Sick Week Named Best Motorsports Race in the US for Second Year in a Row
Sick The Magazine is proud to announce that Sick Week Presented By Gear Vendors Overdrive has captured the USA Today 10Best ‘Best Motorsports Race in the United States’ title for the second-straight year.
Winning this award means more than just recognizing Sick Week. It signifies the growing popularity of all drag-and-drive style events, and we’re proud to be a part of that.
“This honor is not mine, or ours at Sick The Mag,” said Tom Bailey, founder of Sick The Magazine. “It’s the entire community that has supported us since day one of Sick The Magazine. From our first issue to the latest one, the subscribers, the competitors and all the fans made this possible. Whether you come to an event or watch online, wear our merch, tell us how much you enjoy participating in an event. This is why we are so passionate at Sick The Mag – It’s For The Adventure!”
The Sick Week event came as the next step after creating Sick The Magazine in 2021, our print magazine that details the drag and drive lifestyle, cars and people. Four times a year, a 212-page double issue of Sick The Magazine is published to cover events, feature some of the cool rides that are part of those events, and showcase the drag and drive community that continues to grow.
“It’s a privilege and recognition of the great community we have not just around Sick Week but in drag-and-drive in general,” said Sick The Magazine editor Luke Nieuwhof. “Sick Week Presented By Gear Vendors Overdrive sets out to be an event for everyone. You can participate at the highest levels and set records, or you can simply watch from the sidewalk as these amazing machines cruise the roads of America.”
For the last four years, Sick Week has been the first event of the year on the drag-and-drive calendar, and encompasses five days of drag racing across the states of Florida and Georgia. Over 300 teams, most of which are comprised of a driver and a co-pilot, compete in the ‘Super Bowl of Drag-and-Drive’ by using a street-legal vehicle to make at least one pass each day at a different drag strip. They must turn in one of their time slips from that day of competition to create an average and stay eligible in competition.
Teams then pack up all belongings, including racing and personal items, and then travel a specific route to the next day’s drag strip. To keep each day’s travel interesting, Sick The Magazine print editor Luke Nieuwhof leads the charge to find cool roads to navigate, as well as a unique blend of checkpoints that check the car enthusiast and ‘cool factor’ level as well.
Thousands of spectators attend each track and checkpoint, with thousands more watching online courtesy of FRDM+ streaming.
Winners in over a dozen categories are determined by the lowest average in each category, but competitors will regularly state their goal is to complete the event. In basic terms, the goals to potentially win are to complete the event with your best (in most cases – lowest) average elapsed time possible, and doing so without the aid of towing the car from track to track.
To pull this off with several dozen of the participants’ vehicles packing north of 1,000 horsepower takes a balance of knowing how to survive on the streets for several hundred miles, as well as knowing your vehicle and what parts and pieces are up to the task.
Winners of each class receive ‘Sick The Mag’ orange driver helmets, and the unique award is not just for show. “I’ve seen several winners using their RaceQuip helmets at the track,” said Tom. “That’s in line with our philosophy at Sick The Mag – get out there with your cars and trucks and experience the adventure.”
For the second time in as many years, Brett LaSala captured the overall title with the lowest average time in his 2011 Ford Mustang known as ‘Snot Rocket.’ LaSala survived the week with a 6.24-second average, the second quickest overall average in drag and drive history, and the quickest average ever clocked on a drag radial-type tire.
Longtime drag-and-drive supporter and Sick Week sponsor Gear Vendors Overdrive has played a vital role in the rise of the sport through its engineering technology. Gear Vendor units allow engines to operate at lower RPM on the highway, contributing to higher survival rates. Owner Rick Johnson also hands out unique Gear Vendors guitars to the top three in competition.
“We can’t thank the community enough for this honor,” said Tom. “It’s because of your support that Sick The Magazine, and Sick Week, continue to happen.
“Sick Week also couldn’t happen without a great team of people behind the scenes, from our staff to a great number of volunteers that jump in to help, to the track’s staff at each location, and all the media that cover the event. We’re also able to do this because of the sponsors of Sick Week, which include Gear Vendors Overdrive, Motion Raceworks, Summit Racing Equipment, PEAK Performance, Mickey Thompson, VP Racing Fuels, Driven Racing Oil, Edelbrock, ISKY Racing Cams, Pilot Transport, Delta PAG, Dodge, RaceQuip, TBM Brakes, XS Power Batteries, Precision Turbo & Engine, CRC Industries and Holley NOS.”
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com