Sick Week Kicks off 2024 With 6-Second 240-Plus MPH Street-Legal Performance
By Evan J. Smith
The Sickness that is drag racing was felt throughout Florida and Georgia last week as Tom Bailey’s “Sick Week” invaded drag strips with some of the most incredible street-legal drag racing machines on the planet.
The event brought hundreds of participants from across the globe to compete in a wild week of drag racing, street cruising and all-around, hot-rodding fun. Sick Week encompasses five days of drag racing with “street-legal” vehicles where racers make a run (or many runs) then drive the vehicle to the next venue. It’s like NMRA/NMCA Circle D Specialties True Street on steroids.
In the case of Sick Week, participants are allowed to work on the vehicles and even change them up for the street or track. This can include swapping tires, fuel type, tune and more. Racers are also allowed to tow a small trailer with the race vehicle, but they aren’t allowed a chase vehicle or support team.
Like most drag-and-drive events, you’ll see just about everything imaginable, from antique cars to Pro Modified-type tube-chassis race cars. But no matter the vehicle, there’s a fantastic camaraderie between the racers, fans, organizers and the “Sick Ward,” which is like a rolling car show for those who want to join the fun at each track, but who don’t want the pressure of racing.
Another attraction is the sheer unpredictability of the game. While consistency is important, it seems most drag-and-drive racers are trying to rotate planet Earth, unleashing everything they have, every single run. It’s that all-or-nothing attitude that makes for many “hero” runs and also the agony of defeat. There’s also a “finish-at-all-cost” attitude, in fact we saw an engine swap in an old AMC wagon, and we watched veteran drag-and-driver Alex Taylor and her father rebuild their transmission in the pits in time to make a pass in the 6s and get to the next track. Taylor eventually finished second in the Unlimited Iron class with her 1955 Chevy, delivering a 6.97/209 mph average over the five tracks. She was topped by Bryant Goldstone in his familiar AMC Javelin.
The quickest run of the meet was a 6.15 at 247 mph made by Jeff Lutz in his Pro Mod-type ’69 Camaro, but he was unable to finish the deal when he was forced to withdraw after the third day. And while there were nine cars in the Unlimited category, it was the Modified entry of Bret LaSala who stole the show. LaSala’s popular 2012 Mustang dubbed the Snot Rocket did indeed rocket to a 6.34/227 mph average with a best pass of 6.26 at 227 mph. What’s amazing is that his Mustang runs a sleeved OE Coyote block with ported OE heads and power is delivered through a back-half rear suspension to 275 M/T Drag Radial tires.
Click here for full results: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6091af459b0fad6257d33712/t/65bdc80bf3b5123f916a09f1/1706936332204/sickweek2024dayfive.pdf
By Evan J. Smith
The Sickness that is drag racing was felt throughout Florida and Georgia last week as Tom Bailey’s “Sick Week” invaded drag strips with some of the most incredible street-legal drag racing machines on the planet.
The event brought hundreds of participants from across the globe to compete in a wild week of drag racing, street cruising and all-around, hot-rodding fun. Sick Week encompasses five days of drag racing with “street-legal” vehicles where racers make a run (or many runs) then drive the vehicle to the next venue. It’s like NMRA/NMCA Circle D Specialties True Street on steroids.
In the case of Sick Week, participants are allowed to work on the vehicles and even change them up for the street or track. This can include swapping tires, fuel type, tune and more. Racers are also allowed to tow a small trailer with the race vehicle, but they aren’t allowed a chase vehicle or support team.
Like most drag-and-drive events, you’ll see just about everything imaginable, from antique cars to Pro Modified-type tube-chassis race cars. But no matter the vehicle, there’s a fantastic camaraderie between the racers, fans, organizers and the “Sick Ward,” which is like a rolling car show for those who want to join the fun at each track, but who don’t want the pressure of racing.
Another attraction is the sheer unpredictability of the game. While consistency is important, it seems most drag-and-drive racers are trying to rotate planet Earth, unleashing everything they have, every single run. It’s that all-or-nothing attitude that makes for many “hero” runs and also the agony of defeat. There’s also a “finish-at-all-cost” attitude, in fact we saw an engine swap in an old AMC wagon, and we watched veteran drag-and-driver Alex Taylor and her father rebuild their transmission in the pits in time to make a pass in the 6s and get to the next track. Taylor eventually finished second in the Unlimited Iron class with her 1955 Chevy, delivering a 6.97/209 mph average over the five tracks. She was topped by Bryant Goldstone in his familiar AMC Javelin.
The quickest run of the meet was a 6.15 at 247 mph made by Jeff Lutz in his Pro Mod-type ’69 Camaro, but he was unable to finish the deal when he was forced to withdraw after the third day. And while there were nine cars in the Unlimited category, it was the Modified entry of Bret LaSala who stole the show. LaSala’s popular 2012 Mustang dubbed the Snot Rocket did indeed rocket to a 6.34/227 mph average with a best pass of 6.26 at 227 mph. What’s amazing is that his Mustang runs a sleeved OE Coyote block with ported OE heads and power is delivered through a back-half rear suspension to 275 M/T Drag Radial tires.
Click here for full results: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6091af459b0fad6257d33712/t/65bdc80bf3b5123f916a09f1/1706936332204/sickweek2024dayfive.pdf
