Breakage On Final Day Nearly Stops Mike Chenoweth From Completing His Latest Drag-and-Drive, Sick Summer 2024
He’s been through a lot, including hitting a deer in the shutdown area of a track during one of the Midwest Drags drag-and-drive events.
But Mike Chenoweth continues to attend drag-and-drive events with his unique 1970 Plymouth Road Runner, and nearly completed his most recent one without incident.
Route 66 + drag-and-drive = the ultimate event of 2024! Don’t miss the Edelbrock Sick 66, October 10th-18th, 2024. It’s Route 66, plus 6 different race tracks and nearly 3 dozen checkpoints. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this epic event - CLICK HERE for more information.
“I’ve owned this car since 1982 when I was 14 years old,” said Mike. “It’s been to numerous drag-and-drive events.” Despite the rarity of less than 42,000 Road Runner models produced, combined with the high-impact Limelight Green color, Mike continues to enjoy the car and pushes it into the single-digit range.
“Our goals were an 8-second average, and an 8-second pass every day,” said Mike. To get those numbers, Mike started with a 540 cubic inch HEMI based on an aluminum World Products block. Filled with a Crower forged crankshaft, Oliver connecting rods and Diamond pistons, the short block is topped with Edelbrock Victor cylinder heads, and an EFI intake controlled by a Holley Dominator system. A pair of Precision Turbo & Engine 76-millimeter turbochargers add the boost.
Despite the lure to go quicker and faster, Mike made sure to keep his ‘street side’ of his Road Runner intact, as this 8-second hot rod sports air conditioning, power windows, and a Gear Vendors Overdrive to make cruising easy. “This allowed us to really enjoy the drive, and focus on the social aspects of each stop meeting new people and seeing old friends,” Mike said. “It’s a fun street car first and a race car second.”
After finishing with a 10.85 average at the 2023 edition of Sick Summer Presented by TBM Brakes, Mike showed he was ready for the next level of performance on day one, clocking his quickest and fastest pass of the week with an 8.64 at 158 mph at Byron Dragway.
Cordova Dragway found the Road Runner returning an 8.82 at 146 mph for day two, and Tri-State Raceway found Chenoweth turning in a 9.11 at 155 mph. Day four at Great Lakes Dragaway showed a 9.17 at 154 mph, giving Chenoweth an 8.938-second average through four days.
“I ran in the 8-second range for three of the days, despite having just converted it to pump E-85 fuel prior to the event,” said Mike. "We struggled with the tune and the track at Tri-State, and I ran an 8-second pass at Great Lakes Dragaway, but got a late light penalty, pushing up my time.”
Heading back to Byron for the final day, Chenoweth was looking at a possible top five finish in the Sick Street Race class. “Our last day would present all of the challenges,” said Mike. It starting with a missing shock bolt on the way to the track, followed by a failed starter solenoid at the track. “Once we got it fired up, challenge three reared its head with the engine not spooling.”
Mike got the car to the starting line, but his reward would be second gear giving up the fight in the transmission. With not many options left on the table, Mike took a 20-second time slip for the day, which knocked his average back to an 11.15, but allowed him to complete his second-straight Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks event.
“Our biggest challenge on the drive portion of the trip was locating E-85, but overall, the car performed flawlessly on the road,” Mike said. “Doing a monster burnout for Adam Dorey at one of the checkpoints was a highlight of the trip. We improved our track performance over last year, although it wasn’t reflected in the average due to Friday’s breakage. But we also enjoyed the success of a proven car on the road portion of this event.”
“This event is unlike any other drag-and-drive event, as it concentrates on the full racing community experience, rather than just testing the limits of the driver and car in a more isolated setting. I loved it.”
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine, Motion Raceworks and Mike Chenoweth.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com