After six days, traveling over 900 street miles, and racing at five different drag strips, the Edelbrock Sick Smokies drag and drive event returned to Rocket City for one final day of racing, and to crown champions in a multitude of categories, as well as award five Sick The Mag helmets.

After Mother Nature delayed the start of the final day with overnight showers, followed up with a late morning spritz, we finally witnessed cars hit the Rocket City Dragway surface a little after 1:30 p.m. for an afternoon of racing, capped off by the awards ceremony and a Mexican dinner.

With five days of racing and driving in the books for Edelbrock Sick Smokies, most drag and drive events would be wrapped up and complete.

But for Sick Smokies, the schedule calls for two more days of fun, drag strip action and street miles cruising. So, Saturday, October 18th found us dipping a toe into Georgia territory, and racing at Brainerd Motorsports Park.

After four straight days of racing and driving in Tennessee and Alabama, competitors and Sick Ward enthusiasts would be treated to some amazing falls vibes and great roads, as Friday, October 17th would be a drive day for Edelbrock Sick Smokies.

Some drivers would choose the famous ‘Tail of the Dragon’ as part of their travels, but Sick The Mag editor Luke Nieuwhof offered up a couple alternatives to give Sick Smokies participants a way to get from Cosby, Tennessee to the northern area of Georgia and the city of Ringgold.

Rolling into Knoxville Dragway for Day Four of Edelbrock Sick Smokies meant the mid-point of the event had been reached, with three days in the books and our fourth track of the week ready for action.

The Thursday racing didn’t disappoint, as some category battles heat up. And although a few competitors are once again burning the midnight oil to repair their rides for a Friday drive day, a few others found that the end of the road for their adventure came earlier than expected.

With over 300 miles on the odometer after the first two days of driving, Edelbrock Sick Smokies started Day Three at Fitzgerald Motorsports Park. The revamped track alongside I-40 highway had just changed owners for 2025, with Blake Fitzgerald at the helm for his first full year of operation in 2025.  

With a new game plan and renewed sense of energy, Blake and team welcomed the Edelbrock Sick Smokies competitors, Sick Ward and Sick Spit Show & Shine to Crossville, Tennessee, and a steady stream of spectators made the trip to check out the action.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all in racing, a situation occurs that leaves everyone in attendance talking, and in some cases, scratching their heads on how to move forward.

That very thing happened on Day Two of Edelbrock Sick Smokies, where a huge wheelstand would lead to a pause in the action that could’ve been permanent. But instead, an alternative was initiated, and the day ended with positive success in Tennessee.

The concept of a drag and drive is an easy one – to survive the tracks AND the street drives, in order to successfully complete the event. But the competition side has been heating up over the last few years as well, as more new cars are being built to quicken the pace in certain classes and/or events.

The Edelbrock Sick Smokies marks the first time a drag and drive event has made a serious push for a large contingent of Gassers, and that call to action was answered by more than 40 entries. Combined with nearly 200 additional entries teched outside the Gassers, Edelbrock Sick Smokies marks the largest ‘one off’ Sick The Magazine drag and drive event in our three-year history.

A sunny and warm day at Rocket City Dragway provided the basis for Day Zero of Edelbrock Sick Smokies, as over 200 cars and trucks were teched in and given some testing time on the drag strip.

A diverse field of entries from across the US and Canada came together in the staging lanes, and we got to witness some stellar runs, and some familiar faces dropped some solid elapsed times during the test and tune on Day Zero.

Nearly a decade after acquiring a name that some might have questioned, Matt Donovan has rolled into the double-digit number of drag and drive events he’s attended with a 1938 Chevrolet coupe.

Granted, the original ‘Garbage That Barfed’ 1941 Pontiac was upgraded to the current ’38 Chevrolet, but the spirit remains. And in addition to completing the unique Edelbrock Sick Smokies event, Donovan hopes to check off some personal goals.

If ever there was a grudge race had the perfect narrative elements, this was it. There was a hero — Garrett Mitchell with his huge social media following — and there was a villain. Joel Grannas probably didn’t intend to fill that role before FL2K, but when he missed a lane call and went on Facebook to vent, the internet was not kind.

Working in the performance industry has its perks, and one of those is getting lots of ideas for either a current or new project. In the case of Tim Irwin, who has over fifty years in the racing world, he needs to looks no further than the racing community and his current employer, Moser Engineering.

Irwin has owned and built some cool rides, including Gassers. “I’ve been a chassis builder for most of my working life, and know what it takes to build a competitive car,” Irwin said. That has played into his interest, as well as a car, for the quickly-approaching Edelbrock Sick Smokies event.

Some of us get a first or second car that resonates with us, sometimes enough to retain ownership, or the desire to have a similar model for the long haul.

But there are other enthusiasts that have to ‘pay their dues’ and bust their tail to get that car and/or the performance they have been picturing in their life. That was the case with Dean Trowbridge, who will join us for Edelbrock Sick Smokies and his first drag and drive with this Willys Gasser.

Some classic rides enjoy a lengthy ownership under the individual that originally purchased them, and in the case of this ’63 Ford Galaxie 500, it was also raced not long as after leaving the dealership.

After more than five decades of ownership, The Galaxie changed hands in 2018 to a new owner, Bobby Frizzell. He has continued to exercise the car on the track, and will add in the street element in a couple weeks when he embarks on Edelbrock Sick Smokies.

Almost every car has a story to tell, whether it has a long family history, or a special day such as being driven to a wedding.

For Jeremy Bonnett, racing and the love of automobiles and motorcycles has spilled into not only time spent with his family, but also in building cars at their home shop. They created a couple that have seen time in the drag and drive community.

The latest one, this ’33 Willys named ‘Last Penny’ was finished in 2024, and Jeremy will join 70-plus Gassers to go for a second drag and drive event win at next month’s Edelbrock Sick Smokies!

With time spent in the automotive performance industry, as well as a good amount of time spent drag racing, it’s fair to say that Greg Overman is an enthusiast.

But when one of his friends participated in a Sick The Mag drag and drive event, it would set in motion a small group of friends attending the Edelbrock Sick 66 event in 2024.

That same group of friends will embark on another drag and drive adventure together, as set their sights on the Edelbrock Sick Smokies event, October 12-19th, 2025 .

Sick The Magazine’s first “one off” event in 2023, Death Week, put the competitors through three states, four different race tracks, and over 2,000 miles street miles. One of those competitors was Daniel Roberts with his stick shift 1996 Ford Mustang, and his adventure would lead to a yearly adventure for Roberts, Overman and a few others.

From the first event in 2022, Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive has gained a reputation of a drag and drive event not to be missed. Four world-class race tracks, great track prep, optimal weather, and scenic drives combine to create a platform where competitors consistently deliver record-setting performances.

As such, it also came with high demand for competitor spots, which sell out each year in a matter of minutes. The 2026 edition of Sick Week is no different, with just minutes ticked off the clock before the ‘Sold Out’ tag appeared.

But if you didn’t grab one of those coveted spots, Sick The Magazine will host multiple event opportunities in 2026, giving you the chance to experience a new adventure. Plus, we will offer more chances than ever in 2026 to get a competitor spot into Sick Week for 2027.

Gassers can be a window into how drag racing was for thousands of enthusiasts, both spectators and racers. The Gasser look, as well as the wheels up performances has become popular once again.

This unique Henry J is not the first one that Troy Lightner has owned, but represents his dive back into racing after taking a few years away from the sport.

Lightner made his first trip to a drag strip with his brother when he was fourteen years old, and the racing bug bit down hard. “I have been involved in drag racing since 1964,” said Rightner. That level of commitment usually means building a car, and Rightner was no exception.

We first saw Jack Weatherford and his classic Gasser Chevrolet at the opening event of the 2025 drag and drive season – Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive.

His second appearance at a Sick The Mag event in 2025 will be Edelbrock Sick Smokies, where Weatherford looks to not only improve his performance and compete with 70-plus Gasser rides, but possibly bring along a couple people that played a role in the iconic movie ‘Two Lane Blacktop.’

With Hot Rod Drag Week complete, we can now put together a list of the quickest drag and drive averages from 2025.