The First I57 Drag and Drive Event Is In The Books - Kyle Bemount Leads Winners List from Illinois
More than a dozen new drag and drive events have been announced or hosted in 2025, and this past weekend had two of them.
The I57 Drag and Drive, centered on a three-day format and based at Coles County Dragway USA in Charleston, Illinois, would do just over 330 miles on the street between Coles Cunty Dragway and I57 Dragstrip.
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Originally scheduled to be two days of racing, Coles County jumped into the mix for Saturday, August 23rd, upping the fun to three days of racing.
The event was originally pitched with seven classes, but the list was trimmed back to five classes based on entries / cars that showed up. After three days of racing and cruising Illinois streets, winners were crowned in the five categories.
A familiar face landed atop the Unlimited class, as Kyle Bemount coaxed the quickest overall average from his turbocharged Pontiac Trans Am for the win. “Finally, back in the winners circle,” Bemount stated. “Car was off pace still, but was able to get the job done with a near 500-mile round trip 3-day event. Was awesome to get out and spend some time with the car and hang out with a bunch of new people.”
The 5.80 Index class also had a car we’ve recently seen at Sick The Mag, as Derrick Drake notched the win in his ’63 Chevrolet Nova. This marks the second successful outing for Drake, who finished in the top three during Sick Summer in the Rowdy Radials class with a 5.53 average.
Jeremiah Zanin topped the field in the 6.40 Index class, wheeling his Ford Mustang to the title.
Stick Shift classes have been gaining in popularity, and the winner of the Stick-Banger class at I57 Drag and Drive was Bryan West in his Ford Fairmont station wagon.
The final class was the Dial Your Own (DYO), and Kevin Hunt captured the title with his Dodge Dart. “The ole white dart didn't miss a beat on the road and was consistent at the track,” said Hunt. “Thanks to Jacob Siecinski for putting it on. Had a lot of fun drove 700 plus miles. At age 70, I won my first drag and drive class.”
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine, Jacob Siecinski, Kyle Bemount, Aaron West and Kevin Hunt.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com