine.com
Check out the gallery below for more photos too.
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