Back on Track – Day Five Combines Mountains and Massive Trees, Curves and Wheelies as Death Week Hits our Third Track: Famoso Drag Strip
Following a spectacular two days of driving along the California coastline, as well as cool checkpoints, day five of Death Week would start with a choice: visit the Sequoia National Forest, just peek into the surrounding park area, or head straight to Famoso Drag Strip?
One of the seven natural wonders of the world, the Sequoia National Forest is truly a breathtaking experience.
The majority of the participants did the full tour, and the shots captured by our Sick Week staff reflect the size of the trees in this amazing part of California.
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The roads to the Sequoia Forest run to nearly 7000 feet of altitude, and because what goes up must come down, the descent combined with some curvy roads that tested all the suspension parts, as well as the brake fluid boiling points, of our competitors.
The afternoon greeted not only Death Week participants, but spectators and fans alike, as the tour rolled into Famoso Drag Strip.
Located in Bakersfield, California, Famoso held its first event in December of 1952, and maintains a reputation amongst the race tracks in Southern California as one of the ‘widest and cleanest’ drag strips.
The quarter-mile surface would immediately show that ample traction was available. Combined with the best air conditions we’ve seen to this point, seven of the top ten incoming drivers produced their best passes of the weekend.
A surprise driver that landed on the ‘Did Not Finish’ list was Tom Bailey, who discovered an oil pan full of water on Tuesday night, leading to a decision to trailer the Durango to Las Vegas for an engine swap in hopes of re-joining the tour on Friday.
Bailey’s departure from the top spot meant Jason Rousseau was next in line, and the turbocharged LS-swap Malibu delivered the goods on his third run of the evening with a 5.38 at 130 mph, calculating a 5.49 average to re-gain the top spot.
Chris Hein stick-shifted his way to number two, wheeling the Factory Five coupe to a 5.45 at 134 mph time slip and a 5.60 average.
After opening with a 6.34 best run at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, Don McKinley continues to impress with his elapsed times and big wheelies.
One particular wheelstand nearly put the ’67 Camaro vertical, but thankfully McKinley brought it down safely. A 5.67 at 121 mph, clocked earlier in the day, moved his average to 5.93 for the third spot.
Fourth brought Dustin Caudle up a spot in the standings, and a 5.96 pass in Bakersfield meant a 5.97 average.
Rounding out the top five would be Jeffrey Moll, who piloted his wicked ’67 Nova to a 6.05 at 115 mph to lower his average to a 6.09 for the week.
Richard Guido celebrated his dad’s 81st birthday by giving him a 5.99 at 125 mph blast to land sixth with a 6.30 average, while Carl Bright’s 6.31 pass moved his average to 6.33 for seventh.
David Christianson’s Camaro slid into eighth with a 6.37 average, Joey Marshall’s Mustang delivered a 6.30 pass to move to ninth with a 6.38 average, and Rajveer Ahuja capped the top ten with a second-straight 6.40 pass to average 6.40 in his Oldsmobile.
Now, it’s all about Vegas, as Death Week works its way northeast to the city that never sleeps for a Friday of fun at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Want to follow the route? Check out the big map for the entire 2,000-mile trip, including the route and checkpoints we’ll employ HERE!
You can also view individual stage maps on the Death Week main info page HERE!
Written by Derek Putnam.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com