Overcoming The Struggles of a Drag-and-Drive with Mike Finnegan, Part 2
Ask any drag-and-drive participant about doing an event, and you might get the common response of “it’s a torture test” or “just completing the week is a victory.” For Mike Finnegan, a former Hot Rod magazine writer and the host of the popular “Roadkill” show as well as his own YouTube channel Finnegan’s Garage, pushing parts and the vehicles they reside in to the limit is a normal way of life. His popular 1955 Chevrolet gasser, modeled after the popular Two Lane Blacktop car, started construction on episode eight of Roadkill in 2012. Sporting an old-school HEMI powerplant and a manual transmission, the Chevrolet carries the name “Blasphemi” to highlight the engine swap that some might think a sin.
Finnegan has competed in four drag-and-drive events with the ’55 Chevrolet, starting with a Did Not Finish (DNF) in his first attempt in 2017 at Hot Rod Drag Week. He returned in 2018 to Drag Week, completed the entire event, and came within three hundredths of-a-second of winning the A/Gas class title. Finnegan brought Tony Angelo along for the ride in 2019, and the former host of Hot Rod Garage jumped right into things, even bench pressing a transmission into the car in time to make a last-ditch 9-second run at Maryland International Raceway, leading to a class victory at the end of the week.
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Finnegan and Angelo returned to Drag Week in 2022 looking to defend their title. They only made one pass in competition on day one, and encountered engine problems.
Unknown to anyone at the time, Finnegan brought along a camera crew to document the twists, turns and struggles the duo encountered. The result is over four hours of video that provides true look at what can happen during a drag-and-drive.
If you haven’t watched part one, check out our introduction and video link here: https://www.sickthemagazine.com/news/behind-the-scenes-and-struggles-of-drag-and-drive-with-mike-finnegan-and-the-blasphemi-55-chevy-gasser
Part two picks up on day three of Hot Rod Drag Week. Finnegan and Angelo have spent almost two full days at the first track of the week, removing the hurt engine. They also snatched David Freiburger’s Hemi engine out of his Gremlin to use as a back-up, then realizing it wouldn’t work for a multitude of reasons. That leads to a plan to rebuild the original engine. Watch all the action below:
Written by Derek Putnam. Photo courtesy of Sick The Mag.