Summer Sizzle – Doug Cook’s Nova Returns to the Track After a Year With New Rear Suspension, a New Engine, and Immediately Sets a Personal Best!
A car with a lot of history in drag and drive, Doug Cook and his storied 1972 Chevrolet Nova has done a lot over the last decades. After a couple years getting a full rebuild, Doug wrote a big chapter in his comeback storybook with his performance at the 2024 edition of Sick Summer presented by Motion Raceworks.
Doug set a record for a leaf-spring car in drag and drive competition on Day One, clocking a .04 at 206 mph at Byron Dragway, in route to setting a 7.32 average and winning the Super Street class.
Now, after a year of making some major changes to the Nova, Doug made his first track appearance with some test runs at South Georgia Motorsports Park (SGMP) on Friday, July 24th. And despite the warm summertime temps (both in the air and one the track, the revamped Nova showed plenty of promise!
One of the Quickest Stick Shift Cars in Drag and Drive Has Been Sold, as Marcus Davis Purchases the ‘FlatFox’ Mustang of Jeremy Howell as a Rolling Chassis!
One of the classes in drag racing that has been enjoying a surge in popularity, as well as an increasing number of competitors, is the Stick Shift classes. This is also carrying over to several drag and drive events as well, with both Sick The Magazine events getting solid counts in 2026.
One of the first stick shift cars to clock a 7-second pass in drag and drive competition is the ‘FlatFox’ Ford Mustang of Jeremy Howell. Today, news dropped about that his car has a new owner; what will its next chapter hold?
Lapeer International Dragway Owner Sentenced to Jailtime on Weapons Possession, Track Rumored to Be Going Up for Sale!
Race tracks have had to face a slew of hurdles to keep the gates open year after year. With rising costs on many items, local opposition to noise, and even rising land values, it’s not surprising to see some tracks close their gates for good.
But another reason has recently hit the storied track of Lapeer International Dragway, as news broke today about owner William Jennings being sentenced to six years on multiple firearm possession. Several have hinted about the track going up for sale, possibly putting one of the track stops on Sick Michigan Miles next month in jeopardy.
With Immokalee Regional Raceway Closed, Ralph and Thomas Hester Look to Build a New Drag Strip in Florida - Could the Third New Track in Florida This Decade Become Reality?
After losing multiple tracks in the last decade, the state of Florida has been turning the corner in the last two years with two brand new drag strips opening - Leadfoot City in Brooksville, and Hicken Power Drag Strip in Callahan, which just opened their gates in June of this year.
One of the tracks recently closed in Florida was Immokalee Regional Raceway, which is located on a runway section of Immokalee Regional Airport in southwest Florida. But Ralph and Thomas Hester are ready for the next chapter to begin, and have started making moves to build a new track.
The Re-Birth of the Deuce Box – Aydan Bailey Preps ‘57 Chevy Wagon For Upgrades to Defend Title at 2026 Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil!
After some trials and heartbreaks, Aydan Bailey scored an overdue victory at the 2025 edition of Sick Michigan Miles presented by Driven Racing Oil. The ’57 Chevrolet wagon put up a 5.24 average for the week, getting Aydan the top spot, an orange Sick The Mag helmet, and a celebration for Aydan and father Tom, who was Aydan’s co-pilot for Sick Michigan Miles.
But, in pushing the station wagon to those times, Aydan also discovered the limitations of some things, as well as some items to re-do for the next outing. Nearly a year later, Aydan, Tom and Andy Mcconnell, got together to assess and determine what needed to be done to get the station wagon ready to defend its Sick Michigan Miles title.
Middle Georgia Sports Park Eighth-Mile Drag Strip in Jeffersonville, Georgia Goes Up for Sale
With over four decades since it first opened its gates, Middle Georgia Sports Park (also known as Twiggs County Raceway, Macon National Dragway and Middle Georgia Motorsports Park) has been home to a lot of racing action, as well as an uncertain future at times.
Although the track recently acquired NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) sanctioning on January 16th, 2026, current owners Trent and Jessica Mallard put the Jeffersonville, Georgia track up for sale on Thursday, July 16th, 2026.
After a Year Away from Drag and Drive, Tom Kuepper Preps His Wheelstanding F-150 Pick-Up for a Return to Sick Michigan Miles and Another Top Ten Finish!
This two-tone 1994 Ford F-150 pick-up has been a staple in Tom Kuepper’s life for several years, just like drag and drive competition. His first drag-and-drive as a competitor would be at the inaugural Sick Summer presented by TBM Brakes, which Tom completed with a 10.77 average.
Since then, the truck has gotten some safety upgrades to dive into the single-digits, which Tom accomplished in late 2024 with an 8.94 at 152 mph run in late 2024. Since then, it’s gotten a bit more serious, and after a year away from racing, he’s prepping for this year’s Sick Michigan Miles presented by Driven Racing Oil with a new co-pilot, and some new goals.
The Next Level – Jeff and Tyler Moll Put Together a C4 Corvette For Small Tire and Drag and Drive Competition, with 6-Second Goals!
Tyler Moll was born into cars and racing at a young age, and part of that upbringing included drag and drive events. Father Jeff Moll participated in a wide variety of racing avenues, including what many consider the lead-up to Hot Rod Drag Week, the Pump Gas Drags.
With both father and son having a good bit of racing experience, Tyler and Jeff have decided to make the jump to a new build, with the potential to shake things up in both small tire racing, and plans for drag and drive competition in 2027!
New Prospect for Prospero – Multi-Time Drag and Drive Winner Reveals New Chevrolet Colorado Build!
A competitor with over a decade in drag and drive events, as well as street car style events, Rick Prospero has made his mark with a pair of cars in several events, starting at the 2009 edition of the Hot Rod Drag Week event.
Using a ’65 Chevy Nova station wagon, and then a ’90 Mazda RX-7, Rick has five drag and drive titles to his credit, including the inaugural Gear Vendors Overdrive Sick Week title in 2022. Rick is one of a couple names that is on all three Sick Certified list for holding an 8-second, 7-second and 6-second average in a major drag and drive event.
The Full Monte – Dan Dinan Debuts New Ride With a Win and a NHRA Wally at East Coast Drag-N-Event!
After the initial taste of racing at almost any level, it’s not uncommon for most competitors to want to go to the next level. Whether that means a slight bump in power, a complete revamp of a car, or even making the commitment to building a new ride.
Since the drag and drive event format debuted with Hot Rod Drag Week in 2005, it only took a few years before we saw cars specifically built to move to the next level in drag and drive, including the ’67 Camaro from the team of Steve Roth and Denny Terzich, the first to post a 7-second average.
For Dan Dinan, a guy we’ve been used to seeing behind the wheel of his ‘Betty White’ Chevrolet Malibu in the 8.50-second based / Sick Street Race classes, he debuted a new ride last month. And he did it the hard way, with no testing or shakedown, and shared the details of his East Coast Drag-N-Drive event experience.
We’ve Got The Dates – The 2027 Edition of Gear Vendors Overdrive Sick Week, and Motion Raceworks Sick Summer, Dates Are Locked In!
After the success of the first Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive in 2022, the question was “when can we do a second big event, and when is the next Sick Week,” according to Tom Bailey. The 2023 season would see the second annual Sick Week, and the first edition of Sick Summer presented by Motion Raceworks.
With all the support from competitors, Sick Warders, spectators, and especially the race tracks and sponsors, the Sick The Magazine team can officially announce the dates for Sick Week and Sick Summer in 2027.
Michigan Eighth-Mile – A Brand New Drag Strip is Coming to Michigan by August 2026, and You Might Be Surpised Where It’s Going!
Billed as the “ultimate destination for automotive enthusiasts”, M1 Concourse has been the source for both automotive and entertainment events for over a decade. With 87 acres dedicated to combining private garages and a road course throughout, the facility has played host to several events.
But 2026 will see a major change at M1 Concourse, as the facility will add a drag strip to its offerings, with a scheduled launch date of August 22nd, 2026. We’ve got exclusive video below with more details!
The Late Night Thrash at Great Lakes – Engine Woes Nearly Prevented David Schroeder, Alex Taylor, and Steve Morris from Getting Back to Byron Dragway To Finish, and Win, Motion Raceworks Sick Summer!
Pushing cars and trucks, even motorcycles to their limits on the track and the street is nothing new to the drag and drive community. And talk to most competitors, and they will tell you the street can be far less forgiving than the track.
For the quicker rides of drag and drive, finding the balance between a quick time slip and being able to drive to the next track is a tough task. For three of the top five runners at the recent Motion Raceworks Sick Summer event, that was the case at Great Lakes Dragaway on Day Four.
The Long Way Home – The Great American Detour Gets Underway to Cover Over 3,000 Miles and Go Coast to Coast, as Robert Voss Leads the Pack to Become the Longest Drag and Drive Event on Distance!
Defining the term “street car” can get you opinions and discussions that can rival most debates on politics. And although most drag and drive events will start and end at the same location and/or race track, there are some that make the most of the days by starting at a different point than the last day.
Robert Voss, or otherwise known to many as ‘Camp Counselor Bob’, wanted to put his own spin on a drag and drive event after participating in several as a competitor. Today marked Day One on The Great American Detour, which will span over 3,000 miles and cover several states, all in the name of getting from New York to California in seven days!
The Next Step of Street Race (Classes) – The 8.50-Second Based Sick Street Race and Street Race 275 Got a New Look at Motion Raceworks Sick Summer
When the Street Race class got its first refresh as part of the OG drag and drive event, Hot Rod Drag Week, in 2012, the 8.50-second threshold was never intended to be an index, a target, or a goal. Just a marker on roll cage limitations.
Since that time, the class structure has evolved to include different rulesets and ideals at different events, but the 8.50-second basis remains the same. And after changing the game on a few things in the drag and drive world with the first Sick Week in 2022, Sick The Magazine added a few more changes to the recent Sick Summer presented by Motion Raceworks event.
Steve Morris Eyes Return To Sick Summer With the ‘Boostmaster’ Station Wagon Going for 6-Second Runs On Drag Radials, and a Couple Surprises in Store!
After starting his 2026 by co-piloting with wife Val Morris in her new Camaro known as ‘Better Half’ at Sick Week presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, Steve Morris got to watch Val score her first drag and drive victory.
But Steve has been busy with the ‘Boostmaster’ station wagon, making the switch from slicks to drag radial tires for this season. And after a successful outing at the Mickey Thompson Turn & Burn event last month, Steve is looking to build on that momentum at the Motion Raceworks Sick Summer event, starting next week on June 14th.
The Return of Mullet - Cleetus McFarland Preps the 6-Second El Camino for First Drag and Drive in 2 Years at Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks
Built as one of the quickest cars to enter his arsenal, the 1986 El Camino known as Mullet has scored victories for Cleetus McFarland on both the drag and drive event structure, as well as the pure racing side.
Since it debuted on its first event in May 2021, Mullet has continued to evolve into a quicker and faster machine. After a three-year run, including multiple appearances between Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive and Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks, Mullet got an overhaul in 2025-26. Now, it’ll make its first drag and drive event in two years at Sick Summer.
Sick The Mag’s DYO Class Features Sick The Mag Event Champions, Street Car Takeover and Drag Week Winners Amongest the Competitors for Speedfest Event at Beech Bend Raceway Park May 28-30th, 2026!
The inaugural Speedfest event, May 28th through the 30th, 2026 at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, combines the class structures of Sick The Magazine, Street Car Takeover and Braggin Rights together for the first time.
One of the three Sick The Magazine classes on the quarter-mile format, and one of the most popular, is the Dial Your Own (DYO) class. Giving every level of performance, whether stock of modified, modern or classic, is what has made this class a success at Sick The Magazine events since we held the first Sick Week presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive in 2022.
For the Adventure – Laura Vanderhoof and Leslie Davis Will Pilot the Sick BBQ / Hot Dog / Ice Cream Truck on This Year’s Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks
It’s become about as much of a staple at Sick The Magazine events as the familiar faces you see on our staff. But the Sick BBQ – Hot Dog – Ice Cream truck that started as a way to keep competitors fed at each track day, has also expanded into a new chapter: living the adventure pf a drag and drive and creating amazing memories for a two-person team.
When we put the call out for volunteers for Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks, the e-mails poured in. And there were a lot of good ones. After considering all the options, it was determined that Laura Vanderhoof and Leslie Davis would take control of the uniquely familiar step van packing hot rod rollers, ice cream coolers, and of course, a nitrous bottle.
Braggin Rights Stick Shift Class Brings a Wide Variety of Serious Competitors to Next Week’s Speedfest Event at Beech Bend Raceway Park May 28-30th, 2026 – Who Will Emerge the Champion?
The cars in the Braggin Rights' Stick Shift class at the Speedfest event, May 28-30th, 2026 at Beech Bend Raceway Park, promises to be a gear-banging exciting experience!
The inaugural Speedfest event, combines the class structures of Sick The Magazine, Street Car Takeover and Braggin Rights together for the first time.
Braggin Rights creator and promoter Nate Prater has showcased some great competition in multiple classes at his annual event Street Car Braggin Rights (SCBR), with Stick Shift class being one of the highlights.