Following Day Zero Transmission Issues, Evan Uerkwitz Produces a 5.11 at 136 mph Pass to Lead the field After Day One of Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil in Michigan
With Day One of the Sick Michigan Miles drag and drive event leading into a week-long exploration of Michigan and four different tracks, some woke on Monday morning, August 11th with high hopes, and maybe even calm nerves.
Then, there are those that barely got their rides buttoned up in time to roll through the Darana Dragway gate, lacking sleep, test time, and possibly a functioning credit card due to all the last-minute parts ordering.
We’re underway on Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil - but you still have plenty of opportunities to join us! August 11-17th we will visit four great race tracks, and cruising over 1,000 miles through Michigan - PLUS a visit to Woodward Dream Cruise! Don’t miss out on your chance to join us - CLICK HERE for more info on Sick Michigan Miles!
No matter which way a competitor got to Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil, Day One started with our traditional drivers meeting, before the Darana Dragway crew let the enthusiasts loose on a freshly-prepped surface to see who would gain the quick time slips and early momentum for the event.
By the second pair down the track, we had established some solid times to target, as Aydan Bailey’s patina’d twin-turbo ’57 Chevy wagon delivered a 5.24 at 133 mph blast alongside the 5.49 at 130 mph from Kevin Partin’s clean ’67 Chevy II.
Partin took two more shots at the track, and the Butternut Yellow Chevrolet earned a best run of 5.44 at 132 mph, good for the sixth spot overall.
TJ Linebaugh, who clocked a 5.43 in Sunday testing, for a few more ponies hiding in his ’78 Ford Fairmount wagon, and produced a 5.38 at 130 mph run for the fourth overall spot.
Bailey was barely back to his pit spot yet when Evan Uerkwitz hit the track, and after experiencing problems on both his runs yesterday, Uerkwitz unleashed a 5.11 at 136 mph for the top spot, a ‘one-and-done’ and the lead on Day One.
After some thinking his transmission was toast following a second run yesterday, Uerkwitz went the change fluid and check the linkage route. “After talking to my transmission builder, we tried the simple approach yesterday with fluid and linkage, and it seemed okay afterward,” Uerkwitz said. That proved the necessary tweak, and the ’79 Chevrolet Malibu delivered the numbers.
Jon Moore decided the top three needed an appearance by the 4 x 4 Crown Victoria, so he delivered a 5.37 at 134 mph.
Frank Webb might have left Darana Dragway wanting a bit more, but his spotless ’78 Ford Fairmont Futura did deliver a 5.43 at 134 mph, putting Webb in the top five, and the Quickest Ford entry thus far.
We’ve covered all the changes Thomas Kuepper has made to his 1994 Ford F-150 pick-up and those changes started paying off with a personal best 5.64 at 121 mph pass with father Gary watching from the starting line.
Participating in his first drag and drive event as the driver, Bryan Reid has the quickest stick shift car on Michigan Miles thus far. The Whipple-supercharged, Coyote-swapped ‘’94 Mustang clocked a 6.02 at 120 mph, Reid’s personal best, and he sits eighth in the overall standings.
Tim Darnell’s third-generation Pontiac Firebird anchors the top ten with a 6.19 at 114 mph for not only the quickest Pontiac thus far, but also the quickest nitrous car thus far.
The two quickest Mopars are separated by just two thousandths of-a-second after day one! Patrick Derieg’s classic Road Runner and Morgan Evans’ Hurricane swapped D150 pick up both clocked a 6.48 pass, but Derieg’s is just a hair quicker.
Evans does have the quickest 6-cylinder thus far, as the back-to-back Roadkill Nights Dodge Direct Connection Grudge Race champion looks to possible return to Florida next week with another piece of winning hardware.
After a solid opening day, Sick Michigan Miles competitors, as well as Summit Racing Equipment Sick Ward Presented by Peak, and Sick Spit Show and Shine enthusiasts, hit the streets to roll a little over 160 miles on the odometers, and visit a trio of checkpoints, including event sponsor Melling Performance, to conclude day one and get closer to our next destination.
Tomorrow, Tuesday August 12th, we will visit Mid-Michigan Motorplex in Stanton, and you can join us!! Spectator tickets are available in advance for a discount on our website, or at the gate! CLICK HERE for more details for Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil!
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com