Friday Brings Sick Michigan Miles to 4th Track of the Week, Ubly Dragway, Where Aydan Bailey Extended His Lead - Competitors Navigate the Final Drive and Checkpoints in Route to Woodward Dream Cruise
After reaching the northern most point of the week at St. Ignace, then traveling over 280 miles south along the coastline on our Thursday, August 14th, we reached our fourth new track of the week at Ubly Dragway for racing action on Friday, August 15th.
Ubly Dragway first opened in 1963, and a solid crowd of enthusiasts came out to watch the rides that had survived nearly 900 miles to this point on Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil.
We started the day with the C Group (rides running between 6.40 and 7.35 on the eighth-mile), and a pair of diesels hit the starting line first. Jarrett Anderson’s ’90 Dodge staged up opposite the Chevrolet of Dustin West, and West got the better of a 6.72 to 6.89 match.
Aydan Bailey continues to lead with not only the quickest times of the last two days, but also one of the most consistent cars. His second 5.24 pass of the week, came with a best speed at 134.81 mph, keeping Bailey at the top of the list with one track day to go.
Evan Uerkwitz has battled with his recent switch to drag radials, and after some maintenance during the drive day, Uerkwitz rolled into Ubly hoping for a good run. It took him a few tries, but a final run of 5.69 at 121 mph keeps Uerkwitz in the second spot.
Tod Hoffman is wheeling a 1966 Pontiac GTO that was originally purchased by his father when Tod was just 12 years old. The classic ride still sports a Pontiac engine, backed by a 5-speed manual transmission. After an opening pass of 8.04 at Ubly, the manual trans decided to break first gear on Tod’s second pass.
Morgan Evans and Jason Kastner embarked on their first drag and drive at Sick 66 last October, and are enjoying their third in less than a year at Sick Michigan Miles. The turbocharged 6-cylinder Hurricane swapped Dodge D150 produced a 6.50 at 107 mph, getting Morgan her first ‘one-and-done’ of the week, and the two hit the road early for their final checkpoints run.
The first checkpoint of day five was the Blue Water Bridge, connecting Michigan to Canada. It provides a great backdrop for Sick Michigan Miles participants, including Kelvin Poe and his ’65 Pontiac GTO. Poe also joined us for the Sick 66 drag and drive event in 2024.
Tim Darnell and his 1991 Pontiac Trans Am is the quickest nitrous-assisted ride on Sick Michigan Miles thus far. Purchased as a former bracket car that wasn’t much more than a rolling shell, Darnell swapped in a LS-based combination, and has clocked a best of 6.19 at 114 mph on Day One at Darana Dragway.
You shouldn’t visit Michigan without having some great food, so Sick Pizza was one of our final checkpoints. We caught Rex French and his stick-shift ’98 Chevy S-10 by the rear of the building.
We’re down to one day of racing remaining on Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil, but that must wait! Today is Woodward Dream Cruise, a tradition attracting thousands of cars and trucks to Woodward Avenue, and an estimated one million fans and enthusiasts. This is the thirtieth anniversary of Woodward Dream Cruise, and mark the first time it will be part of a drag-and-drive event!
We will return to racing tomorrow, Sunday August 17th, at Darana Dragway, the final day of competition. We will crown the overall champion, as well as several category winners, and the first recipient of the Pure Michigan helmet.
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