Beefing Up This 8-Second Barramont for a Shot at the Sick Week Freaks Class Title at Sick Summer
As the drag-and-drive community continues to expand with more events in more places (and countries), it brings out some interesting and unique combinations. Some of those rides end up in the Sick Week Freaks class, and Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks brings a handful of them to the street and track.
Rob Courtney won the class in 2023, but close behind was the Barra-powered ’79 Fairmont of Fonzie Novelo, and he wants that top spot in 2024.
Win the ultimate burnout ride - Click HERE for more information and your chance to win Sick the Magazine’s Ute!
Purchase a new Sick Ute shirt HERE and get 25X more entries!
Sick Week Freaks, which brings the diesel, rotary engine, electric and any engine under eight cylinders under one umbrella, might not be the class you’d expect to see Fonzie’s 4-door Ford. But once you hear the exhaust note from the Barra straight 6-cylinder Ford powerplant, it all makes sense.
The butternut-colored Fox Fairmont packs a solid sleeper vibe, only interrupted by the parachute and aftermarket rear wheels. And even then, you might not expect 8-second time slips from a 6-cylinder!
But Fonzie beefed up the Ford powerplant with good internals, added in a Forced Inductions 80-millimeter turbocharger, and backed it up with a Turbo 400 3-speed transmission, a Hughes custom converter and a Gear Vendors Overdrive to keep the rpms down on the road.
That combination brought him to his first drag-and-drive as a participant in 2023 at Sick Summer, after doing two years as a co-pilot at Midwest Drag. “My first drag-and-drive experience was in 2021, and I was instantly hooked,” said Fonzie.
That set the wheels in motion for a car of his own to participate, and he almost hit his goals last year. “My goals were to try and win both the fastest 6 cylinder and over all class winner,” Fonzie said. “We got close, but we needed more for 2024.”
To improve his chances for the top spot in 2024, Fonzie made some updates and changes to the car. Those include refreshing the transmission, an upgrade to the converter, a change to the rear gearing, and going to a new set of wheels (with skinnies up front and beadlocks in the back). Fonzie even shed a little weight with some new Kirkey seats with custom covers to match the interior, and added a new drag-and-drive trailer to the arsenal too.
Testing proved positive on the changes once the winter gave way to track time in Michigan in early April. “I had my best 60 foot off the trailer, with the wheels up,” said Fonzie. “And then ended the day with an 8.63 at 155 mph. I’m super excited to battle it out this year in the Sick Week Freaks class again.”
Sick Summer could be just the start of the fun for Fonzie, as he’s hoping to get off the waitlist for a first appearance at Hot Rod Drag Week, and also plans to possibly hit up the National Mustang Racers Association (NMRA) events at US 131 Motorsports Park and Beech Bend Raceway.
“The atmosphere at a drag-and-drive is completely different,” said Fonzie, who plans to make Sick Summer with his father-in-law, Andy LaBo in the co-pilot seat. “The fans are amazing; seeing people lined up on the streets and check points in the small towns, the friends you make which become family. The most fun you could have racing.”
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine, Motion Raceworks and Fonzie Novelo.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com