Drag Racing As Mindfulness - Case Hardy’s 1961 Falcon
The modern world is a demanding place on the mind. Chronic stress is an epidemic, distractions abound and it seems like even claiming just a few minutes for ourselves can be next to impossible. But have you considered drag-and-drive as an exercise in mindfulness, a soul-boosting break from real life?
Case Hardy (above) had goals in mind for his 1961 Ford Falcon, just not the regular kind of elapsed time or speed or horsepower targets others set. “It might sound funny but the goal was to be able to walk away from work and not think about it for a week!” he said. “(With drag-and-drive) you are so involved from track time to drive time that you can’t worry about stuff back home, so you’re just locked into the adventure at hand.”
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This article originally appeared in Sick The Magazine’s Winter 2025 issue.
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The Falcon entered Case’s life as a $600 shell. What was originally going to be a cruise night build was made more race-focused when he heard about Edelbrock Sick 66 a year ago.
“I found the shell on Facebook Marketplace and we mated that to an old drag chassis that was heavily modified by Total Chassis Fabrication for just the right stance. Mother Nature did good work with the patina.”
The strut front end and ladder bar/coil over rear end with a Ford nine-inch are pretty old school door car stuff, perfect for hooking on just about any surface. Keeping Ford-pure, Case went for a 408ci Windsor with AFR heads and a custom-ground cam, naturally aspirated via a Mark Sullens-built carburetor and drinking E85. He bangs gears through a Tremec TKX five-speed, which helps keep highway engine speed to 2500rpm at 75mph.
The tight timeline meant there was precious little space for testing, with only one visit to a race track and about 200 miles of highway before Sick 66 began.
“We had a busted driveshaft and busted suspension and we were left wondering if Sick 66 was gonna happen, but with many long days and nights and everybody jamming on the car we made it.”
The Falcon clocked a best of 6.831 during the event, finishing 27th overall with an average of 7.153. Given the hectic lead-in and the lack of testing, Case had a great run of reliability during Edelbrock Sick 66, with just a few loose bolts and blown out valve cover gaskets (though he did break a rocker arm driving back from Roswell). Consuming E85 at five miles per gallon did present some headaches, but Case prepared as best he could, carrying eight 5.5 gallon jugs around with him. “Some of the locals joked we should have had a hazmat license,” he laughed.
Case could easily have swayed into a different automotive culture space before he discovered drag-and-drive. Now he is one of the many hundreds and perhaps even thousands of car guys who have embraced the adventure and camaraderie our sport offers.
“I’ve always wanted to head west on 66, but not just in any car. It had to be something special. When we heard of this event we knew the time was now. The fellowship was amazing. You get the best of both worlds, drag racing and cruising. You’re not stuck at the track all day long and you’re not stuck at a car show in a lawn chair all day long either. You get to meet people from all over the world with a like interest and everyone was willing to lend a hand. I have been burnt out on work and the car scene for a while now, but this drag-and-drive event has given me a jolt like nothing else.”
