At Sick The Magazine, we’ve given away some pretty epic rides! Eight different cars and trucks have gone to new homes, and we’ve even seen them at our events with the new owners enjoying them! But our ninth giveaway car could be the most epic – this drag and drive ready ’65 Pontiac GTO - and it has a brand-new owner!

After taking possession of the GTO, Tom Bailey of Sick The Mag said his mission was to give it away as a drag and drive proven 10-second ride. “When I saw this GTO online, it spoke to me,” said Tom. “And we are going to iron it out, so the winner will get a cool ride, ready for street driving and drag strip action.”

Although it’s easy to focus on the elapsed times and who wins classes at events, the big speeds are also an indication of how far racing, and power levels, have come in the last couple decades.

And although it took until the fifth annual Hot Rod Drag Week in 2009 before someone broke the mark, the next five years witnessed four more competitors join the 200 MPH club.

In ten years of Hot Rod Drag Week competition, five different competitors exceeded the 200 MPH mark. We’ll follow up with part two of the 200 MPH club shortly, and see how many more rides can hit the magic speed mark.

A new event to the drag and drive community in 2025, the Street Car Challenge encompassed four days and a trio of race tracks in Alabama: Baileyton Dragstrip, Holiday Raceway and Jake’s Dragstrip.

Although weather made things difficult on a couple days, only two competitors failed to complete the event, and class champions were crowned at Baileyton Dragstrip on Sunday, July 20th.

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.”

The drag and drive events calendar gained over ten events for the 2025 season, and one of those is the Allstars Drag and Drive. A three-day event through Australia, Allstars Drag and Drive visited Willowbank Raceway and Warwick Dragway, and added the challenge of the drives between the two tracks.

Allstars Drag and Drive featured nine classes, from an Unlimited class, to both ‘Naturally Aspirated’ and ‘Forced’ (forced induction) version of a 235 / 255 tire class and a 28-inch tire class, as well as three index classes, a ‘Cruise Crew’ and a Top Ten listing.

After years of watching and enjoying the racing and car scene, Colt Beck was ready to build a new ride. But he had to overcome a lot of obstacles, including the car being stolen, but with a lot of drive and some help from friends and sponsors, Colt got it all done in time for the 2024 edition of the PRI show.

“We’ve taken it to some incredible places,” said Colt. “The car has proven to be more than just a race car. It’s a reminder of the hard work, the setbacks, and the triumphs — and it’s now ready for whatever the road brings next.”

“Driving the car isn’t just about the thrill of the road; it’s about connecting with others who share the same passion and helping inspire them to chase their own dreams too.”

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.

After Mother Nature delayed the original date of The Circuit – A Charity With Horsepower from April to June, the weather gods decided they weren’t quite done with the event.

But with 165 vehicles in attendance, plenty of racing and street driving was still accomplished, as well as thousands of dollars of donations for a Tulsa, Oklahoma children’s charity.  

After working at it for a few years, Jason Richardson put together his first drag and drive event, the East Coast Drag-N-Drive, in New Brunswick, Canada.

A three-day event based around Miramichi Dragway Park as the starting point, with two separate drives, drivers would compete in five classes to determine winners.

Recently, Tom Bailey and the Sick The Magazine crew introduced our ninth and latest vehicle giveaway, a 1965 Pontiac GTO. This car was built to be used on the street and the track, and we’ve tested and refined it for a new owner, which could be YOU! But the giveaway ends on June 28th at 11:59 PM!

“There are not many GTO models for sale,” said Tom Bailey of Sick The Mag. “So, when I saw this GTO online, it spoke to me. One lucky winner will get a cool ride to hopefully do some events, and maybe a drag and drive as well.”

June is an insane month for the drag and drive community, with eleven events on the roster for 2025. One of the newest, Big Sky Race Week, celebrated their second year with a full roster of rides to do a drag and drive across the state of Montana, with four days of competition.

The week started with day zero tech and testing at Yellowstone Dragstrip in Acton, and that would also be the site of day one for competition.

From Yellowstone Dragstrip, competitors hit the road to Hi-Line Dragstrip in Malta for day two, followed by Lewistown Raceway for day three, Lostcreek Raceway for day four, returning to Yellowstone Dragstrip for the final day on June 20th.

For the third time in six days, Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks would start its morning at Byron Dragway for Day Five, the final day, of Sick Summer 2025.

After several hundred miles, bad weather that forced a cancellation of one day of racing, and four tracks visited, over 300 competitors returned to Illinois for the final day, last passes down the track, and crowning class champions.

After Mother Nature once again showed she was in control of outdoor activities, Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks rolled into Tri State Raceway for Day Four.

We were greeted with sunny skies and a full day of racing activities, but for some competitors, it was a struggle. For some competitors, it took until their last opportunity of the day to get the run they needed for a shot at the coveted Sick The Mag orange helmet.

Day Two of Sick Summer Presented By Motion Raceworks would prove to be just as hot as the first, in both temperature in the air and action on the race track.

The crowds have always been massive at Great Lakes Dragaway, and the drag and drive faithful would once again flock to Wisconsin for all the action on track, along the drive, and at the checkpoints.

Heralded as the ‘official’ start to summer by many in the drag and drive community, Sick Summer Presented By Motion Raceworks will celebrate our third year in the Midwest starting tomorrow, June 15th, 2025 at Byron Dragway in Byron, Illinois.

One of two tracks we will visit in Illinois, Byron Dragway will be hosting Sick Summer for a total of three days, with a lot on tap for activities, including Mr. Sam’s 80th birthday party and the Delta PAG pizza party on Sunday, June 15th, as well as our awards ceremony on Friday, June 20th!

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.

Right as the drag and drive calendar starts to get busy in late May, we’re rolling out the red carpet at Beech Bend Raceway Park for day one of Sick On The Green!

Thursday testing brought the thrills and chills, and we’re not just talking about the roller coaster on property!

After a solid showing at Sick At The Rock, our new Sick Street Car Challenge class is back in Kentucky, with over 30 categories and a purse of more than $30K up for grabs. We’re also adding the popular ‘Lil Gangsta’s class and Street Eliminator 10.10 class, bringing the total to 9 classes offered at this event!

There’s something to be said about striving to do your best, and coming up just a little shy of the top spot. It can make you dig deeper, work harder, and strive for the top spot a little bit more.

Most competitors would likely be happy with a pair of top three finishes at Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks, but Jeremy Ortiz plans to roll in prepared better than ever this year.

Since his first Sick Summer, Ortiz has captured multiple wins at various events and tracks. His most recent victories came in Extreme Radials at Muncie Dragway, then Ortiz followed it up at Street Car Braggin Rights (SCBR), where he scored the SCBR Shootout Wild class accolades.

Now, with his Nissan 240 sporting a single turbo LS swap seemingly on rails, Ortiz turns his focus to this week’s Sick On The Green event at Beech Bend Raceway Park. Then two weeks later, he will return to Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks in hopes of securing a Street Race 275 class victory.

Steve Rzewnicki joined a group of enthusiasts from Streetcar Shenanigans Performance for his first drag and drive event, the Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks.

He not only completed his first event, but did so in a car that carries a family history.

“We had so much fun,” said Rzewnicki. “We had a whole team of cars from Streetcar Shenanigans Performance, and I can't wait to do it again.”

Although it wasn’t his first drag and drive, the Sick Death Week event in October of 2023 ratcheted the legacy of Rajveer Ahuja to the next level. Making thousands of road miles to be a part of most events he participates in, Ahuja will return to the states for a double dose of drag and drive action when he hits Sick On The Green, followed two weeks later with Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks.

“Being able to enjoy the car, and the best part (of a drag and drive event) is meeting like-minded crazy people and getting to hang out with them,” Rajveer Ahuja admitted. “It is like a big family reunion. I mostly enjoy catching up and hanging out with new and old friends, besides the mandatory tacos and burnouts. That’s what drag and drive is really all about.”