From the Road - Edelbrock Sick 66 Delivered Some Amazing Sights Along Route 66 – And A Few Supporting Roads As Well
With so many options for doing a drag-and-drive event in 2024, Edelbrock Sick 66 brought one major player to the table that no one else had done – run the majority of our street miles along Route 66.
The ‘mother road’ that first saw use in 1926 was the clinching factory that several competitors noted in determining what event to embark on for 2024.
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As Tom Bailey put it, the Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) gripped some people HARD after the first ‘one-off’ Sick event, Death Week, in 2023.
With Sick 66 combining another ‘one-time-only’ event, plus the cool track and checkpoint choices, and visiting Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico along the way, it was a slam dunk decision for not only competitors, but also participants in the Summit Racing Equipment Sick Ward presented by PEAK Performance.
Coverage of the event is broken down into daily installments, and we will have extensive coverage in the Winter print edition of Sick the Magazine. But we thought it would be cool to look back at some more highlights from the days that made up Edelbrock Sick 66.
Spencer Station would be the third checkpoint on day one, and the restored station was one of several along our Route 66 tour from Missouri to New Mexico. Featuring beautifully restored pumps and signs, Spencer Station provided an awesome backdrop for vehicles like the 1955 Chevrolet of Daniel Dynarski.
Sick the Magazine’s first ‘one-off’ event was Death Week, held last October. More than just a handful returned for our next ‘one-time-only’ event, Sick 66, including Rajveer Ahuja and his well-traveled Oldsmobile and trailer.
It’s hard to not stare at the blown big block in the 1970 Chevrolet Suburban of William Patton. In fact, many turned their heads when the supercharged ride came to the line.
Doing burnouts across the starting line, and usually pulling the front wheels on most launches, the heavy Chevy clicked off a best of 6.66 at 102 mph on day two at Mo-Kan Dragway, and finished 25th with a 6.95 average.
The Route 66 logo is one that was easily recognizable along the roads, but day one when the tour first hit the original Route 66 road, a supersized one sits directly in front of our second stop of the day, Gary Gay Parita.
Offering a lot to look at on the property, the logo also made for a cool addition to photos, including this one with Tom Bailey’s Ramcharger and the ’57 Chevrolet of Patrick Losko known as ‘Betty Lou Blue.’
The first checkpoint of day two was Gearhead Curios, which featured an awesome gas station, as well as some cool characters / props from the popular Cars movie. Add in this awesome ride from one of our participants in the Summit Racing Equipment Sick Ward presented by PEAK Performance, and it’s a slam dunk photo!
Route 66 had tons of cool bridges and backdrops, and one is here on the day two drive with Hannah Thompson’s Chevrolet S-10 front and nearly center. The Extreme S-10 rolled to a best of 6.52 at 102 mph with a shot of nitrous, but engine issues in the middle of the week kept her from finishing the week.
One of the cool non-car themed stops was the Blue Whale of Catoosa, the final stop on day two. Located less than 10 miles from Tulsa Raceway Park, the structure has been in place since 1972, and features a walk-through center.
The huge parking lot at the Blue Whale of Catoosa gave Sick 66 competitors and Sick Ward enthusiasts plenty of room to park and chill, including the stick shift ’61 Falcon of Case Hardy, who completed the event with a 7.15 average.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com