Short Circuit – Day Two of Edelbrock Sick Smokies at Music City Raceway Ended on a Different Note, As Flying Cars and Flag Starts Would Highlight the Day
Just when you think you’ve seen it all in racing, a situation occurs that leaves everyone in attendance talking, and in some cases, scratching their heads on how to move forward.
That very thing happened on Day Two of Edelbrock Sick Smokies, where a huge wheelstand would lead to a pause in the action that could’ve been permanent. But instead, an alternative was initiated, and the day ended with positive success in Tennessee.
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The day kicked off with the C Group, vehicles that performed between 6.40 and 7.34 seconds, and one pairing would be an all G-body match-up between Brock Dvorak and Jim Hopping. Although Dvorak’s Monte Carlo was quicker on day one, this pairing found Hopping’s Cutlass getting to the finish line first.
Some unexpected onlookers witnessed this pair between Jarrett Anderson and Brendon Turley. The Camaro would hit the finish line first, as Anderson’s diesel munched its second turbo of the week. He said he’d be ready for Day Three action at Fitzgerald Motorsports Park.
Nick Cryer would lead all competitors on the et clocks for the second straight day, muscling the ’33 Ford coupe to a blistering 4.67 at 157 mph result. He had some cooling systems issues along the Day Two route, but said he would be ready for Wednesday’s action in Crossville, Tennessee.
A tense moment gave everyone a pause as veteran drag and drive runners Rajveer Ahuja and Richard Guido started off the A/B Group. At the end of the run, both competitors went for the brakes a little too hard, and a ton of smoke and flat spotted tires were the result. But the drag and drive community came through, and new rubber has been located so both will continue on in competition on Wednesday. .
Our first taste of wheelie action came from Outlaw Gasser leader Randy Quay in the ‘Bad and Bougie’ 1957 Chevrolet. Co-pilot Cole Sammartino might have gotten a little too happy on the up arrow on the turbo LS tune-up, resulting in this big wheelie.
Reggie Moore and the ‘Organ Grinder’ 1930 Model A are a big hit at every drag and drive they attend. Reggie never fails to put on a show, with big wheelies and lots of enthusiasm. Unfortunately, at Music City Raceway, the Model A hooked to the right, tapping the Christmas Tree stand and snagging the wiring, which put an end to the timing system for the day.
Reggie stopped and apologized to nearly every competitor on his way back to his pit spot, and came up with a plan to fix the broken front suspension on his classic Ford. Rumors are he found a welder at the track, and the Model A should be back in competition for Day Three.
After trying to fix the track’s timing system with Gassers in the staging lanes, the idea to switch to a flag start and continue racing was proposed. The crowd enthusiastically cheered on their support, and Ashley (last name unknown) volunteered to ‘send them on their way’ as she did with this pair of Adam Kerr and Richard Sparks.
Because the track’s timing system was unable to be fixed, and all competitors didn’t get a chance to make at least one run, the day will not count toward the overall average. Edelbrock Sick Smokies will now be a five-day average instead of a six-day average.
Matt Donovan came into Music City Raceway leading the B/Gasser class, and laid down the biggest burnout of the day, stopping just after the 330 foot mark in ‘Garbage That Barfed.’
The Rymarz family has been a staple at Sick Summer since we started in 2023, but Edelbrock Sick Smokies would mark the first time that family father Jim Rymarz would take the wheel at a drag and drive. Commandeering his son Jace’s 1985 Ford LTD, Jim and family led a pack of rides through the twisty Tennessee roads on Tuesday afternoon.
Several dozen first time drag and drive competitors chose the Edelbrock Sick Smokies event for their debut, including Roger and Jeremy Preston. Son Jeremy is a multi-time NHRA champion drag racer, and although he had pulled back on racing activities, the appeal of a drag and drive with father Roger was too good to pass up. A supercharged 1941 Willys provides the motivation for these two.
After just over 120 miles of curvy roads and cool Tennessee checkpoints, we roll into Fitzgerald Motorsports Park (formerly Crossville Dragway) for Day Three racing action on Wednesday, October 15th. 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 Richard Guido.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com