Several competitors have been testing their combinations at Bradenton Motorsports Park, and while some are finding the track rewarding, others are experiencing breakage and heartache.

“This will be my first time driving on a drag-and-drive as a driver. Normally I’m the co-pilot, the guy that helps tune and works on the car. This year I have my own ride, and I’m looking forward to it.” - Brent Leivestad.

In 2021, the wagon had once made a huge performance leap, winning the Modified Power Adder class with a 7.25 average, plus Mikael Borggren clocked a 6.93 at 203 mph pass on the final day.

Only a few days to go before Sunday February 12th arrives, and with it, the Check-in and Tech day of Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive! Here’s some updates from several competitors…

“We had some issues with the engine during Drag Week, so we were afraid of a DNF throughout the week. That should be sorted after the refresh….. We're going to test some this week to try and find the missing performance.”

If Cleetus can duplicate these 6-second times on Sick Week next week, he could become the third car to average in the 6-second range on a radial, and possibly reset the Modified class record.

“I started my first drag-and-drive in 2015 with Hot Rod Drag Week, and haven't missed one since. The drag-and-drive community is family, and this car proves that. Everyone involved has sacrificed something for someone else!”

“It’s a challenge like no other. There is nowhere else where you will find a competitor sitting in a Walmart parking lot, with a motor torn apart and rebuilding it, just to get to the next race track.”

Taylor’s 2002 Ford Mustang is one of the quicker 2-valve cars that regularly participates in drag-and-drive events, as well as the annual ModNationals (an event designed around Ford’s modular engines).

“Because Sick Week is the first event of the year, it might be hard to run sixes. However we have tested more, and I’d like to say we should be able to run six-second passes over 200 mph at Sick Week.”

“For me, drag-and-drive events are more about the friendships made along the way. I’ve never done Sick Week, but I do look forward to the shorter drives with more social and hotel time.”

“We’re thinking the car has a 5-second run in it, but we don’t have the amount of testing to likely see it on Sick Week. I hope we can beat our previous best time (6.42 at 209 mph).”

Gustafsson is priming for a return to Sick Week and a chance to defend his title from a year ago. “We are flying over from Sweden a few days early, and plan to test at Bradenton on Friday before the event. We will come to Sick Week ready to fight.”

“After following along on two Hot Rod Drag Weeks, Sick Week definitely was less stressful when it comes to the drives. The drives were shorter; the checkpoints were really neat and well thought out and more interesting than just a rest stop or gas station.”

“We’re on Sick Week as rednecks having fun. We can show people you can have fun without a lot of money, or a laptop for tuning. It’s a throwback to how things used to be, and the comradery with fellow competitors.”

“We are from the Midwest, so Florida during winter is great. The tracks are all awesome, and hopefully we can post low 10-second times this year.”