Rick Trunkett Prepping His First Car for His First Visit to Rockingham Dragway for a Sick At The Rock Appearance!
Even if it’s not the best example of a vehicle, a first car can create memories that encourage the owner to retain the car over time. There can be quicker, faster, and even newer rides, but that first car can hold a special place.
For Rick Trunkett, this ’72 Plymouth Duster, his first car, will be his chariot of choice for the Sick Street Car Challenge class this weekend at our Sick At The Rock event Presented by Motion Raceworks.
Sick At The Rock Presented by Motion Raceworks event is THIS WEEK - April 10th - 12th, 2025 at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina! Come see some amazing racing action - from Pro Mods to our new class - the Sick Street Car Challenge with $32,000 up for grabs!! Advance tickets and spots in our Sick Spit Show & Shine are still available; CLICK HERE for more details on Sick At The Rock!
For Rick, the Duster became his first car 25 years ago and required some action to acquire the necessary funds to get it. “I sold my Tomos Target lx moped to fund its purchase,” Rick said. Sales deals done, he would become the newest (and current) owner at fifteen years young.
As one-third of Big 3 Racing with fellow drag and drive enthusiasts Bob Hess Jr. and Chuck Stefanski, Rick was all about making sure this Duster could tackle both street miles and drag strip passes. And although Big 3 Racing is known for their work with the Gen 3 HEMI platform, Rick decided to mix old school and new school on his Plymouth.
Rick currently employs old school cubic inches under the hood, with a 340-based 440 cubic inch powerplant. A BTR solid roller camshaft tickles the valves on a pair of Brett Miller custom Victor cylinder heads, and a twin turbo set-up based on HPT’s 80/82-millimeter sizing makes the power.
Between the Mopar mill is a Powerglide transmission and a 9-inch rear end with a 3.75 ring gear. The Duster sits on the stock torsion bar front suspension, and stock location leaf springs in the back with Cal Tracs and a custom set of Santhuff shocks valved by Yancy Rodriguez.
The classic Mopar is not lightweight, weighing 3810 pounds. But it’s cranked out a 7.61 at 186 mph best quarter-mile run, as well as a best of 4.80 at 153 mph on the half-track. “Quickest Mopar is mine,” said Rick about his goals for Sick At The Rock.
“I love the idea for Sick At The Rock,” Rick said about the format. “It’s easier for people that have family and work, that cannot do 3 or 4 big events. It’s great for fans as well.” And although Rick has done several big drag and drive events, including Sick Week and Hot Rod Drag Week, he’s looking forward to a smaller event as a competitor.
“I had a good time in the National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) days,” said Rick. “True Street was enough of a test, but still enough to prove you have a fast street car.”
Can Rick Trunkett claim the Mopar money out of the $32,000 up for grabs in our Sick Street Car Challenge class? Does he have enough for Quickest Turbo, Quickest 275 Radial, or even Most Consistent?
With all four of our major Sick The Mag events sold out, Sick At The Rock Presented by Motion Raceworks is one of your last chances to compete in a Sick The Mag drag and drive in 2025. Can your street car vie for a share of over $30K in prize money? CLICK HERE to find out more about our upcoming Sick At The Rock event, April 10th through the 12th, 2025 at Rockingham Dragway.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine and Rick Trunkett.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com