With an established history of hosting an epic week in Texas, TX2K returns to Texas Motorplex just outside of Dallas for the third year in their 27-year history. The roster for drag racing and roll racing is loaded, and they’re ready for record-setting conditions.   

Sick Prep will also make the trip to Texas, as Thomas Bemis, Weston Nichols and Gavin Carter will manage and prep the track as over 300 drag racers and over 150 roll racers will invade the storied facility.

When we first saw Jordan Boudreaux at the 2022 edition of Sick Week presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, we couldn’t have known what him or the 2002 Ford Mustang known as ‘Gray Goose’ had in store.

He finished third in the 8.50-second limited 275 Street Race class with an 8.56 average, just behind Richard ‘RC’ Flint and William Lujan. Four years later, he would be sitting with them in the grandstands at the awards ceremony, with performances over a second quicker than when he started in 2022, and a Sick Week record-setting trophy in his hand.

We’re not even a quarter of the way into 2026, and already there’s been news on multiple race tracks either closing or re-opening.

In the case of a pair of Tennessee race tracks, Jackson Dragway and River Road Raceway, after an announcement they would continue operating in 2026, now the gates are closed on both facilities.

But another Tennessee track, Middle Tennessee Dragway (a.k.a. Buffalo Valley Dragway), might be able to make the best of their second chances. After announcing the 2025 season would be the last, the track is getting new life in 2026, with a pair of events already held in February.

In a world of classic muscle cars, Walter Doyle has taken the stealth look with his ’66 Chevelle and made it, along with stellar 8-second performances, stand out where the car is well-known in the drag and drive community.

Now, Walter is ready to add another steed to the stable, with a brand-new build, and his sights set on the top dogs, 6-second passes, and even more fun at more than just drag and drive events.

For over seven decades, the Detroit AutoRama in Michigan has showcased tens of thousands of amazing rides, including hot rods, muscle cars, truck and motorcycles. It is a true plethora of automotive gatherings, with one of the big attractions of the AutoRama being The Ridler Award,

The drag and drive community has enjoyed a presence at the event in recent years, with Sick The Magazine bringing an ‘8-pack’ of cool and quick rides to our display at the AutoRama.

Sick The Magazine introduced the ‘Sick Wildcards’ in 2025 as a way for top performers to race their way into an ‘early entry’ for the 2026 edition of Sick Week presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive.

The success of the program in seeing some new faces at Sick Week earlier this month reinforces the idea, and Sick The Magazine will bring it back for the 2026 season, as well as expanding on the original concept with more events and more spots.

Sick The Magazine has learned that Tri-State Raceway in Earlville, Iowa is official for sale. The facility, which has hosted a stop on Sick Summer presented by Motion Raceworks since 2023, now faces uncertainty after the 2026 season after hosting races for more than a quarter-century.

Bryant Goldstone has accomplished a lot over fifteen years in drag and drive event competition. From scoring his first victory at the 2012 edition of Hot Rod Drag Week with a ProCharger-boosted small tire 1970 Chevelle, to owning the Unlimited Iron class on both Hot Rod Drag Week and Sick The Mag events, Goldstone is a force wherever he chooses to compete.

Just over a year ago, we got the first glimpse of the next step for Goldstone, a former Pro Mod ’53 Chevrolet Corvette that Goldstone debuted at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show in December 2024. Will 2026 be the year where Goldstone adds to his winning ways in this new ride, and can he make history at next week’s Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive?

It’s fair to say that a lot of us get into cars and racing them because of the excitement, the cool factor, or for some, the pure acceleration and the competition on the track. What can come with the hobby, unexpected to some, is some of the best friends you can make, a second family for many, and some amazing memories.

The racing world can be a risky sport, and that means some people leave us before we expect them to, and on Thursday, January 22nd, 2026, the racing community at large mourned the loss of Jason Reiss.

News broke over the weekend that State Capitol Dragway in Louisiana may not have a 2026 racing season, putting over 55 years of continuous operation at risk.

The Louisiana track opened in 1969, and operated under both NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) and IHRA (International Hot Rod Association) sanctioning, and had even posted about events coming up as part of a 2026 season. And while the track hasn’t elaborated much on the January 17th announcement, racers and fans can’t help but worry if this could lead to a permanent track closure.

When we first saw Calvin and Andrew Nelson on Sick Week in 2023, it was in a 1959 Volvo running in the Sick Week Freaks class. Although the car didn’t survive the week, the 9-second performance put the Nelsons on a path for future builds outside the norm.

They continued that path at Sick Summer in 2025, where Calvin scored the win in the Sick Week Freaks class with a 9.07 average in a relatively rare Pontiac Sunbird.

But instead of bringing the Sunbird to Sick Week and aiming for the 8-second zone, Calvin and father Andrew are thrashing on a pair pf new builds. Will they make it in time?

There are always competitors that will push the envelope, wanting more from their performance for a number of possible reasons. Drag and drive events are not immune to this, and after a half-dozen Hot Rod Drag Week events were in the books, we started to see the next level of ‘street car.’

Granted, the definition of ‘Pro Mod’ is thrown around as much as some do with ‘street car,’ but there was no denying when Dave Ahokas rolled out his crazy ’68 Camaro, the meaning behind the ‘Unlimited’ class was fully on display. Now, after a ten-plus year absence, the former Ahokas Camaro has re-appeared, with a ‘For Sale’ tag on it!

After participating in drag and drive events for over a decade, 3-time Sick The Mag event winner Mike Finnegan decides to go next level on his drag and drive trailer game, getting together with B&P Manufacturing for a truly unique build.

Now, just over a year later, Finnegan is paying it forward by putting that trailer up as a prize at this year’s Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive!

Getting more than its share of double takes, the ‘4 x 4 Crown Vic’ of Jon Moore has gotten the last laugh on several people, clocking single digit times as several drag and drive events since he acquired it.

Since his drag-and-drive debut at Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive in 2023, where Moore clocked a 10.14 average, Moore has continued to step up his performance. Now, he looks to up his game again for the 2026 edition of Sick Week.

Following in the footsteps of his father, Billy ‘The Kid’ Hoskinson has been drag racing since before he possessed a driver license. He also mixed things up on the street as well, documenting not only his results, but others as well, on the popular ‘Street Racing Channel’ YouTube channel.

In the last few years, street racing has fallen off in certain areas, but Billy has evolved with the times, racing his well-known S-10, as well as a first-gen Camaro and third-gen Nova, in several no-prep events. He’s even tried his hand at drag and drive events, and will return to the scene of his first drag and drive, Sick Week presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, with a new ride for 2026.

After a decade plus of racing multiple venues, including the popular Street Outlaws and No Prep Kings series, Jeff Lutz took an opportunity to get back to another chapter of street cars in his life in 2024, participating in his first drag and drive event in seven years at Sick Week presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive.

In the two years since that return to first drag and drive, the iconic ’69 Camaro known as ‘Mad Max’ has lived up to its name, returning some solid runs, but also leaving Jeff frustrated at times.

As before, he finds himself busy with plenty of work and projects, but ready to start the season at Sick Week, with some goals to accomplish, in what could be his final ride.

Route 66 has become a highway that many travel and automotive enthusiasts are familiar with, even if just for its significance to United States history.

One of the original highways to be used in the US Numbered Highway System, it was established on November 11th, 1926 with road signs in place the following year.

Several events, as well as movies, tours, even just some friends on spirited drives, have enjoyed the many unique characteristics of Route 66.

In 2026, the cross-country road will celebrate 100 years of use, and the Detroit Auto Show is among the first to honor it with ‘The Drive Home VII: Route 66 – A Century of Adventure’ by traveling the entire length of the road.

Just over six months after Brett LaSala captured his first drag and drive victory at the 2024 edition of Sick Week presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, news broke that his 2012 Mustang known as ‘Snot Rocket 2.0’ had been sold.

The Modified class winning average of 6.34 ranks amongst the top ten averages of all time, and it came as an overall victory for LaSala as well.

Anyone that thought the new ‘Snot Rocket 3.0’ might take a while to get ironed out, LaSala eliminated those doubts at Sick Week in 2025, clocking an improved 6.24 average for the week, and a 6.07 at 236 mph run on the final day, the second quickest run ever in the drag and drive community.

That would be just the start of a storied year for LaSala in 2025, and he’s gearing up for 2026 with plans for Sick Week again.

Although a few drag race tracks did close in 2025, a few new ones are under construction, or have been reported as coming back to life. The IHRA (International Hot Rod Association) made headlines in late December 2025 by announcing a pair of tracks, Memphis International Raceway and Heartland Motorsports Park, would have new life after sitting closed for a couple years.

But the IHRA wasn’t the only one to end the 2025 calendar year with track news, as in North Carolina, a deal was quietly being put together to acquire a track that had sat unused for over two years. Now, news has broken that it has been sold to a new owner, with plans to re-open for racing in 2026!

A lot of us likely dreamed of doing things with cars when we were kids. Whether it was with a family member, or participating with friends, some of us get a chance to carve a little time of each year to experience the fun, and extended family, that the car community can bring.

For Tom Gunner (a.k.a. Jimmy Dale), his 2025 season was a reflection of a lot of hard work to drive race cars as much as possible. His infectious smile was only matched by the enthusiasm he and good friend Michael Poland share in bringing the popular Lil Gangstas class to many an event.

His 2025 also included his first chance behind the wheel of a car during a drag and drive, when Mike Finnegan tossed him the keys to the popular Datsun 240 known as the ‘Rotsun’ for the Edelbrock Sick Smokies event. The impression it left confirmed to Jimmy Dale that he wanted to attend another Sick event in 2026, and he will do so at Sick Week presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive.