In everything he does, from piloting helicopters to 5-second race cars, hosting events to rebuilding a race track, Cleetus McFarland continues to elevate not only his impact on the sports and hobbies he enjoys, but brings along millions of viewers to watch the adventures on his popular YouTube channel.

It was about five years ago that Cleetus (the adrenaline-fueled alter face of Garrett Mitchell) purchased DeSoto Memorial Speedway, an oval track adjacent to Bradenton Motorsports Park that had sat abandoned for nearly two years.

And after a lot of work and success from that track, Cleetus didn’t have to look far for his next opportunity, as he announced today he is partnering with good friend and current owner Victor Alvarez, as 50 percent owner in Bradenton Motorsports Park.

THE Super Bowl of Drag-and-Drive, Sick Week 2025 Presented By Gear Vendors Overdrive, will once again be broadcast around the world by FRDMplus, reaching hundreds of thousands of automotive enthusiasts.

Established by YouTuber Cleetus McFarland in 2020, FRDM+ has set itself apart with high quality live streams from a variety of events, with a team who continue to push the boundaries of vision and sound. And for Sick The Magazine publisher and event promoter Tom Bailey, linking up with FRDM+ for the first time at last year's Sick Week made perfect sense.

Joining the regular watchers of FRDM+ will be thousands of Sick The Magazine subscribers, who receive a free month of FRDM+ as a benefit of their subscription. The offer is also open to anyone who plans on subscribing to Sick The Magazine before Sick Week. Even better, any new subscription is eligible for entries for the Sick 1969 Camaro Pace Car Giveaway.

After a period where cars were more about the styling and add-ons versus performance, the tables slowly started to turn in the 1980s, where multiple vehicles started to emerge from their smog handcuffed shackles. Trucks also started to get a boost in these times, including the 1990s Chevrolet SS and Ford Lightning pick-ups, and for David Cedoz, the Chevy truck would become a part of his life for 34 years.

David got his first taste of the OBS Chevy pick-up when his father picked up a brand new 1990 SS model, and after his father enjoyed it for ten years, David purchased it to tow his Bass boat for tournament fishing. It would see daily driver orders, and eventually a bump in power for more fun on the street and 8-second runs on the track.

David lost that truck to a fire in 2023, but managed to put a new one together in under 8 months! Can it back-up the glory runs the first jet black pick-up produced in 2023 at Sick Week?

A five-second stage has been set for Sick Week 2025 Presented By Gear Vendors Overdrive, with a brutal assortment of street legal machines preparing for what may be the quickest and fastest drag-and-drive event in history.

Ever since Tom Bailey’s historic 5.99 run at Hot Rod Drag Week in 2019, drag-and-drive fans have been waiting for a repeat of the feat. It seemed for a period that interest in the Unlimited class and its road-going Pro Mods had waned, but an explosion of new rides has put high expectations on Sick Week 2025 Presented By Gear Vendors Overdrive (January 27 - February 1).

The combination of excellent VP Racing track preparation and sea-level weather conditions will provide the ideal environment for quick times at the event voted as USA Today's Best Motorsports Race for 2024 and Drag Illustrated's Event of the Year in 2023.

Now, this is a story about how the life of Will Fair got flipped upside down by cars, motorcycles and multiple forms of racing, and his latest chapter with a Chevrolet Bel Air.

It’s an interesting tale with street racing, drag racing and dirt track racing, before getting this classic Chevrolet ready for his first drag-and-drive event at this year’s Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive.

Along with best friend and co-pilot Dean Leppo, they brought this ’56 to completion in one year. “This car was pretty much a Facebook Marketplace build, except for the transmission. So we will see how it all holds together; fingers crossed.”

As trends come and go, one thing that’s shown staying power is the drag racing world and the history behind it. As each year rolls by, the history of racing, as well as the cars that participated as part of it, become talking points at more benchracing sessions and staging lane gatherings. It’s just cool to see cars with history come back into focus once again, and for Darin Hendricks, he’s ready to write the next chapter of a storied history for this Ford Mustang Cobra.

Now, the fact this is a real deal 1993 Ford Mustang Cobra, one of 5100 originally built for the model year (including the rare Cobra R models). But despite its collectability, Darin was anything but gentle with it. “It has spent most of its life as a race car,” said Darin. But after almost two decades as a race ride, Darin is ready for the next chapter - drag-and-drive action with a supercharged combination under the hood, and a 5-speed manual transmission!

After a 2024 season with a record number of drag-and-drive events, the 2025 season is just a couple weeks away from rumbling to life. Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive is the first of thirty drag-and-drive events we currently know of for 2024, and there is no doubt more will be added as the year progresses.

With long-standing events like Hot Rod Drag Week back for the 20th anniversary, and Rocky Mountain Race Week celebrating its tenth year, several events returned for another year, including Redwood Rally, Miles of Mayhem, One Guy’s Garage Drag Weekend, and Southeast Street N’ Yeet.

We also saw some new events on the extensive list in 2024, as Drop the Hammer, Olympic Drag-and-Drive, and Big Sky Race Week were just a couple that pushed the number of drag-and-drive events scheduled in 2024 to 40 total. A couple did get canceled or postponed due to weather or poor registration numbers.

The drag-and-drive community can go beyond the racing scene, into developing friendships, supporting businesses, and getting the car community back to the idea of enjoying cars and truck and the memories they can make.

For Chuck Stefanski, Rick Trunkett, and Bob Hess Jr., they combined their enthusiasm and knowledge into Big 3 Racing, a shop in Ohio. Unfortunately, the shop suffered a devastating shop fire in July of 2024, but today Big 3 Racing announced they have brighter futures ahead, with a new building starting to take shape!

“We have not one, but two buildings being built trackside: One for mechanical work, fabrication and parts sales and the other to house our dynos.”

Even though some of the EV models that have come out in recent years have made for some quick times, there’s a clear divide from most enthusiasts about whether they like them or not.

But in the case in this Tesla, enthusiasts get the mix of the modern EV styling combined with horsepower fueled by E-85 instead of batteries. And for 2025, owner Greg Ward and builder Chris Doane are hoping to take it to the street and track.

After participating on the 2024 edition of Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive in Sick Ward, Greg and Chris are wanting to add the on-track element to things this time around. “We want to run as many events as possible, including Sick Week,” said Chris. “It is a great way to enjoy racing without having to chase that win. You can choose to be competitive or just enjoy the ride.”

Although some may recognize this 1972 Chevrolet Nova as a regular participant on Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, its performance still catches a lot of people off guard. The ‘plain brown wrapper’ appearance, complete with hub caps instead of flashy wheels, doesn’t give the appearance of 8-second potential. And for 2025, the Boosted By Rhino and Jimmy Rinehart-tuned Nova will kick the performance up another level in time for Sick Week 2025.

After three successful drag-and-drive events and pushing the single turbo set-up to its max, Jimmy and Drew discussed the next step for this year’s Sick Week. “The goal was to get that 8 second pass. I think we're about at the limit of the (single) turbo.”

For 2025, a new pair of turbochargers will feed the Texas Speed 5.3-liter short block, going through an air-to-water intercooler.

Although not as heavily produced as its Chevrolet counterpart the Camaro in the early years, the Pontiac Firebird had some intriguing options, including the 250 cubic inch 6 cylinder engine with a 4 barrel carburetor in 1967 through 1969. And although this Firebird didn’t come into Derrick Sanders life as a 6-cylinder version, he will enter his first drag-and-drive event with it carrying the same numbers of cylinders.

After building the Firebird into a clean cruiser over a couple decades, Derrick’s dad passed in 2016, leaving the Firebird to him. “I let the car sit basically the entire time since he passed, until this past summer. I told my wife I wanted to do something with the car so we could enjoy it as a family, and not just let it sit in the corner of the shop.”

For a little over two years, Cooper Bogetti has been bringing a wide variety of guests on his ‘Bogetti Studios’ YouTube channel podcast. Cooper’s blend of car and racing guests on his podcasts, combined with racing updates between his two YouTube channels, has garnered a solid base of subscribers.

Now, Cooper will jump back into the drag-and-drive game after taking a year off, and at this year’s Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, he’ll doing it with a ride that’s never seen drag-and-drive action before; a 2JZ-powered Camaro that recently saw seven-second passes during the Christmas Tree Drags!

“That means that in the next two-ish weeks, we’re going to have to get this here vehicle, that sees basically zero street miles, into streetable condition.” Can Cooper make the necessary changes to the Camaro, survive over 900 miles, and still clock solid times to be competitive in whatever class he chooses to participate in?

Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive is THIS MONTH, with Day Zero scheduled for Monday, January 27th, 2025! We’ve learned a lot since the first Sick Week in 2022, and for the 2025 edition, we adding some bonus features!

It’s no secret that some competitors will thrash up to the last minute, and with the chance for up to 400 rides to show up for the start of Sick Week, the tech and testing day can get busy! Thanks to our host track, South Georgia Motorsports Park and their staff, Sick Week will have two additional days of testing available before Day Zero! On Saturday, January 25th, and Sunday, January 26th, SGMP will open their gates for Sick Week competitors, crew and spectators to enjoy two full days of pre-event testing!

Plus we’ve got information on VIP Tech and a new BONUS feature for 2025!

One of the most unique rides to grace the drag-and-drive scene, and later, the small tire and no-prep game, Mikael Borggren and his Volvo station wagon had made their mark. Unfortunately, the storied Volvo was destroyed during a no-prep event in October 2024, leaving many to question how and if Mikael would make a comeback.

Just a week before the calendar turned to 2025, Borggren picked up his replacement ride, a third-generation Chevrolet Camaro in New York. “I’m going to start sorting it out both on a no-prep and a radial first. Then I might come for a guitar on a small tire.”

Although he got his start with cars that can cover street and strip duty, Cleetus McFarland made the decision in spring 2024 to have Cameron Johnson Race Cars in Lakeland, Florida construct a ’69 Chevrolet Camaro for 5-second blasts on the quarter-mile. Despite the car having minimum testing, Cleetus and crew debuted the car in competition at the World Cup Finals at Maryland International Raceway (MDIR) and clocked a best of 5.89 at 246 mph.

At the conclusion of the event, Cleetus revealed the car needed some changes and updates. In the process of trying to get the car finished in time to qualify to be eligible for the World Cup Finals, the CJRC crew thrashed on the Camaro, but they discovered some areas that needed help. After returning to Florida from Maryland, Cleetus sent the car to CJRC for those changes, as well as getting engine back to Pro Line Racing for a refresh and inspection.

And then a dyno session was discussed…

Although most go for the Coupe / Notch or hatchback model of the popular Fox Mustang, Devin Vanderhoof went for a rare Feature Edition convertible. And although some are happy with the triple white option exterior / interior / convertible top and low production numbers, Devin decided to forge a deeper connection.

This ’93 convertible kicked up plenty of attention in 2023, setting the small tire world on fire by lowering the Rowdy Radial average to a 4.64, with a best single pass of 4.595 at 167 mph on the tiny 26-inch-tall x 8.5-inch-wide radials accomplished by driver Jordan Tuck. That win would be the first of three on the year for Devin as a car owner, as Josh Davis added a Sick Summer victory and a Hot Rod Drag Week class win as well.

Now, after a 6-month period where the car got numerous updates and upgrades, Devin is ready to get testing and prepare for another solid season of drag-and-drive work.

After a solid year that started with a top five finish in the competitive 275 Street Race class at Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, Kevin Schweizer also participated in a couple events with the National Muscle Car Association and National Mustang Racers Association. Running the True Street class with his 1980 Mercury station wagon, Kevin picked up multiple victories, and for 2025, he’s ready to turn up the power.

Knowing the wagon has more potential on tap than the 8.50-second roll cage limit he used for most of the 2024 season, Kevin made the decision to upgrade the roll cage to 25.5-spec. This would make the wagon legal down to 7.50-second elapsed times, but Kevin wanted to retain room for four. “The rear seat isn’t that bad actually. My chassis guy even tacked welded the bar and tried it to make sure we had room.”

Although the drag-and-drive calendar can get a little thin on events in the fall, the popular Street-N-Yeet brings out a good contingent of competitors each November. At this year’s event, Nick Rinehart debuted a brand-new ride to the drag-and-drive world, a 1967 Chevrolet Nova, signaling his return to racing after sixteen years away from the sport.

For those that might recognize Nick’s name, it’s because one of his past racing exploits involved the National Muscle Car Association with a 1972 Nova in the early 2000s in heads-up competition. Now, he’s ready to drive into the drag-and-drive world.

“My goal from day one has always been to drag-and-drive this car, before it even had the popularity that it has today. I did class racing, and wanted to have a new challenge, and I think I’m up for it.”

As 2024 draws to a close, the count for new tracks and re-opened tracks, versus tracks that have been closed or shuttered, seems to have the scales tipped to the positive side. And although Florida got news not too long ago that a track will close in the spring of 2025, the new drag strip at Lead Foot City held a grand opening this past weekend.

As we originally reported in February 2024, Lead Foot City made the decision to expand their footprint in Brooksville, Florida to add to their existing compound and schedule that included drifting and several car themed events. Originally rumored to be considering asphalt and more of a no-prep / flag start track, things got ramped up quite a bit when the concrete trucks showed up instead!

Christmas traditions might include egg nog, listening to your favorite songs around a fire, and exchanging presents with family and friends. But instead of trimming the tree with ornaments, 32 racers trimmed their tree to fit on cars and trucks at the fifth annual Christmas Tree Drag Racing World Championship at Bradenton Motorsports Park.

The brainchild of Cleetus McFarland and good friend Victor Alvarez, owner of Bradenton Motorsports Park, the annual event draws some solid racing action, as well as thousands of spectators. The premise to be one of the accepted 32 competitors is simple: a traditional Christmas Tree is required on each vehicle, minimum six-foot tall, and can be real or fake. The tree must be attached to each vehicle, it must be lit, and it must remain attached the entire length of the run, or the competitor risks disqualification.