A lot of the drag and drive community knows about Tom Bailey and his accomplishments in both the original ‘Sick Seconds’ ’69 Camaro, as well as the upgraded ’69 Camaro known as ‘Sick Seconds 2.0.’

But Tom’s son Aydan has been slowly ironing out his own ride, a 1957 Chevrolet station wagon that has competed in a handful of events since its debut at Sick Summer 2023. Just over two years after that first event, Aydan scored his first overall victory at the recent Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil.

To fully understand the success of Aydan’s recent win in Michigan, let’s take a trip back to the first Sick The Mag drag and drive event, Sick Week 2022 Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive.

Since the very beginning of the drag and drive event structure, change has been part of the plan. Each and every year, Hot Rod Drag Week has changed tracks, routes and in some cases, classes.

Since that first event in 2005, over 50 more drag and drive events have been created, and while some follow the same plan of changing tracks at a minimum each year, some have held true to the same tracks, to the appeal of the competitors and spectators alike.

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 two years with three drag and drive events under the Sick The Magazine banner each year, 2025 marks the first time Sick The Mag expanded to a pair of ‘one-off’ events versus one each year in 2023 and 2024.

Based in Michigan, Tom Bailey and the Sick The Mag crew talked about putting together an event in our home state. They got together and came up with the details to arrive at Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil, August 10-17th, 2025.

Sunday, August 10th was Day Zero, which is normally tech and check-in, as well as a test session for competitors to have a chance to iron out any last-minute details on their rides before Monday, August 11th, when the laps would start to count towards their averages.

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?

As Sick Michigan Miles Presented By Driven Racing Oil rolls into the third day of competition, we hit the northernmost track on our route, Northern Michigan Dragway.

With four tracks and five days of racing, we’re also introducing our third track shirt, and providing the details on the track, as well as a Michigan-based business, that made the shirt.

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.

We’re one week away from the start of our first ‘one-off’ drag and drive event of 2025, Sick Michigan Miles Presented By Driven Racing Oil.

Sick The Magazine is based in Michigan, and it’s been a goal to showcase the state with an event entirely in Michigan.

In the first of five stories about Michigan, we will be highlighting the track we’re visiting, and showcasing the official shirt for each track that incorporates the track, as well as a Michigan business.

As part of a group of street car enthusiasts for Indiana called Team 260, Adam Hodson has participated in several events, usually with a large crew. From drag and drive events, to no prep-style races, Adam did a lot of events in an 8-second Chevrolet Camaro, usually alongside his Indiana friends.

That crew came into play during the 2020 season of Horsepower Wars, which resulted in the acquisition of the Chevrolet S-10 pick-up. Adam recently guided that truck to the win in Small Tire at the Back To The Streets drag and drive, and now is preparing for back-to-back events in Michigan, including Roadkill Nights and Sick Michigan Miles.  

One year ago, at M1 Concourse in Michigan, Morgan Evans rolled into Roadkill Nights the one that most didn’t expect to win. After all, the Florida driver came in with one of the heavier entries, an ’87 Dodge D150 pick-up, and just a handful of runs from a mid-week test session.

But Morgan defied the odds, and took her Hurricane-swapped pick-up truck to the final round victory. It kicked the door open of Morgan wanting to race more, and now, Morgan and fiancé Jason Kastner prepare for a return to Roadkill Nights, as well as spending a week in Michigan on Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil.

The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) has been the subject of multiple news stories in 2025, as the series has come back with national events that include professional classes, as well as a return to their sportsman classes too.

The IHRA also got a lot of attention for the purchasing of several race tracks, including Milan Dragway, which hosts the second of five IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series events for 2025 this weekend under its new name, Darana Dragway.

Darana Dragway will also be the host track for next month's Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil, August 10-17th!

Since the first Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive in 2022, Tom Bailey and Luke Nieuwhof have made a point to highlight all points of a drag and drive event. The tracks are important, but the drives and checkpoints are also a big deal.

For next month’s Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil, we will feature a checkpoint from a husband and wife that were Sick Ward participants at this year’s Sick Week.

“Michigan Miles is a great idea,” said Melissa VanTielen. “Our state has so many amazing nooks and crannies. I feel like having a checkpoint at our location would be my opportunity to give the sport a huge shout out and exposure.”

Sometimes, a good build gets a bit quicker than expected, and rather than continue on, an enthusiast may choose to take a step back to plot out the future use, and the changes necessary.

That was the case for Tom Kuepper, and although it caused his first Sick Summer event absence in three years, he’s honing in on quick times at the upcoming Sick Michigan Miles.

When it comes to survival of an engine, almost no component is as important as the motor oil protecting the internal components. In the harsh environment of drag-and-drive, one company has developed oil technology to the next level — Driven Racing Oil.

The Memphis, TN-based company developed its first formulations for NASCAR’s Joe Gibbs Racing team in the early 2000s. Since then, they have broadened their blends into oils suitable for a range of applications, including street and strip vehicles.

Sick The Magazine is proud to announce that Driven Racing Oil will be the presenting sponsor of Sick Michigan Miles, being held from August 10-17, 2025 around the great state of Michigan. From the Mackinac Bridge to the Woodward Dream Cruise, it will be a gearhead’s ultimate adventure.

As a partner with Sick, Driven Racing Oil has seen their sales boom as more racers and gearheads find out about the quality of the product. Tom Bailey from Sick The Magazine said Driven Racing Oil was the perfect presenting sponsor for Sick Michigan Miles.

“Bring a friend to the track / car show / event” is a phrase a lot of us have heard to encourage getting others to attend a car enthusiast event. A growing number of people get their first look thanks to the efforts of a friend or co-worker.

Tom Bailey noticed these efforts, and launched the Sick The Magazine Affiliate Program in December, a way to reward Sick The Mag event participants for bringing out fellow enthusiasts. After the first three months of the program, it has paid out over $20,000 in rewards for affiliate commitments.

“We were told not to do this by some promoters,” said Bailey. “Because they don't want to share the gate with the attendees, but we do. So, we are going to do it anyway!

“I have been to events where when I look at the crowd, my shirts outnumber the event shirts, but I didn't get anything for bringing those folks through the gate. And that was okay, but it got me to thinking, so we are going to change that.”

After the success of the Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive in 2022, Tom Bailey came up with the idea of keeping a consistent drag and drive event each year, as well as a unique one.

Following in the footsteps of our Edelbrock Sick 66 event in 2024, Sick the Magazine will host a pair of ‘one-off’ events in 2025, the first being in our home state with Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil, August 10th through the 17th, 2025!

“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 (Sick The Mag editor) 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 week’s time.”

After a 2024 season with a record number of drag-and-drive events, the 2025 season is just a couple weeks away from rumbling to life. Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive is the first of thirty drag-and-drive events we currently know of for 2024, and there is no doubt more will be added as the year progresses.

With long-standing events like Hot Rod Drag Week back for the 20th anniversary, and Rocky Mountain Race Week celebrating its tenth year, several events returned for another year, including Redwood Rally, Miles of Mayhem, One Guy’s Garage Drag Weekend, and Southeast Street N’ Yeet.

We also saw some new events on the extensive list in 2024, as Drop the Hammer, Olympic Drag-and-Drive, and Big Sky Race Week were just a couple that pushed the number of drag-and-drive events scheduled in 2024 to 40 total. A couple did get canceled or postponed due to weather or poor registration numbers.