Edelbrock Sick 66 Spaces Out at Alien City Dragway for An Out of This World Finish – Jason Rousseau Claims His Second Sick Drag-and-Drive Victory
There are some drag-and-drive events that test cars and drivers a little bit more than others. The limited traction runs, the big weather swings, and sometimes needing a handful of runs in one day to get that number you need.
Whether you are battling for a class title, the overall title, or just bragging rights with a friend, a drag-and-drive pushes people and their machines to their limits.
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When Sick the Magazine conducted their first one off drag-and-drive at last year’s Death Week, comments such as “the cars will get impounded on the West Coast, no one will survive 2000 miles,” and even “the times won’t be impressive” were made.
Jason Rousseau made the coast-to-coast trip from New York out west with his 1980 Chevrolet Malibu, and prevailed with a 5.495 average to win the coveted Sick orange helmet, as the lone winner of Death Week.
About one year later, nearly 180 cars showed up on October 10th, 2024, to battle for the chance to win our second “one off” event, Edelbrock Sick 66, which would largely follow Route 66 from Missouri to New Mexico.
Stopping at six different drag strips and over 30 checkpoints, competitors as well as participants in the Summit Racing Equipment Sick Ward presented by PEAK Performance would travel a little over 1300 miles on the popular highway that first saw use in 1926.
Rousseau saved his work time off, and his pennies, for a chance to earn a second Sick orange helmet. But he’d have plenty of solid competition, including nearby neighbor and fellow turbo runner Rick Steinke, as well as the nitrous-fed Camaro of Lamar Swindoll Jr.
After eight days, six race tracks, nearly 35 hours of track time, and even fixing his locked-up steering on the sides of a mountain during our second drive day, Rousseau staked his claim to the throne a second time.
Despite clocking his slowest time of the event at 5.63, it was enough to calculate a 5.46 average for Rousseau, giving him the number one spot and the chance to park his Malibu inside a storied track hanger as the champion of Sick 66.
“I don’t know what to say,” Rousseau said, as he accepted his prize for not only overall champion, but also the ‘Quickest on Radials’ category. “My car is a piece of shit, and shame on all of you for not beating it.”
Taking the second-place spot, as well as the ‘Quickest Small Block’ category win, was Rick Steinke. Rick made the trip with wife Jacki and son Troy, and came away with a 5.60 average over six days in the popular ‘67 Chevelle crew cab known as ‘Honk if Parts Fall Off.’
Third place went to Lamar Swindoll Jr, who competed on both Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, and Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks events this year.
The highest-placing nitrous car, Swindoll ultimately came away with the quickest run of the event, a 5.32, on day two at Mo-Kan Dragway and earned the ‘Quickest Nitrous’ category title.
Josh Reich and Dustyn Caudle put a pair of LS-turbocharged pick-ups in the top five, with Reich’s Chevrolet Colorado earning the fourth spot with a 5.72 average.
Dustyn Caudle, who also finished in the top five with his Isuzu Faster pick-up at Death week, clocked a 5.77 average for fifth.
The pick-ups were followed by Alexis Zarate, who participated and completed her first drag-and-drive in her 1969 Camaro, in sixth. Despite engine and transmission issues, Zarate carded a 5.98 average, the final car to average in the five-second range.
The ‘Canadian Chuck Norris’ Rich Guido, put his Pontiac GTO in the seventh spot, and earned the ‘Quickest Stick Shift’ title as well.
Death Week alums Ryan Hill and Rajveer Ahuja, put together averages of 6.11 and 6.32, to place eighth and ninth respectively, and Greg Overman locked up the tenth spot with his 2018 ZL1 Camaro.
Just as coveted as the overall winner, the ‘Top Tourist’ orange helmet went to Damacio Montoya, who piloted a ‘55 Chevrolet on Sick 66.
The ‘Sickest of the Sick’ award, which normally highlights a person for their contribution to the drag-and-drive community during the event, instead went to a family.
The Brody family, who joined us for their first Sick event at Death Week in 2023, celebrated three generations racing at Sick 66. Patriarch Ken, who made his first drag strip runs in 60 years, joined son Brad and grandson Alex, along with multiple family members to complete .
Full coverage of the event, including selected participant highlights and a large photo outlay, will be in our winter issue of Sick the Magazine. CLICK HERE to subscribe!
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com