‘Garbage That Barfed’ Gasser Looks to Dominate the B/Gas Field at Next Week’s Edelbrock Sick Smokies!
Nearly a decade after acquiring a name that some might have questioned, Matt Donovan has rolled into the double-digit number of drag and drive events he’s attended with a 1938 Chevrolet coupe.
Granted, the original ‘Garbage That Barfed’ 1941 Pontiac was upgraded to the current ’38 Chevrolet, but the spirit remains. And in addition to completing the unique Edelbrock Sick Smokies event that starts tomorrow, Donovan hopes to check off some personal goals.
Sick Smokies Presented by Edelbrock, our final drag and drive of 2025, STARTS TOMORROW - October 12-19th, 2025! Don’t miss your chance to join us for a day, or the whole week - 7 days of cruising winding and scenic southern roads, including Tail Of The Dragon, with over 250 total competitors! Discounted advanced spectator tickets are still available - CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE about Sick Smokies!!
Completing his first drag and drive in 2017 at Hot Rod Drag Week with an 11.91 average, Donovan and ‘Garbage’ have continued to evolve, and quicken their paces. In completing the first Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive in 2022, Donovan tallied a 10.65 average, and the award of B/Gas.
After invading the 9-second range, but having issues that kept him from completing the 2023 and 2024 editions of Sick Week, Donovan got redemption this year, finishing the week with a 9.69 average, one of the quickest averages for B/Gas in history.
“We have gone from a garage built 383 cubic inch Small Block Chevrolet (SBC) and a Turbo 350 transmission, to a 434 cubic inch SBC, a 477 cube Big Block Chevrolet (BBC), to the current 540 BBC and Turbo 400,” said Donovan. Now, he is ready for the next level at the Edelbrock Sick Smokies event.
“(The goal to) finish is always the main goal, but this event, with the amount of gassers, a big goal is to win the top spot for B/Gas,” Donovan said. “I want that helmet!
“The idea of so many gassers doing the same event in the Smoky Mountain region is very exciting. New faces, different cars, and the mountains in the fall season.”
With so many Gassers coming for Edelbrock Sick Smokies, Donovan is prepared for the challenge, as well as the unique aspects of this event. “We need to keep the front end from reaching for the sky, and we need to keep the tire spin/bounce under control,” said Donovan. “We’ve built a fast, streetable and reliable car. I built the car so unless it’s a major component failure, just about any part I might need to keep the car alive at any auto parts store or delivered next day.”
Can Matt Donovan and the well-known ‘Garbage That Barfed’ be the top B/Gas ride amongst the 70-plus Gassers entered for Sick Smokies? Don’t miss your chance to see over 200 competitors, and the largest gathering of street-legal Gassers, on the Edelbrock Sick Smokies event, STARTING TOMORROW, October 12th-19th! CLICK HERE for more details!
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine and Matt Donovan.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com