For the Adventure – 16-Year-Old Carter Jackson to Compete in Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks in a 2003 Chevrolet S-10
I had never been a co pilot, so that was a lot of fun for me to do that with him for my first time. Carter was on his permit, so he knocked out his required hours quick that week. By the end of the week, he said to me "I want to enter and race it next year." I smiled and said "Let's do it!"
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This week’s “For the Adventure – Stories from the Road” comes from Kevin Jackson, a past drag-and-drive participant who took his son Carter on the first Sick Summer in 2023; now they’re prepping for Carter to do his first drag-and-drive as a competitor at this year’s Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks:
My 16-year-old son and I are about to embark on another Sick adventure here in a few weeks at Sick Summer.
To give a little background: I have grown up with my dad going to car shows in his 1933 Plymouth coupe, so hot rods have always been in my blood.
My name is Kevin Jackson and I drive the 1932 Ford 5 window hot rod coupe that I've competed and completed with at Hot Rod Drag Week three times starting in 2021.
I was "that guy" who used to sit and watch as a fan online, or show up to Gateway Motorsports Park (now called World Wide Technology Raceway) starting in 2011 when a buddy told me about Drag Week. I said ‘what's Drag Week?’ I was instantly hooked!
It took me about 6 years to build my ‘32 Ford with the help of my wife, son and friends, but I always kept Drag Week in mind with the build.
I wanted something that could run 70 mph down the road with a 5-speed, with AC/Heat, pull a small trailer and run 12's naturally aspirated in the Hot Rod class. I have now completed all my goals with that car, and we're ready for the next challenge.
Last year, my son Carter Jackson was 15 years old and on his drivers permit. I asked him if he would be interested in going to the inaugural Sick Summer event in his 2003 S-10 that we have been working on since he got it at age 14.
It was perfect timing because he would be on summer break from school. With his birthday/Christmas/Easter and whatever other money he earned, we installed a lowering kit, updated all the brakes, put new wheels and tires on, tinted the windows, installed a stereo system and other things here and there.
It was done in time, and we entered the truck in the Summit Racing Equipment Sick Ward Presented By PEAK Performance, and we had an absolute blast! I had never been a co pilot, so that was a lot of fun for me to do that with him for my first time. He was on his permit, so he knocked out his required hours quick that week.
By the end of the week he said to me ‘I want to enter and race it next year.’ I smiled and said ‘Let's do it!’ We luckily got registered this year, so he will be racing Sick Summer 2024 as a 16-year-old.
What a great memory this will be for him and I both. We won't be the fastest, but we're going to run the (Dial Your Own) DYO class, and try and hit that number all week long.
We're also in the process of building our next drag-and-drive car. The ‘32 Ford coupe is fun, but I want to go faster, be safer, and my son wants to drive as well. We found a 1981 Ford Fairmont 4 door locally; my buddy Chase Yoch (my Drag Week co pilot) went and looked at it, and when I brought the $600 shitbox home last year my wife saw it and said ‘That thing is atrocious.’
I laughed and said ‘Hmmm; Atrocious. I love it and that's what we're going to name it!’ I wanted something with 4 doors that I can haul four people in, and enjoy the week together. Hopefully I can convince my wife to go with us to Sick Summer 2026, which will be my son's senior year of high school.
Plans are to run 10.0s in it, with a 6.0-liter single turbo LS with AC/Heat, a stereo with subwoofer, Turbo 400, 8.8 rear, 8.50 roll cage and it will pull a trailer. I basically want to do massive trailer burnouts, do wheelies, run tens and have fun with my family and friends in it.
And we all know the Fox body platform just flat out works at the drag strip; it's just an added bonus it will haul more people. I'm not there to set world records; we all do this for fun, and let's be honest, it's not the greatest financial decision. But damn is it fun and we make great memories for life!
Tell us your story, and we might share it here on For the Adventure!!
We’re looking for you to contribute to the Sickness with stories, articles, event coverage, and more! You don’t need writing experience, just a desire to share your stories. It can be about a build you’re doing in your garage or driveway, your experience on a drag-and-drive (from a participant or cruiser perspective), or even an article about your plans to participate in a drag-and-drive.
Interested? Send your submissions to info@sickthemagazine.com and check your e-mails and spam folders. We might select your story, and will send you a follow up before it gets used! We will publish one story each week on the Sick the Magazine website on Thursdays! We can’t read your stories until you submit them, so get on it!
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com