Event Coverage Derek Putnam Event Coverage Derek Putnam

Setting the Standard – Brett LaSala and Ed Ensor Lead a Record-Setting List of Winners from Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive

After five days of traveling through Georgia and Florida, Sick Week presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive rolled into South Georgia Motorsports Park for the final day to see who had enough left in the tank to complete a nearly 850 mile trip, and their final pass, from five days of work.

We may have started with rain and cold temperatures on Day Zero that prevented any on track activity, but on Day Five, the all-concrete surface in southern Georgia was scorched with record times and shocking faces as competitors just kept getting quicker throughout the day.

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Graham Hayes Leads Sick Week Testing on Day One With a 6.64 Blast from South Georgia Motorsports Park

With snow on the ground surrounding the all-concrete racing surface at South Georgia Motorsports Park, the track known for setting records on small tire radial rides hosted their first of two testing days on Saturday, January 25th, leading to the fourth annual Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive. Both big and small-tire cars took to the track to shake off their winter blues, test out new combinations, and take advantage of the mineshaft air conditions.

Several drivers made some solid check out runs, but we also have a few falling by the wayside early.

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Small Tire Super Street Competitors Aim for the Sixes at Sick Week 2025

Many will stress that the main focus of a drag-and-drive event is to complete the event, while having a good time and making memories. But we’d be lying if we didn’t talk about some of the incredible performances that are accomplished as well.

From the quickest cars in Unlimited, to the Rowdy Radial rides that clock 4.6-second times on an 8.5-inch tire, we celebrate those that push the envelope of performance. The 6-second barrier in the small tire, stock suspension, Super Street class could be broken for the first time at Sick Week 2025 Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive.

Two competitors clocked 6-second runs in testing during the 2024 season; can they do in competition next week?

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From Podcaster to Participant, Cooper Bogetti Will Return to Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive in 2025 with 2JZ-Powered Camaro

For a little over two years, Cooper Bogetti has been bringing a wide variety of guests on his ‘Bogetti Studios’ YouTube channel podcast. Cooper’s blend of car and racing guests on his podcasts, combined with racing updates between his two YouTube channels, has garnered a solid base of subscribers.

Now, Cooper will jump back into the drag-and-drive game after taking a year off, and at this year’s Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, he’ll doing it with a ride that’s never seen drag-and-drive action before; a 2JZ-powered Camaro that recently saw seven-second passes during the Christmas Tree Drags!

“That means that in the next two-ish weeks, we’re going to have to get this here vehicle, that sees basically zero street miles, into streetable condition.” Can Cooper make the necessary changes to the Camaro, survive over 900 miles, and still clock solid times to be competitive in whatever class he chooses to participate in?

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Rick Dyer, Car Enthusiast and Participant in the First Hot Rod Magazine Fastest Street Car Competition in 1992, Has Passed Away

As the drag-and-drive community and event schedule grows, there have been several articles and inquiries into the origin of the first drag-and-drive, Hot Rod Magazine’s Drag Week in 2005.

Hot Rod also played host to the Fastest Street Car Shootout, held in Memphis, Tennessee, where several drivers etched their names as the first competitors in a street-legal car shootout. One of them was Rick Dyer, and sadly, we’ve gotten word that the Michigan resident has passed away.

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Jordan Boudreaux Takes Aim at 7-Seconds for Sick Week, With Roll Cage Upgrades and Possible Engine Changes

It’s been a common sight at Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, and Jordan Boudreaux’s Mustang has also made its mark in the event standings every year.

The turbocharged LS-swapped ride has earned a spot in the top three standings in the 275 Street Race class at the end of each Sick Week, but 2025 will bring a change for the Louisiana-based ride.

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Josh Reich Partners Up on New Drag-and-Drive Truck Build – Sights Set on Sevens and a 2025 Debut

After putting together a Chevrolet Colorado a couple years back, Josh Reich made himself a little more well known in 2024. The single turbo pick-up scored a win and a top five finish from a pair of drag-and-drive events, and although some might have expected Reich to continue to refine the Colorado for 2025, he’s changing direction with a new build and new goals.

“My good friend Rodney Geist was building it for himself to show off his fabrication skills, and promote his business. Rod isn't a drag racer, or one to do a drag-and-drive, so we decided to partner up.”

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Cleetus McFarland and Brett LaSala Clock Personal Best Runs on Day 1 of Qualifying at World Cup Finals at Maryland International Raceway

Heralded each year for cool temperatures and killer track prep, which combined result in amazing runs and sold-out crowds, the World Cup Finals Import vs. Domestic event at Maryland International Raceway got underway yesterday. A total of eleven classes got their first look at the track in qualifying, and started the work towards possibly earnign a share of two-hundred thousand dollars in payout, plus the coveted World Cup Finals trophy.

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This Drag-and-Drive Winning Mustang Drops a 7.02 in Testing – Is Ed Ensor Gearing Up for a 6-Second Blast at Sick Week 2025?

After only a few people have entered the 7-second zone naturally aspirated in drag-and-drive events, ‘Fast Eddie’ Ensor definitely opened up the conversation at Sick Summer Presented by TBM Brakes in 2023.

Completing the week with a 7.53 average, along with a best single pass of 7.46 at 184 mph, Ensor set the record for Naturally Aspirated classes, and 2024 shows he’s coming for more.

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Jerry and Matt Sweet Recover from Engine Damage in Time to Return to Hot Rod Drag Week in Hopes of Finishing His 7-Second Reign From 2023

This colorful 1976 Chevrolet Nova has already secured a class victory at Hot Rod Drag Week in 2022, along with a pair of top three finishes at Sick Week in 2002 and 2023.

But for Drag Week in 2023, Jerry and Matt Sweet rolled to the starting line on day one packing a new engine combination north of 800 cubic inches, putting the Nova into the 7-second zone for the first time in competition. They didn't finish the week last year; will they complete the task this time around?

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A Flying Fairmont Goes in Search of 6-Second Runs and a Class Win At Hot Rod Drag Week

During this year’s Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks, Frank Webb shot onto our radars on day two with a massive triple-wheelie from his 1978 Ford Fairmont.

It got Webb and the Ford a lot of attention, but it also resulted in a trip to the tower looking for a replacement Aeromotive mechanical fuel pump, when the wheelie claimed his pump. Would it be the second-straight DNF for the 7-second Ford?

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SuperNova – Jack Brooks Aims to Return to the Site of His First Drag-and-Drive, Hot Rod Drag Week, With a More Powerful ’64 Nova

After a successful drag-and-drive debut at Hot Rod Drag Week in 2023, Jack Brooks looked to continue his drag-and-drive adventure at this year’s Sick Week and Sick Summer. Neither panned out as he wanted, so it was back to the drawing board, and a bunch of changes, to plot his return to Hot Rod Drag Week.

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The Real Diehl – Testing and Striving for Better Results Leads David Diehl and Chris Merry to a Win and Runner-Up at Street Car Takeover Just Hours Before Sick Summer Gets Underway

The Diehl brothers and Chris Merry appeared to be ready for Sick Summer 2024, but they decided that a little tune-up was needed. So they popped into a Street Car Takeover event at US 131 Motorsports Park, held just one day before registration and tech day at Sick Summer.

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