A Tale of Two Camaros – Trying to Complete Two Sick Weeks With Two Different Cars
There are multiple ways to get your feet wet with drag-and-drive events. Some choose to watch several that are live streamed, or the dozens of videos released every year that document the track and street trials.
Some will take the hands-on approach, but doing something like Sick Ward to experience and drag-and-drive without the added work / stress of the racing. And then some jump right into competition.
David Waksman decided to embark on his first drag-and-drive by jumping in with both feet and joined Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive in 2022 to compete with a 1984 Chevrolet Camaro. Packing a stroker 383 cubic inch small block engine, the third-gen Camaro ran in the Dial-Your-Own (DYO) class, staying within 7 hundredths of his initial pass of 12.30. He completed the week without issue, but had a plan in mind to step up for the 2023 edition of Sick Week.
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When David made the trek from Georgia to Florida one year later, he had decided to bring a single digit capable 1994 Camaro. Sticking with the small block architecture on his new entry, the fourth-gen Camaro sports 434 cubic inches and has a 400 horsepower-jetted nitrous system to get David to the single digits. Behind the potent engine sits a Turbo 400 3-speed automatic, and a 9-inch rear end sends the power to Weld Racing wheels and Hoosier tires.
When asked about his goals for the 2023 Sick Week, David responded “Run an 8-second pass at every track.” On the first day at Orlando ‘Sick’ World Dragway, that goal was met in 8.99 seconds at 149.50 mph. But unfortunately, it came with a price tag, and the Camaro’s note went sour. Back in the pit area, David tore into the engine and found the damage. “We melted a piston and messed up the cylinder head,” said David. And instead of risking further damage, he decided to load up and head north to Georgia.
Although the 1994 Camaro didn’t survive as long on Sick Week as the 1984 model did a year earlier, David was in good spirits. “I’ve been at the drag strip almost every weekend for the past 10 years,” David said. “Covid put a damper on racing for me from tracks around me closing to not as many events running each weekend for the last 3 years. But I’m determined to get back to it again!” Can the ‘94 Camaro return to complete the 8-second gameplan in 2024?
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine and David Waksman.