That Old Feeling – After Some Time Away, David Lacey Returns to Drag Racing, With Some Street Driving As Well, on the 2026 Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive!
Unlike some forms of motorsports, drag racing can host both novice and professional drivers in various levels of performances, sometimes at the same event or same day.
The drag and drive event format takes this format to the next level, and is credited with bringing a lot of enthusiasts back to the drag racing game. With structures and classes for nearly every form of street-legal vehicle, plus the street drives between tracks, it was just the ticket for David Lacey and his classic 1957 Chevrolet.
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An established Florida bracket racer with over 30 years of experience, Lacey had taken some time away from the sport. But after hearing about the drag and drive event format, as well as Sick Week in his home state, he decided to participate in 2026.
“All of the stories, and fun I have witnessed on social media and YouTube,” is what Lacey said influenced his decision. “The adventure of traveling and racing with such a large group of like-minded people.”
To tackle his first drag and drive, Lacey decided to roll into Gainesville Raceway with the final year of the ‘Tri-5 Chevys’ – a 1957 Chevrolet that Lacey built with the father over three decades ago.
When it came time to pick the driveline, Lacey chose a traditional gen-one small block Chevrolet engine, backed by a Powerglide 2-speed automatic transmission.
When the ’57 Bel-Air gave him some issues on Day One and could only muster a 14.70 pass, Lacey decided to make the best of it and try to duplicate the run going forward while troubleshooting the issues.
Lacey would run a best pass of 14.64, and a slowest of 14.72, giving him a spread of .082-seconds for the week, and an eighth-place finish in the highly competitive Dial-Your-Own (DYO) class.
“Our goal was to simply finish, and we did,” said Lacey. “Awesome experience for anyone that’s any type of car enthusiast. It’s all about the adventure.”
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of David Lacey.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com