Bruised or Battle Ready – Sick Week Day Two Testing Reveals Some Carnage on Top Rides, While Others Show They’re Ready for the Test of Sick Week
As Georgia starts to thaw out from the freezing temperatures and snow they experienced last week, the action also heated up in more ways than one during the second day of testing at South Georgia Motorsports Park (SGMP) for Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive.
Several rides made some hot licks on the track, while others overheated their parts where the carnage has us wondering who can be ready for Day One on Tuesday, January 28th.
THE SUPER BOWL of drag-and-drive events - Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive - starts in one day! It combines winter temps with great tracks (and traction), to deliver some amazing performances and an exciting experience! Four tracks, two states, over 800 miles, and five days of beautiful views and quick runs! For more details and how to purchase advance spectator tickets or a Sick Ward entry, CLICK HERE!
Steve Morris led all racers on the quarter-mile during Sunday’s testing, pushing the Boostmaster station wagon to a 6.48 at 215 mph. It came at the price though, as one of the valves decided to exit the chat, and Morris was pulling the heads Sunday night to figure out how bad the damage is.
The honors of the best eighth-mile pass of the day went to Brett LaSala, who laid down a 4.07 at 188 mph blast. But after his second lap, transmission damage was discovered, and an empty transmission tunnel was the result when the sun set on Sunday testing. LaSala has a replacement transmission sourced, and ‘Snot Rocket 3.0’ should be buttoned back up for Day One racing.
David Schroeder showed that nitrous is still a force to be reckoned with, as the C7 Corvette made four hits on the track with better than a 1.02 60 foot each time! The final run, initiated with a .997 60 foot, had the Corvette crossing the eighth-mile mark at 4.30 seconds at 164 mph.
After only making a single hit on Saturday, Tom McGilton’s 2013 ZL1 Camaro delivered a pair of mid 7-second performances on Sunday. The best of the two was a 7.47 at 201 mph with a little tire shake, and McGilton looks ready for battle in the Pro Street class.
Devin Vanderhoof’s Mustang convertible went through a complete revamp the second half of 2024, getting a new rear suspension, as well as dropping about 200 pounds off the weight. On the lone pass Saturday, driver Josh Davis found more neutrals than one, as the transmission grenaded the gear set. Devin was able to locate a back-up transmission, and his wife Laura made the trip from North Carolina to deliver it in time for a mild 4.39 at 159 mph check out run before testing ended.
‘King Willy’ Lujan leads a group of five rides into Sick Week from the Miami area, home of Lujan Motorsports. William, daughter Gaby, and good friend Alex Corella all have scored class victories at Sick Week, but William appears to be dialed the best for Street Race 275 with an 8.54 and an 8.498 pass on the 8.50 standard. Can he claim a third Sick orange helmet in four years?
Doug Cook didn’t even have to make a full pass, to realize his shot at the Super Street title is a good one. As we highlighted recently, Cook is one of four competitors in Sick Week aiming to be the first to the 6-second range in Super Street, and Doug helped his cause with a 4.52 at 168 mph pass, a new personal best for him.
The leaf spring ride delivered a 1.21 60 foot, and Cook may even line up a grudge race with fellow class competitors Nick and David Diehl to start Day One festivities.
Jeff Lutz rolled his record-holding ’69 Camaro known as ‘Mad Max’ out for some Sunday testing. Although he didn’t make a full pass to the eighth-mile, the numbers were decent with a 4.24 at 146 mph early shut off run highlighting a 1.01 60 foot for the turbocharged ride.
Defending Unlimited Iron class champ Bryant Goldstone rolled his ’73 AMC Javelin out for testing on both days, and after a couple early shut-off passes on Saturday, Goldstone turned up the heat on Sunday. A 4.30 at 172 mph eighth-mile pass resulted in a 6.73 at 178 mph run, down nearly 45 mph from Goldstone’s speed numbers in 2024. Can he break his record from last year and defend his crown?
Glenn Hunter’s beautiful ’56 Chevrolet Bel Air has been around the drag-and-drive game for a while, and although he’s never clocked a 6-second run in competition, he was knocking on the door in testing with a 7.08 at 198 mph!
After capturing a Sick Summer Stick Shift class win in 2024, Bob Gruber tasked Nick Larson at Streetcar Shenanigans Performance with getting the Mustang ready for Sick Week 2025.
Their only run in testing was an 8.63 at 158 mph, and upon returning to the pits, Larson and Gruber discovered a problem. The crank support flexed, allowing parts to lock up. But after a Home Depot run for a solution, their ready for some low 8-second blasts.
Allen Thompson is getting the hang of the small tire drag-and-drive game. After a solid stint in no prep, Thompson prepped the ‘Butterface’ Malibu for drag-and-drive action in 2025. With a pair of 26-inch-tall x 8.5-inch-wide tires on the back, the Malibu delivered a best of 5.07 at 148 mph. READ MORE ABOUT THOMPSON’S SWITCH FROM NO-PREP HERE!
We’re on Day Zero of Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, and it’s not too late to get in on the action! See drag-and-drive personalities including Jeff Lutz, PFI Speed, Steve Morris, Alex Taylor, Doug Cook, Brett LaSala, BoostedBoiz, Kevin Smith of KSR, and over 300 more drag-and-drive competitors looking to enjoy a week in Florida. Also, we’ll have a large group of people in the Sick Ward portion of Sick Week, literally a rolling car show! For more details, a schedule and our routes each day, visit https://www.sickthemagazine.com/sick-week
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com