From Tire Shake to a Final Bow, Stefan Gustafsson Retires C4 Corvette with Second Sick Week Victory
Some victories just mean more, while some can be bitter sweet. In the case of Stefan Gustafsson, the 2024 edition of Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive will be marked as the final time for his storied 1989 Chevrolet Corvette.
He managed to send it out a winner, although the beginning of the week might have found Stefan wondering if he could hold on to the third spot in just the Unlimited class.
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The history of Stefan and this ‘lil’ red Corvette can be traced back to 2016, when he purchased the car as a rolling chassis. Originally constructed from three different Corvette models from a salvage yard, the car got its initial debut in 2002, where it hit a wheat field during a street race in Sweden.
It was rebuilt, and Stefan’s first event with it was the 2017 edition of Street Week in Sweden, where he claimed the overall victory.
After a few years of competing on Hot Rod Drag Week, Stefan rolled into the first Sick Week held in 2022, packing a Harrell Engine and Dyno (HED)-built 540 cubic inch big block Chevrolet and a big single-turbocharger.
Stefan also brought along another upgrade, as co-pilot Eric Yost from Customs by Bigun participated in his first drag-and-drive as a co-pilot and tuner, jumping aboard to help out and tweak the Corvette’s Holley Dominator EFI system for more performance.
The changes paid off with a 6.67 average for the week, a 6.53 at 217 mph personal best pass on day five at Bradenton Motorsports Park, Stefan’s first Unlimited class win, plus the coveted Sick orange helmet and a Gear Vendors Overdrive guitar.
Just over six months later, Stefan would make his return to Hot Rod Drag Week in the fall of 2022, hoping to improve on his fourth-place finish from the last time he competed in 2019.
But despite a 6.61 at 221 mph pass on day one, followed by an improved 6.52 at 219 mph on the second day, day three had the Corvette on a trailer, as an overrev the previous day at Indianapolis Raceway Park led to damage that couldn’t be fixed, resulting in the first Did Not Finish event for Stefan.
Stefan looked to rebound at the second edition of Sick Week in February of 2023, and he challenged the twin-turbo S-10 of fellow Swede Michael Westberg for most of the week.
But by the final day, despite an improved 6.59 average, Stefan would finish second to Michael’s 6.46 average, Stefan snagged his second-straight top three overall finish. “We ended up struggling at Sick Week, and ended up at a frustrating second place,” said Stefan. “We called that end of season and started out a plan for 2024.”
With a lot of changes planned for the Corvette, Stefan surprised us with the biggest change for 2024: purchasing a carbon fiber-bodied 1970 Camaro to replace the Corvette. That meant Sick Week 2024 would be the Corvette’s swan song; Could Stefan put it together for the Corvette’s final tour on the drag-and-drive circuit?
The early part of the 2024 edition of Sick Week didn’t look promising, where despite a pair of valiant attempts to muscle the Corvette down the Orlando ‘Sick’ World Dragway surface, Stefan would be left with just a 7.14 at 153 mph pass to turn in, the first time Stefan has turned in anything but a 6-second pass since the first Sick Week in 2022.
But by the time Stefan returned to Orlando four days later, Stefan put a cap on his week with a 6.64 at 224 mph pass, resulting in a 6.74 average that would be good enough to capture his second Unlimited class title in three years. Stefan would also secure a coveted Gear Vendors Overdrive guitar for the third-straight year for his average placing in the top three overall.
A full recap on Stefan’s Corvette will be upcoming in the next print issue of Sick the Magazine.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Stefan Gustafsson, Motion Raceworks, KWS Images and Sick the Magazine.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com