Second Verse is Better Than the First – Tor Nupen Rebounds from First Sick Week Outing to Power ’68 Chevelle Through the 2027 Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive
Drag and drive events can be a rewarding experience, as the chance to meet, race and cruise with hundreds of fellow enthusiasts has grown to nearly 50 opportunities each year for the last two seasons.
But the track and street can also find a vehicle’s weak spots, and this means a number of first timers could fail to complete the event. Tor Nupen suffered this fate at his first drag and drive event, the 2025 edition of Sick Week presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive.
But he used it as motivation to better his 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle for a return appearance to Sick Week this year, with his son in the co-pilot seat.
Sick the Magazine is gearing up for a solid 2026, as we will host FIVE events, the next one being Speedfest, May 28th-20th. For more information and details on it, visit the Sick The Mag events page by CLICKING HERE!
Purchased in 2019, this 1968 Chevelle was a combination of Nupen’s first car, and the desire to participate on a drag and drive event. After a meeting with fellow Chevelle runner Harry Haig, the powerplant was established in the form of a big block Chevrolet with twin turbochargers.
That 540 cubic inch big block, aided by a pair of Precision Turbo & Engine 76-millimeter turbos, is backed with a Turbo 400 transmission and a Gear Vendors Overdrive unit, which passes the power to a Strange Engineering 9-inch rear. AFCO shocks, TRZ Motorsports suspension, and TBM Brakes sits at the four corners.
Before rolling into South Georgia Motorsports Park for the first day of Sick Week last year, Nupen went to FuelTech to get the Chevelle tuned up. That would reveal a torched transmission, and Nupen thought he had dodged a bullet.
Day One of Sick Week found Nupen staging in second gear, and when he went to activate the transbrake, the holding power was nonexistent, forcing him to take a 20-second time slip and make his way south to Bradenton, Florida.
Not far down the road, Nupen’s problems compounded as the car was overheating and had drained a 16-volt battery. Reluctantly he waved the white flag, ending his Sick Week experience earlier than expected.
By November 2025, with the help of Jesse Lambert and Rodney Lambert, the Chevelle was battle ready for the 2026 edition of Sick Week presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive. After a week in cooler than normal conditions, Nupen and son survived the trip.
“We were tired and worn out, but I’m ready for more check points,” said Nupen. “We came with a plan and executed it. If you get a chance to this do something like this, I say do it. We got to meet so many awesome people that I call friends now means so much.”
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Tor Nupen, Motion Raceworks, and Sick The Magazine.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com