EVENT WRAP: Goldstone, Davis - Vanderhoof, and Ensor Highlight Class Winners at Inaugural Sick Summer Presented by TBM Brakes

With four days of corn fields, two-lane roads and trailer burnouts in the rear-view mirror, Sick Summer Presented by TBM Brakes returned to Cordova Dragway in Illinois for Day 5 action, and to crown class winners, as well as the overall quickest top three averages.

The Quickest 3 Averages from Sick Summer - Bryant Goldstone (center - quickest), Devin Vanderhoof (left - 2nd quickest), Ed Ensor (right - third quickest).

Coming into day four, Bryant Goldstone held the overall quickest average in his 1973 AMC Javelin at 6.95, the only competitor with a 6-second average.

With Goldstone’s group first to the staging lanes, he took advantage of the cooler air and track conditions, posting a 6.67 at 218.41 mph, Goldstone’s quickest and fastest pass of the week.

But it didn’t come without drama, as the Javelin’s front clip broke off at the finish line and flew into the air above the scoreboard!

The damage to the front clip precluded him from making another pass, but Goldstone did secure not only the Unlimited Iron category, but the quickest average with a 6.88 tally, earning him the orange Sick helmet and one of three coveted guitars from Rick Johnson at Gear Vendors Overdrive.

Pat Myker would put up a personal best 7.28 at 190 mph later in the day to secure the number two spot in Unlimited Iron with his ’67 Chevrolet Chevelle, and Jerry Kneisel claimed third with a 9.59 average in his 1962 Chevrolet Nova.

Josh Davis and Devin Vanderhoof came into the final day with a healthy lead in the Unlimited class, and the 275 radial-equipped Mustang closed the week with a one-and-done 6.745 at 218.55 mph, their best pass of the week, for a 7.17 average.

That earned the duo the class win, and the second-quickest average of the week guitar from Gear Vendors Overdrive. This marked the second win of the year for Vanderhoof’s Mustang, as driver Jordan Tuck scored the Rowdy Radial class win at Sick Week.

Timothy Blythe posted his second 8-teen pass of the week to result in an 8.37 average for second place in his Triumph Spitfire, and Tom McGilton rounded out the top three with a 9.79 average in his 1934 Ford Coupe.

The third-quickest average didn’t come from the Modified, Pro Street or even Super Street classes. It happened in Naturally Aspirated, as “Fast Eddie” Ensor ran four times below the previous N/A record in a 1985 Ford Mustang.

His best of 7.46 at 184 mph happened on day 3, and Ensor rounded out the week with a 7.47 at 185 mph for a 7.53 average, earning Ensor new records for both quickest single pass and quickest overall average in the Naturally Aspirated class.

This earned him the Sick helmet, the final Gear Vendors Overdrive guitar for the third-quickest average overall, and to round things out, the win in N/A Modified Big Block.

The second-quickest average in Naturally Aspirated was Terry Miller in a 1982 Pontiac Firebird, who rode a trio of 8.6-second times to compile an 8.66 average for the second spot.

Chris Roscoe put his 1985 Chevrolet Camaro in the third spot courtesy of an 8.95 average, and also picked up the win in N/A Street Race Big Block.

Other Naturally Aspirated winners include Joshua Norris in N/A Modified Small Block with a 9.74 average in his 1967 Chevrolet Nova, Todd Kleemann compiled a 10.27 average for the win in N/A Street Race Small Block, and Michael Pryka rounded out the Naturally Aspirated winners, capturing the N/A Super Street Small Block title with a 9.74 average.

The Modified class had already seen three different leaders heading into the final day, with Michael Manual at the helm after four days of track and street action thanks to a 7.79 average. Manual posted a 7.88 at 176 mph on day 5, calculating a 7.817 average.

Former drag-and-drive winner Clark Rosenstengel produced his best pass of the week, a 7.55 at 203 mph, to edge out Manual with a 7.811 average by just six thousandths of-a-second, capturing the top spot in the class.

Manual’s average would be enough to secure second place, and Duane Ruhl would round out the top three with his Ford Mustang at 7.876 average.

In the Pro Street class, Australian John Faraone led from the first burnout he did on Monday. The 1972 Charger did struggle a little on day four in Iowa, but otherwise remained in the 7-second zone throughout the week, wrapping up the title with a best=of-the-week 7.62 at 186 mph on Friday to result in a 7.94 average and the class victory.

Evan Uerkwitz placed second with his twin-turbocharged Malibu thanks to an 8.42 average, aided by a best pass of 8.24 at 165 mph on Friday.

Mike Mackey put his 1982 Oldsmobile through the quarter-mile at 8.66 on Friday, moving his average to an 8.80 average that was good enough for third.

The Super Street class had several cars that would challenge for the title, but in the end, it would be Corey Thompson’s Chevelle that would rise to the top.

Previously a three-time winner on Rocky Mountain Race Week, Thompson’s twin-turbocharged ’67 Chevelle post 7-second runs at three of the four stops, including a 7.65 at 185 mph on day five. That would result in a 7.87 average, and that earned Thompson not only the Super Street winner’s helmet, but also the Super Street Small Block trophy.

Greg Edward’s clean 2002 Camaro collected an 8.1-second time slip at every stop, averaging out at 8.15 and the second-place trophy. Scott Klepinger rounded out an all-Chevrolet top three with his ’86 Camaro in third and an 8.50 average.

The closest classes, Stick Shift and Sick Street Race, came into Friday with the top two cars in each class separated by less than one hundredth of-a-second.

Stick Shift had a healthy-sized field of entries, and it became a battle between Mustangs for the top three spots. Tyler Garlock took the lead from day one, but Bryan Crane swooped in on day three to take the lead. But the “FlatFox” 1991 Mustang of Jeremy Howell was close behind at the conclusion of day four, just eight thousandths behind Crane. The final day at Cordova Dragway put Jeremy Howell at the front, as his 7.70 at 192 mph final pass moved his average to an 8.46 for the class win.

Crane compiled an 8.73 average in his turbocharged 2003 Cobra for second, and Garlock put his 1998 Mustang in third with an 8.79 average. The quickest non-V8 Stick Shift average went to Damon Elff, posting a 9.15 average in his ’95 Toyota Supra.

The Sick Street Race class is one of two classes that features an 8.50 e.t. limitation, and as before, that limit was tested throughout the week.

Cameron Alley’s 1997 Mustang Cobra opened with an 8.51 for the class lead over Tim Flanders, and those two would battle it out for the lead the rest of the week. Alley kept the lead until day four, when Flanders delivered his second 8.50 of the week, this one a perfect 8.500 pass, to grab the lead by two thousandths of-a-second.

On the fifth and final day, Alley delivered an 8.55 first pass, but then hurt the engine on the second pass. This left the door open for Flanders, who answered with an 8.52 from his gray ‘86 Mustang for an 8.523 weekly average, to nudge out Alley’s 8.531, for the win and class orange helmet.

Keith Lancour’s 1969 Chevrolet Nova grabbed third with an 9.42 average.

Street Race 275 also features an 8.50-time limit, and Travis Larson was in control of this class from start-to finish. The 1990 Mustang laid down an 8.508 on day one, and never looked back in route to an 8.56 average for the win.

Jeremy Ortiz stayed close to Larsen in his first drag-and-drive appearance, and the LS-swapped Nissan clocked an 8.65 on the final day. But it came at a price, as the short block of the LS engine was destroyed, ending Ortiz’s week.

Dino Reboletti slid into the third spot with his 1979 Malibu with an 8.89 average for the week.    

Sick Week Freaks highlights the non-8-cylinder crowd, and the variety in the top three would highlight three different brands. At the top of the list, Rob Courtney would stick shift his all-wheel-drive 1995 Honda Civic to the winning average of 9.20. That improved on his Sick Week third-place spot from earlier this year, including a day five lap of 9.10 at 161 mph, earning Courtney the orange helmet, as well as the Quickest 4-Cylinder title.

“Fonzie” Alfonso Novelo grabbed second with his 6-cylinder Barra-powered ’79 Ford Fairmont, with a 9.39 average. The “Barramont” was also the quickest 6-cylinder average, earning Novelo the Quickest 6-Cylinder title.

David Barker rounded out the top three with a 2017 VW Golf R he calls “Plan B” thanks to a 11.35 average.

Gassers ruled the Gassers versus Hot Rods versus Beetles class, with Darwin Peterson at the top of the list with his ’55 Chevrolet clocking a 10.10 average, also good enough for the B/Gasser class win.

Kevin Koloen put his “Ill Tempered” 1962 Pontiac Tempest in second with a 10.86 average, and Marty Pixler completing the Gasser top three sweep with an 11.69 average from his ’55 Chevrolet, which also picked up the A/Gasser title.

Chuck Fryer snagged the Beetle class win, with a 12.08 average from his wheelstanding ’62 VW.    

After dropping out of Sick Week this year with issues on day two, Andy Cook came into Sick Summer looking to prove a point. His 2005 Pontiac GTO owned the eighth-mile Rowdy Radial class from the first day, using a pair of 5.23-time slips, a 5.24 lap on day four, and a final run of 5.30 for a 5.25 average and the class win.

CJ Durbin overcame troubles and an engine swap to get a 6.28 average in his twin-turbocharged S-10 for second, and EJ Naegeli scored a top three finish in her first drag-and-drive appearance, earning an 8.62 average in her 1957 Chevrolet wagon Gasser.

The Dial-Your-Own (DYO) and Pro DYO classes focus on consistency from day one, with the win going to the participant with the smallest variance between all four timeslips during the week.

The Pro DYO class, designed for vehicles running between 8.50 and 9.99-second elapsed times, found Sick the Magazine recent online feature Randy Fuller and his ’84 Chevrolet pick-up at the front of the pack, with a .019 of-a-second spread amongst his runs earning the coveted orange helmet.

The show-quality 1973 Camaro of Matt Frederick scooped up second with a .064 of-a-second spread on four 8-second time slips, and Keith Fenstad’s turbocharged ‘78 Ford Fairmont in third with .088 of-a-second amongst his time slips.

The DYO class for 10.00 second and slower time slips was a battlefield, with the number three spot only .021 of-a-second spread on four-time slips. That spot was secured by Jim Borden and his ’66 Ford Thunderbird.

Joe Hajny’s 1971 Chevrolet Nova locked in the second spot with a .019 of-a-second spread on his Nova’s time slips.

Second and first were separated by less than one thousandth of-a-second, and the top spot went to Daniel Balk, who also scored a .019 of-a-second spread on his week’s collection of time slips for the win.

The Sick Bullseye Challenge puts competitors to the test of trying to get their rides to run a new random number every day. The two-digit number is chosen at random each day, and the closest to the number without going under it wins the day.

Day one found David Paschall and his 1987 Regal laying down a 12.295 on a “25” bullseye to be .045-seconds above for the win.

Day three would be the first of a double win for Jon Mortensen with a blown 1930 Ford Model A, running dead on the “11” bullseye with a 10.116 for his first win.

Day four found Mortensen duplicating his earlier efforts, running a 10.561 on the “54” bullseye to be just .026 of-a-second aver the bullseye.

The final day had Nick Foss winning after the racing was complete, running a 14.727 against the “69” bullseye for a .037 of-a-second margin.

The “Quickest” awards highlight the Quickest averages among brands, as well as the “Quickest Without a Trailer” and are not any class specific.

Quickest Without a Trailer went to Dean Anderson with an 8.56 average in his 1979 Chevrolet Malibu.

Quickest AMC went to overall winner Bryant Goldstone and his ’73 Javelin thanks to his 6.88 average.

Quickest Chevrolet was Michael Manuel and his 1989 Camaro thanks to a 7.81 average.

Quickest Ford was captured by Jeremy Howell thanks to an 8.46 average from his 1991 Mustang.

Quickest Mopar went home with John Faraone and his ’72 Charger courtesy of his 7.89 average.

Quickest Pontiac was scooped up by Rich Bellmund and his supercharged ’69 Firebird producing a 9.59 average.

Quickest Buick would be David Paschall and his 1987 Regal with an 11.94 average.

Quickest Oldsmobile found Holly Lester at the top of the list, using a 9.81 average for the win in their 1993 Cutlass.

Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine.

If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com