Garbage In Name Only – Matt Donovan Looks to Capture Second B/Gas Title in as Many Years at Edelbrock Sick 66!
After originally acquiring the ‘Garbage That Barfed’ name from David Freiburger at Hot Rod Drag Week nearly a decade ago, Matt Donovan has continued to evolve the Gasser-style 1938 Chevrolet coupe into a class-winning ride.
Five years after completing his first Hot Rod Drag Week in 2017, Donovan scored his first Sick The Mag event win in the B/Gas class with a 10.65 average at Gear Vendor Overdrive Sick Week. Now, he’s looking for a second-straight event week for 2026, and well as a second Sick The Mag event in as many years.
Unfinished Business: Brooks Fleharty Brings Radical Stick-Shift Mustang to Edelbrock Sick 66
Brooks Fleharty isn’t coming to Edelbrock Sick 66 to simply make the trip; he’s arriving with a vendetta.
In 2024, Fleharty and his team were sitting third overall at the first Sick 66 in their ’86 Ford Mustang, when a parts failure in Amarillo brought their event to an abrupt end. This time around, the Mustang is back with a proven combination, a new approach to getting down the road, and some serious goals.
The Road Less Traveled in Michigan - an Inside Look on Aydan Bailey Forging a New Path to Successfully Defend His Title at the 2026 Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil!
One year ago, the usually quiet and reserved Aydan Bailey had a smile on his face during the award ceremony of the first Sick Michigan Miles presented by Driven Racing Oil. After a solid week of battling with Evan Uerkwitz, Aydan emerged with his first class title, as well as his first overall win, in five years of drag and drive competition.
But when the ’57 Chevy wagon known as ‘The Deuce Box’ returned to home base after that event, Aydan knew the engine was the limiting factor to pursuing the goals of a 4-second eighth-mile pass, and 7-second performances on the full quarter-mile distance. One year later, and several nights with not much sleep, Aydan emerged with his second-straight victory from Sick Michigan Miles.
The Fight to the Finish – Aydan Bailey Wheelies His Way to Overall Win on an Unpredictable Final Day of the Driven Racing Oil Sick Michigan Miles!
It was so good, we had to bring it back for a second helping – Sick Michigan Miles presented by Driven Racing Oil returned to the land of ten thousand lakes for an epic seven days in Michigan.
To keep things fresh, the Sick The Mag added a new track, new routes, and new checkpoints from the first edition of the event. The competitor list expanded to 223 entries on Day One, and after five days, a couple hundred rides returned to Mid Michigan Motorplex to say “we completed Sick Michigan Miles,” finalize their averages, and crown winners.
A Wild Day Two of the Driven Racing Oil Sick Michigan Miles At Northern Michigan Dragway Brings Lead Changes, Thrashes, and Some New Category Frontrunners!
Following a record-setting Day One of Sick Michigan Miles at Mid Michigan Motorplex, over 200 competitors and a couple hundred Sick Warders rolled over 200 miles on their odometers to reach Kaleva, Michigan and Northern Michigan Dragway.
Regarded by many as a hidden treasure of a track with tons of acreage with dozens of bracket cars scattered in the tree-covered pit areas, Northern Michigan Dragway would play host to the second day of racing action, and action there was!
Nothing ‘Mid’ About Day One at Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil, as Some of the Quickest Performances in Event History Are Delivered at Mid Michigan Motorplex!
One year ago, Tom Bailey’s idea of showcasing his home state of Michigan came to fruition with the first Sick Michigan Miles presented by Driven Racing Oil. Despite our best efforts, Mother Nature rained down on Mid Michigan Motorplex, a track most competitors wanted to tackle.
One year, the Ledfords are getting their shot by hosting the second edition of Sick Michigan Miles, as well as the 223 competitors that made it through tech. After some hints that some solid performances could be in the works based on Day Zero runs, competitors and enthusiasts watching from the fenceline and grandstands were eager to see what the track held in store for Day One.
The Re-Birth of the Deuce Box – Aydan Bailey Preps ‘57 Chevy Wagon For Upgrades to Defend Title at 2026 Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil!
After some trials and heartbreaks, Aydan Bailey scored an overdue victory at the 2025 edition of Sick Michigan Miles presented by Driven Racing Oil. The ’57 Chevrolet wagon put up a 5.24 average for the week, getting Aydan the top spot, an orange Sick The Mag helmet, and a celebration for Aydan and father Tom, who was Aydan’s co-pilot for Sick Michigan Miles.
But, in pushing the station wagon to those times, Aydan also discovered the limitations of some things, as well as some items to re-do for the next outing. Nearly a year later, Aydan, Tom and Andy Mcconnell, got together to assess and determine what needed to be done to get the station wagon ready to defend its Sick Michigan Miles title.
We’ve Got The Dates – The 2027 Edition of Gear Vendors Overdrive Sick Week, and Motion Raceworks Sick Summer, Dates Are Locked In!
After the success of the first Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive in 2022, the question was “when can we do a second big event, and when is the next Sick Week,” according to Tom Bailey. The 2023 season would see the second annual Sick Week, and the first edition of Sick Summer presented by Motion Raceworks.
With all the support from competitors, Sick Warders, spectators, and especially the race tracks and sponsors, the Sick The Magazine team can officially announce the dates for Sick Week and Sick Summer in 2027.
The Late Night Thrash at Great Lakes – Engine Woes Nearly Prevented David Schroeder, Alex Taylor, and Steve Morris from Getting Back to Byron Dragway To Finish, and Win, Motion Raceworks Sick Summer!
Pushing cars and trucks, even motorcycles to their limits on the track and the street is nothing new to the drag and drive community. And talk to most competitors, and they will tell you the street can be far less forgiving than the track.
For the quicker rides of drag and drive, finding the balance between a quick time slip and being able to drive to the next track is a tough task. For three of the top five runners at the recent Motion Raceworks Sick Summer event, that was the case at Great Lakes Dragaway on Day Four.
Morris, Schroeder and Taylor Keep Class Leads Despite Engine Woes, Diehl, Swindoll, Hess and Crane Retain Their Leads Intact, as Motion Raceworks Sick Summer Heads for the Final Day at Byron Dragway!
Pushing machines and man (as well as woman) to their limits on the drag strip can sometimes result in broken parts and shattered dreams. But in the case of drag and drive, it’s finding the balance between a quick time slip and being able to drive to the next track.
For three of the top five runners at Motion Raceworks Sick Summer, that was the case at the fourth stop at Great Lakes Dragaway. After a rain out at Tri-State on Wednesday, the fans once again poured into Great Lakes Dragaway, and they got to witness all the action, and carnage, before competitors licked their wounds and prepped for the final drive back to Byron, Illinois.
Alex Taylor, David Diehl, and Frank Webb Lead the Highlights of Day Zero Testing at Sick Summer Presented By Motion Raceworks at Byron Dragway in Illinois!
We know it’s summertime when the drag and drive community ramps up in June, and Sick Summer presented by Motion Raceworks celebrates its fourth year by returning to the site of last year’s host track, Byron Dragway, to get the festivities underway!
Day Zero means the majority of the day is competitors arriving at the track for the tech-in process, as well as Sick Ward and Sick Spit Show & Shine participants getting their bonuses and materials for the week. But there’s on track action as well, and the testing session provided some eye-opening results and competitors to keep an eye on leading into Day One of racing.
Steve Morris Eyes Return To Sick Summer With the ‘Boostmaster’ Station Wagon Going for 6-Second Runs On Drag Radials, and a Couple Surprises in Store!
After starting his 2026 by co-piloting with wife Val Morris in her new Camaro known as ‘Better Half’ at Sick Week presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, Steve Morris got to watch Val score her first drag and drive victory.
But Steve has been busy with the ‘Boostmaster’ station wagon, making the switch from slicks to drag radial tires for this season. And after a successful outing at the Mickey Thompson Turn & Burn event last month, Steve is looking to build on that momentum at the Motion Raceworks Sick Summer event, starting next week on June 14th.
The Return of Mullet - Cleetus McFarland Preps the 6-Second El Camino for First Drag and Drive in 2 Years at Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks
Built as one of the quickest cars to enter his arsenal, the 1986 El Camino known as Mullet has scored victories for Cleetus McFarland on both the drag and drive event structure, as well as the pure racing side.
Since it debuted on its first event in May 2021, Mullet has continued to evolve into a quicker and faster machine. After a three-year run, including multiple appearances between Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive and Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks, Mullet got an overhaul in 2025-26. Now, it’ll make its first drag and drive event in two years at Sick Summer.
Building on a Trio of Solid Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks Finishes, Cameron Alley is Ready to Take an Orange Helmet Home From the Sick 8.50 Shootout Class at Speedfest This Month!
Some of the toughest competition at the major drag and drive events can be in the Street Race / Limited Street 8.50-second based classes. Some of the more successful in the classes tell tales of testing and getting the data, especially for a variety of weather conditions to run the pass needed to be competitive.
Cameron Alley has been plugging away at the eight-and-a-half second game in drag and drive for a while, and his track record at the Motion Raceworks Sick Summer event reflects the hard work he’s done. Back-to-back second place finishes in 2023 and 2024 gave way to a class win in 2025, and Cameron is hungry for another helmet chance, with his first shot at this month’s Speedfest.
Cleetus and Team Reveal the Return of the Cheap Car Challenge to This Year’s Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks – New Rules, New Builds – Who Will Emerge the Champion?
After competing in the first three Sick Week presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive events, with familiar cars like ‘Mullet’, ‘Ruby’ and ‘McFlurry’, Cleetus McFarland and crew switched things up for 2025 with their ‘Cheap Car Challenge’ for Sick Week 2025.
The premise was a $7500 budget for each two-person team, and with less than 48 hours to acquire a ride, each of the three teams was at South Georgia Motorsports Park for Sick Week Day Zero.
This time, the basic Cheap Car Challenge idea remains the same, but with a few more rules, and a new starting point: Sick Summer presented by Motion Raceworks. There’s a little more to the budget, more time to get the builds right, and possibly more than just bragging rights on the table.
Back In the Game – Jason Wall Returns to Racing at the 2026 Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive!
After over a decade away from the drag racing game, Jason Wall decided it was time to get back into it. There’s a ton of options for a street and strip capable ride, and although Jason had recently piloted his wife’s Hellcat Charger on Hot Rod Drag Week, he had a different target.
“I always liked these Collector’s Edition C4’s when I was a kid,” said Jason about the silver Corvette he acquired. “That never changed,” and he debuted this 1996 Corvette at this year’s Sick Week presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive.
Service With a Smile – Jesse Lesko and His Twin-Turbo Trans Am Are Aiming for the First Sick Sevens Class Helmet at Speedfest!!
It was 2024 that we got our first look at the 1998 Pontiac Trans Am of Jesse Lesko at the second annual Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks. It was kind of a homecoming for Jesse, as the Illinois-born Air Force vet had since relocated to Texas.
Nearly two years later, Jesse completed the recent Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive with some of his best performances on track, and has his sights set on the new Sick Sevens class that will debut at Speedfest in Bowling Green, Kentucky on May 28th through the 30th.
Land, Air and Sea – Navy Veteran Scott Brown Trade Air Traffic for the Drag and Drive Proving Grounds at Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive!
After four decades and two different careers in the Navy, Scott Brown made the transition to his third career in Florida, a state with weather that encourages year-round outdoor activities.
Scott spent time enjoying that weather by riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle as recently as 2024. But later that year, he was ready for a change, and he’d embark on a fourteen month build to participate in his first drag and drive event at the 2026 edition of Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive.
Sick Week Needs Your Help - Vote ‘Sick Week’ to Help Drag and Drive Win USA Today’s 10Best Motorsports Race for 2026!
Sick Week has once again been nominated in USA Today’s 10Best Motorsports Race competition, and we need your help to ensure that the sport of drag and drive stays at the top!
The thrilling combination of the world’s fastest real street cars, road trip adventures, and grassroots camaraderie has made Sick Week a must-attend event on the American motorsports calendar.
Sick The Mag Brings Their Own ‘Great 8’ To The AutoRama – One of America’s Largest Indoor Car Shows, Starting Today in Detroit, Michigan
For over seven decades, the Detroit AutoRama in Michigan has showcased tens of thousands of amazing rides, including hot rods, muscle cars, truck and motorcycles. It is a true plethora of automotive gatherings, with one of the big attractions of the AutoRama being The Ridler Award,
The drag and drive community has enjoyed a presence at the event in recent years, with Sick The Magazine bringing an ‘8-pack’ of cool and quick rides to our display at the AutoRama.