Taming the Tennessee Trails – A Friday Drive Day at Edelbrock Sick Smokies Provides Some of the Best Sights Yet, as Competitors Rack Up the Miles Before Heading South To Brainerd Motorsports Park
After four straight days of racing and driving in Tennessee and Alabama, competitors and Sick Ward enthusiasts would be treated to some amazing falls vibes and great roads, as Friday would be a drive day for Edelbrock Sick Smokies.
Some drivers would choose the famous ‘Tail of the Dragon’ as part of their travels, but Sick The Mag editor Luke Nieuwhof offered up a couple alternatives to give Edelbrock Sick Smokies participants a way to get from Cosby, Tennessee to the northern area of Georgia and the city of Ringgold. No matter what route was selected, it would be a beautiful day for a drive in the southern USA.
We’re down to our last 2 days - Don't miss your chance to join us at the Edelbrock Sick Smokies - October 12-19, 2025! CLICK HERE for our event page with track dates, our travel route, checkpoints and more!
One of two rides out of the Smokies Garage is this blown 1948 Pontiac Torpedo driven by Tim Pouw. The crew made their way down from Canada, and the Pontiac clocked its best time in Knoxville on Thursday with a 6.36 at 108 mph time slip.
Brian Dater leads a pack of fellow competitors through the mountains with his 1975 GMC ‘Gentlemen Jim’ pick-up. Marketed as an upgraded package that included a black and gold exterior and gold painted grille as just a few extra items. Brian ditched the original running gear for a turbocharged LS, and has an 8.03 average after three days of work.
The Deal’s Gap Resort provided a good place to gas up for Williams Owens and his turbocharged ’68 Plymouth Barracuda. The green-hued Mopar has a best run of 6.53 at 108 mph to its credit.
Jarrod and Connor Aspegren cross one of the many bridges on Friday’s drive. The father and son are tackling the Edelbrock Sick Smokies event two ways, with Jarrod going after the main title, and son Connor pursuing the Junior Street win. Jarrod is currently less than a hundredth of-a-second out of second place overall, while Connor has a 10.32 average after three days.
Alex and Holly Rops are participating in their second Sick The Mag event of 2025, after ‘surviving’ Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil a few months ago. Holly’s 2016 Chevrolet SS known as ‘Artemis’ has battled a fuel pump issue, but her 6.52 average has her leading the Quickest Chevrolet category heading into Day 6.
Danny Grubaugh has participated in at least one Sick The Mag event since 2022. After meeting Alex Brody at an event in Arizona a couple years back, Danny and the Brody family joined us for our Death Week west coast drag and drive event in 2023.
Danny was eventually introduced to Barbie Brody, and they started dating, including participating on events together. During Edelbrock Sick Smokies on Thursday, October 17th, Danny asked Barbie to marry him, and said responded ‘YES!’
After a hiatus from racing, the winner of the first Hot Rod Drag Week, Carl Scott, is back in the drag and drive game. He joined the Edelbrock Sick 66 event with a clean ’65 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser station wagon in 2024, and completed the week without issues.
For 2025, Scott arrived in Alabama with a ’57 Chevrolet Nomad, still sporting an old-school paint job, a highly plush interior, some period-correct speed upgrades, and a set of Cragar five=-spoke wheels.
Saturday, October 18th finds Edelbrock Sick Smokies dipping just below the Tennessee state line to Ringgold, Georgia and our fifth track of the week, Brainerd Motorsports Park. Gates open for competitors and Sick Spit Show and Shine at 8 am, while the spectator side and Sick Ward gates open at 9 am. Racing action is set to start at 10 am, and should conclude around 2 pm.
Spectator tickets are available in advance by CLICKING HERE, or they can also be purchased at the gate.
For more details on the Edelbrock Sick Smokies event, held October 12th-19th - CLICK HERE for more details!
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine and Danny Grubaugh.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com