Sick The Magazine started in mid-2021 with the first print magazine dedicated to the drag and drive community, and although most featured an event would follow at some point, Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive in 2022 caught some by surprise.

Since then, we’ve added Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks as an annual event starting in 2023, and a one-off event each year as well.

2025 marked the opportunity for Sick The Magazine to showcase our home state of Michigan, and Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil was held over the last seven days.

After Mother Nature spoiled our plans for racing at Mid-Michigan Motorplex on Tuesday, August 12th, Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil made its way north through Michigan to Kaleva and Northern Michigan Dragway.

Although we were greeted by some fog to start the morning, some great racing action took place. We witnessed some shuffling in the top ten, including a new leader, some personal bests, as well as some competitors making their case for not only a category title, but also the Pure Michigan Award.

After a solid first day of competition on the Sick Michigan Miles drag and drive event, and the drive from Milan to Stanton, Michigan complete, we caught rumblings of Mother Nature looking to rain on the activities on Day Two, August 12th, at Mid-Michigan Motorplex.

Despite the best efforts of the Ledford family to give us a solid surface, rain hit the track just minutes before we were about to call competitors to the staging lanes.

So, instead cars and trucks were changed back to street mode, before visiting a trio of checkpoints over 191 miles to prep for Day Three at Northern Michigan Dragway.

With Day One of the Sick Michigan Miles drag and drive event leading into a week-long exploration of Michigan and four different tracks, some woke on Monday morning, August 11th with high hopes, and maybe even calm nerves.

Then, there are those that barely got their rides buttoned up in time to roll through the Darana Dragway gate, lacking sleep, test time, and possibly a functioning credit card due to all the last-minute parts ordering.

No matter which way a competitor got to Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil, Day One started with our traditional drivers meeting, before the Darana Dragway crew let the enthusiasts loose on a freshly-prepped surface to see who would gain the quick time slips and early momentum for the event.

After attending several drag and drive events, Evan Uerkwitz and Frank Webb have been burning the midnight oil in an effort to get their 7-second rides ready in time for next week’s Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil.

Although both rides have clocked several 7-second passes on the quarter-mile format, and been in the running for class wins, will either of them overcome recent changes and contend for the overall title at Sick Michigan Miles?

In one week, we’ll be on the second day of the ‘one-time-only’ Sick Michigan Miles Presented By Driven Racing Oil.

Based in Michigan, Sick The Magazine is showcasing our home state with a drag and drive event entirely in Michigan.

After two days at the revamped Darana Dragway in Milan, Sick Michigan Miles moves to Mid-Michigan Motorplex in Stanton.

This is the second of five stories about Michigan, the track we’re visiting on that day, and showcasing the official shirt for each track that incorporates the track, as well as a Michigan business.

Following a successful first year in 2024, the Drop The Hammer event would gain a second showing in the drag and drive world for the 2025 season.

The first event of 2025 would start at Mid Michigan Motorplex, with competitors completing day one at a track that celebrates 70 years of drag racing this year, before hopping on the streets of Michigan to drive from Stanton to Lapeer, Michigan for day two of racing action.

For the final day, participants would return to Stanton, Michigan, completing just over 270 street miles, and the chance to lay claim to a top three finish in the four classes.

At Sick the Magazine, we’ve shown that we can cover lots of different places with drag-and-drive events. From our yearly events, like Sick Week that uses the same tracks, or our one-off events like the recently completed Sick 66 where we covered over 1,000 miles of Route 66 from Missouri to New Mexico, we’re not afraid of the adventure. And for 2025, we’re bringing that adventure to our home state with Sick Michigan Miles!

“When the idea was first proposed, I started thinking about how nice the areas around northern Michigan are,” said Tom Bailey of Sick The Mag. “The more Luke Nieuwhof and I discussed it, it made sense that we could visit four great tracks, incorporate an August tradition for automotive enthusiasts, and do a 1,000 mile road trip in one weeks time.”

Combining the basics of a drag-and-drive event with a final day of eliminations to crown class winners, the Heads Up Hustle returned to Michigan for its second year. Milan Dragway and Mid Michigan host two days of qualifying runs and set an average for the final day, where eliminations are held and class winners are crowned.    

Following our coverage on Monday June 3rd from a weekend with three separate events featuring drag-and-drive classes, we’re adding part two today - ‘Drop the Hammer’ as well as the drag-and-drive exhibition class results at the NHRA New England Nationals.

This weekend - the final weekend in May / first weekend of June, a pair of first-time drag-and-drive events get under way, joined by the second drag-and-drive exhibition at a National Hot Rod Association event for the 2024 season.