Nothing ‘Mid’ About Day One at Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil, as Some of the Quickest Performances in Event History Are Delivered at Mid Michigan Motorplex!
One year ago, Tom Bailey’s idea of showcasing his home state of Michigan came to fruition with the first Sick Michigan Miles presented by Driven Racing Oil. Despite our best efforts, Mother Nature rained down on Mid Michigan Motorplex, a track most competitors wanted to tackle.
One year, the Ledfords are getting their shot by hosting the second edition of Sick Michigan Miles, as well as the 223 competitors that made it through tech. After some hints that some solid performances could be in the works based on Day Zero runs, competitors and enthusiasts watching from the fenceline and grandstands were eager to see what the track held in store for Day One.
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Chuck Marlett led the way in his 1985 Chevrolet Camaro ‘Karen’ with a 4.95 blast in testing, but he, along with Connor Leimenstoll, and Ayden Bailey struggled on their first runs. Jon Moore and his 4 x 4 Crown Victoria led the session with a 5.23 at only 118 mph, followed by Tom Kuepper’s 5.34 at 129 mph from his Ford F-150 pick-up, and Kevin Partin’s 5.39 at 133 mph.
The second session changed things up in a big way. The first to make a big move was Leimenstoll, piloting the two-tone ’64 Chevrolet Nova to a 4.78 at 156 mph, the first four-second pass in Michigan Miles history, and only the second four-second pass in Sick The Mag one-off event history behind Nick Cryer’s performance at the 2025 Sick Smokies presented by Edelbrock.
It didn’t take long for Marlett to answer with a four second pass of his own, a 4.84 at 146 mph, putting the Camaro atop the ‘Quickest Big Block’ category.
After riding the struggle bus for a few runs, defending Sick Michigan Miles champ Ayden Bailey got things ironed out on his third pass of the day, setting a new personal best of 5.02 at 139 mph. That put him third in the overall standings, and second in the ‘Quickest Chevrolet/GMC’ category behind Leimenstoll.
Moore also returned to the lanes two more times, trying to whittle down the e.t. in his Crown Vic. On the third time, he posted a solid 5.07 at 139 mph, putting him into the fourth spot overall, and the lead in the ‘Quickest Radial’ category.
Another drag radial racer who recently competed at Motion Raceworks Sick Summer is Eric Bjerketvedt, and the 2000 model Camaro clocked a handful of 5.3-second time slips, the best being a 5.36 at 131 mph for fifth overall, as well as second in the ‘Quickest Radial’ category.
Kevin Partin grabbed the sixth spot with a ‘one and done’ 5.39 at 133 mph pass, while Tom Kuepper attempted three runs before turning in a 5.41 at 125 mph to lead ‘Quickest Ford/Lincoln/Mercury.’
Timothy Darnell is wheeling a newly purchased ’83 Ford LTD wagon, and a 5.56 at 130 mph slots him in seventh overall, with ‘Quickest Mopar’ category leader Terry Keifer right behind at 5.59 at 128 mph. Rounding out the top ten is Darren Mayer in the Smokies Garage 2019 Dodge Demon, thanks to a 5.67 at 122 mph.
Some quick rides are in Michigan this time, as nineteen cars clocked a five-second pass on Day One at Mid Michigan Motorplex. Those include longtime Sick The Mag event participant Joey Marshall with a 5.72 at 123 mph for the second spot in the ‘Quickest Ford/Lincoln/Mercury’ category, Douglas Whited leading ‘Quickest Pontiac’ with a 5.69 at 123 mph, William Philippin’s 5.89 at 123 mph atop the ‘Quickest Stick Shift, and the ‘Twisted T’ Ford t-bucket of Zachary Blausey delivering a 5.93 at 117 mph to lead ‘Quickest Hot Rod.’
After the lanes were closed and competitors, Sick Warders, and Sick Spit Show & Shine participants packed up, a little over 200 miles of street driving, and a pair of checkpoints, awaited them.
The first stop was Steve Morris Engines, where the shop was opened for tours and checking out all the cool stuff on site. A bit up the road would be checkpoint number two, Little Sable Point Lighthouse and Beach.
Now, competitors ready themselves for Northern Michigan Dragway and Day Two of Driven Racing Oil Sick Michigan Miles. You can join us, as spectator tickets are available with an advance discount by CLICKING HERE, or at the gate.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine and Hard Target Images.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com