First, we released the the big news about Sick Wildcards on April 2nd; now it's time for the next huge announcement for Sick Week 2026 Presented By Gear Vendors Overdrive: Sick Bounties.

We’re going to put up some big money to incentivize racers to break records at Sick Week across a number of classes we think are going to tear it up next year!

Here’s the catch — the records have to be broken at our Sick Week event. If the record falls at another drag-and-drive event before Sick Week, the bounty evaporates (runs during testing or a 'traditional' race event are fine).

The drag and drive community has grown significantly since the first Hot Rod Drag Week in 2005, and every year, dozens of first-time participants join the community.

Unfortunately, we have some members depart the drag and drive community earlier than expected, and we’ve recently learned that multi-time winner Randall Reed has passed.

Reed first jumped into the drag and drive with an appearance at Hot Rod Drag Week in 2017, competing in the popular Street Race Small Block Power Adder class. Over seven years, Reed competed in nearly a dozen drag and drive events, scoring multiple wins.

With nearly eight months and two-thirds of the 2025 drag and drive schedule in the rear view mirror, some competitors are getting some testing in for the final stretch of the year, while others are making changes and looking towards 2026.

A couple of drag and drive competitors recently visited Muncie Dragway and left with class wins, while a pair of station wagons found new personal bests tuning up for a Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive appearance in 2026.

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.

Bryant Goldstone has accomplished a lot in his racing career, and put together an impressive resume in the drag and drive segment of it as well.

After nearly fifteen years of proving the streetability and on-track performance of both his 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle, and his familiar 1973 AMC Javelin, Goldstone continues to rack up victories.

This includes his back-to-back Rocky Mountain Race Week MEGAWEEK and Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks event wins in June of 2025.

Now, his attention turns to his Unlimited class '53 Corvette and prepping for Hot Rod Drag Week. Goldstone recently filled us in on his remaining 2025 plans, including the storied AMC's future.

After dominating the Naturally Aspirated classes at the 2023 edition of Sick Summer Presented by TBM Brakes, and then this year’s Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, it was a bit of a shock to see 'Fast Eddie' Ensor's 1985 Mustang up for sale today.

The classified ad on Facebook lists a pair of Ensor’s Ford Mustangs, and Ensor will sell one of them, and the current drag and drive Naturally Aspirated class record holder is on the list.

Devin Vanderhoof is not one that’s content with running with the pack, or just ahead of it. Just when you think Devin has the ’93 Mustang convertible known as ‘Big Ern’ on rails, he makes big changes.

After winning several events, including a pair of class wins at Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, the Mustang had become a unique ride in the drag and drive community.

But after an early exit at this year’s Sick Summer, Devin is planning some big changes, and this isn’t the first time Devin has made big changes for bigger and better performances.

Sick The Magazine is proud to announce that Sick Week has captured the USA Today 10Best “Best Motorsports Race in the United States” title for the 2nd straight year!

“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!”

As a project he built from the ground up starting in 2012, Mike Finnegan might not have foreshadowed his 1955 Chevrolet could be a race car, let alone a drag and drive ride.

The car that employs an old-school HEMI powerplant, thus the name ‘Blasphemi’ from the engine swap, got its first use to do a 2,600-mile road trip from California to North Carolina for the start of Hot Rod Power Tour.

But just a few years later, Finnegan made the choice to jump from pit reporter and drag and drive enthusiast to competitor, and for his 2025 Sick Week adventure, he brings us along for a 5-part breakdown on YouTube.

Although we normally get to see all three power-adders do well at drag and drive events throughout the year, turbochargers are making a bigger presence on the results sheets and the awards ceremonies.

New to the turbo game in 2025 is the Nova of Graham Hayes, and based on his results from his first two drag and drive events of the season, the proof is in the boost.

Sick The Magazine started our print magazine in 2021 as a way to cover and highlight the drag and drive lifestyle, cars and people.

Recently, our flagship event, Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, has been nominated by USA Today 10Best as a ‘Best Motorsports Race in the United States’ finalist.

“When we started the magazine in 2021, I knew an event would be the next step,” said Tom Bailey, founder of Sick The Magazine. “What I didn’t expect was how quickly Sick Week came to fruition, and the support of the community.”

“From the competitors that continue to amaze us with their performances, to the staff and volunteers that run the event, Sick Ward participants and the thousands of fans that come out to watch the action and cheer on their favorites, it means so much to so many.”

They started their seasons with a bang at Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, when Graham Hayes and the team of Devin Vanderhoof and Josh Davis not only won their classes, but finished in the top three overall.

Both of these powerful rides now set their sights on Rockingham Dragway, and the Sick At The Rock event Presented by Motion Raceworks.

With all four of our major Sick The Mag events sold out for 2025, next month's Sick At The Rock is one of your last chances to compete in a Sick The Mag drag and drive in 2025.

Although the chances of seeing superchargers and turbochargers versus nitrous on drag and drive rides, there are still some bottle-fed rides that are holding their own.

One happens to be the 1972 Camaro of Lamar Swindoll Jr., and after completing four Sick drag and drive events in just over a year, Lamar is setting his sights on Sick At The Rock Presented by Motion Raceworks.

“After years of drag racing, I was ready for something different,” said Lamar. Drag and drive allows my wife and I to enjoy driving our hot rod on the open roads with our family members who join with their cars, hang out with other racers and their families, do a little site seeing and I still get to race my car down track. It's just a whole lot of fun!”

With a solid first outing at Sick Week in 2025, Lamar will make his next appearance with the Camaro in the new Sick Street Car Challenge class at the upcoming Sick At The Rock event. “I think it’s a great idea to have an event like this at least once a year for the guy that can’t attend a week long event,” said Lamar. “I think the shorter drive will be a great time for first timers to try out a drag and drive event.”

The 2024 edition of Sick Week wasn’t the first drag and drive event Jacob Davis has participated in, but it would mark the first showing for a 1972 AMC Javelin, a previous race-only ride that he converted for Sick Week. Now, a year later, he’s preparing for a Sick At The Rock appearance.

After all the work to convert it to street legal and test it out, Jacob found that the car would give him some fits during last year’s Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, but Jacob persevered and finished the event with an 11.06 average, bolstered by a best pass of 10.80 at 124.97 mph on day three.

“I’m really excited to see Sick The Mag stepping up to save some of these races and adding their own flare to it with a fun, weekend style drag and drive,” Jacob said. “It requires a lot less commitment of your time and investment of resources to enter a shorter event like this, and I’m actually doing it for my ‘bachelor party’ with some of my groomsmen.”

“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 competing in his wife’s Trans Am in 2023, Chuck Stefanski decided to up the ante and re-vamp his 1981 Pontiac Lemans station wagon for a full season in 2024.

Chuck Stefanski achieved some solid results, completing two drag and drive events, and scoring wins at two events. Now he’s got new goals for 2025, including the new Sick Street Car Challenge class at the Sick At The Rock event next month.

“I think this is an awesome way to showcase drag and drive, and giving the competitors several chances to win some real cash,” said Chuck. “This structure allows the spectators to stay at one track and see every pass. This event is going to set the pace for the future of drag and drive, and I am along for the ride!”

After a notable 2023 season where this 1993 Ford Mustang convertible picked up a trio of drag and drive wins, including the Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive and the Sick Summer Presented by TBM Brakes event, owner Devin Vanderhoof decided to make some major changes in 2024.

That list included a switch from a stock-style suspension to an aftermarket (parallel) 4-link suspension, double frame railing the Mustang, upgrading the roll cage to a 25.1 / 25.2 SFI-certification, and putting the car on a diet and removing around 200 pounds of heft.

Vanderhoof and Davis started their 2025 season with a win at this year’s Sick Week in the Modified class, including a new personal best pass of 6.37 at 227 mph at Gainesville Raceway (with eighth-mile numbers of 4.23 at 181 mph).

Just a couple week later, Vanderhoof and Davis returned to South Georgia Motorsports Park (SGMP) for the popular radial tire Lights Out event to participate in the ‘Braggin Rights’ street car class. After a few days of work, the team captured the overall title with a 6.38 at 228 mph final round blast.

But a recent test session at Carolina Dragway yielded a performance number they've been working towards for a long time.

After five days of traveling through Georgia and Florida, Sick Week presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive rolled into South Georgia Motorsports Park for the final day to see who had enough left in the tank to complete a nearly 850 mile trip, and their final pass, from five days of work.

We may have started with rain and cold temperatures on Day Zero that prevented any on track activity, but on Day Five, the all-concrete surface in southern Georgia was scorched with record times and shocking faces as competitors just kept getting quicker throughout the day.

As Georgia starts to thaw out from the freezing temperatures and snow they experienced last week, the action also heated up in more ways than one during the second day of testing at South Georgia Motorsports Park for Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive.

Several rides made some hot licks on the track, while others overheated their parts where the carnage has us wondering who can be ready for Day One on Tuesday, January 28th.