SRCA Drag Strip in Great Bend, Kansas Agrees to Settlement with Construction Company – Could a 2025 Race Season Be Possible?
As the track that hosted not only the first National Hot Rod Association national event in 1955, but also been a part of Hot Rod Drag Week and Rocky Mountain Race Week, the Sunflower Rod and Custom Association (SRCA) Dragstrip has been void of any racing action for the last two years. Recently, a settlement was reached that might change the 2025 season hopes for the track in Great Bend, Kansas.
Although ‘Roadkill’ Show Has Been Canceled, the Future for Roadkill Nights, Hot Rod Drag Week and Hot Rod Power Tour Looks Bright in 2025
When the news first hit Sunday night about the popular show Roadkill being canceled, it immediately spread like wildfire about the future of MotorTrend.
Speculation about the magazine and brand, as well as sister shows Hot Rod Garage, Roadkill Garage, Roadworthy Rescues, and Faster with Newburn and Cotton, and even the events like Roadkill Nights and Hot Rod Drag Week were in question by many. Thanks to MotorTrend, we have some clarification on the future of shows and events.
‘Roadkill’ Show Hits the End of the Road – News That the Thirteenth Season of the Popular Show with Freiburger and Finnegan Will Be the Last
“This is the show where we play with cars, and you point and laugh. We call it Roadkill.” Those words were stated by David Freiburger in Episode 1 of the popular MotorTrend show ‘Roadkill’ which hit YouTube in early 2012.
Nearly thirteen years and thirteen seasons after that first show was recorded, Mike Finnegan broke the news on Reddit that ‘Roadkill’ will not record a fourteenth season.
Combining Ingenuity and a Need for Parts, Isky Racing Cams Provides Better Solutions for Enthusiasts – Including Several in the Drag-and-Drive Community
Racers and automotive enthusiasts can be resourceful in more ways than one. If something isn’t available or built to tolerate a vehicle’s demands, there is normally another option. Even if that option is doing it yourself, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and that’s exactly how Isky Racing Cams got its start.
Now, over 70 years alter, ISKY Racing Cams continues to support enthusiasts, including in the drag-and-drive community.
How Summit Racing Equipment Combined a Love for Drag-and-Drive with Business Smarts to Provide a Better Experience for Competitors and Enthusiasts Alike
The Summit Racing Equipment name brings decades of experience in the performance and racing landscape. But their introduction to the drag-and-drive community was through one of their valued employees. “I’ve always been a fan of drag-and-drive since the first year of Hot Rod Drag Week,” said Tommy Dupree of Summit Racing. “I went a few times when it was close to my home base.” That love for cars and trucks that could handle street and strip duty took the next step when Tommy encouraged Summit to get involved.
Gear Vendors Overdrive Celebrates 20 Years with the Drag-and-Drive Community and Giving 3-4000 Horsepower Rides An Extra Gear
The drag-and-drive community started with one event, Hot Rod Drag Week, in 2005. That event has grown into a movement with a large community of participants and fans, over 40 different events across multiple countries, and influenced thousands of car and truck builds to prove they can survive the street and the strip torture tests known by many as drag-and-drive.
There are a only a select few that have seen it all since the beginning, and Rick Johnson with Gear Vendors Overdrive is one of those people.
Mikael Borggren’s 6-Second Volvo Destroyed in No Prep Accident at Lapeer International Dragway
The 1987 Volvo wagon of Mikael Borggren became a staple on several drag-and-drive events, first cracking the 6-second mark at Hot Rod Drag Week in 2021. But he started to make his mark in the no-prep world in the last few years, and also captured a trio of Roadkill Nights Small Tire victories.
Defining Moment: Goldstone’s No-Quit Drag Week Highlights 20th Running of Hot Rod Drag Week
Bryant Goldstone has been a player in the drag-and-drive game for over a decade. 2024 was playing out like a dream for Goldstone leading up to Hot Rod Drag Week, with a trio of major event victories.
Could he keep the 6-second 200+ mph laps coming at Drag Week and earn another title, or would a nightmare Did Not Finish await him at the twentieth running of Hot Rod Drag Week?
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?
Buried for Over 30 Years, A Former Magazine Project Car Gets a Second Chance At This Year's Hot Rod Drag Week
Discovered as a time capsule car a few years back, Ken Robinson saw this 1969 Plymouth Valiant for sale on Facebook Marketplace in the spring of 2022.
Originally built as a ‘Street Rat’ as ‘Uncle’ Tony Defeo penned in the Mopar High Performance magazine article on the car in 1985 (that first issue came out in early 1986), the car didn’t give any indication it was a bruiser, other than the scooped hood.
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?
Looking to Tame a New Animal, Jody Ames Moves from Cougar to Jaguar to Coyote for Turbocharged 8-Second Runs at Hot Rod Drag Week
For many that strive to attend a drag-and-drive event, you can sometimes hit a wall where you realize that attending that year might not be in the card. Some might have a back-up plan, or in rare case, multiple options.
For Jody Ames, the 2024 edition of Hot Rod Drag Week marks the first time he is able to take his original ‘Plan A’ car, a 2016 Ford Mustang.
A Decade of Drag-and-Drives – Bob Ruppel’s Nova Has What It Takes to Survive on the Street and the Track
Bob Ruppel's drag-and-drive experience was solidified on his Hot Rod Drag Week. "I'm a competitive person, so even when things are going wrong, I try to push through it all. When my second ever drag-and-drive event required a short block swap in a checkpoint parking lot 800 miles from home, and you're with like minded car people, anything seems possible."
What story will he tell from this year's Hot Rod Drag Week?
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.
You Could Win This ’62 Chevy II Gasser + $5000 Cash!
2024 has been epic for Sick the Magazine - we’ve done two great events - Sick Week and Sick Summer - and done three vehicle giveaways. But we’re not even close to done for the year, and here’s our next vehicle giveaway: this 1962 Chevy II Gasser!
The State of Street Race and Limited Street - How Close Things Get When Battling in the 8.50 Ranks
There are so many things you can focus on as part of a drag-and-drive, and one that I’m diving into today is the tight competition that comes with the Hot Rod Drag Week Street Race class, as well as the Rocky Mountain Race Week Limited Street class, Sick Week and Sick Summer’s 275 Street Race and Sick Street Race classes, and the Midwest Drags Street Race classes.
This Supercharged Station Wagon Keeps a Promise Made, While Making Updates for Wheels Up Single Digit Passes at Hot Rod Drag Week
Although some look at cars and trucks as mere transportation, others look at them as part of the family. When Travis Fathi purchased this 1983 Chevrolet Malibu wagon from friend John Barton, the purchase came with a promise. “Before John passed away, I promised him that it would always be old school, a big block street rod.” It keeps that promise into 2024, but with some updates.
Smaller Drag-and-Drives: Serving the Community with More Options, or Just a Stepping Stone to Major Event Miles?
The drag-and-drive calendar has greatly expanded since the original drag-and-drive, Hot Rod Drag Week, first made an appearance in 2005. But do all the events, both big and small, stay true to the original concept David Freiburger created?
Are Bryant Goldstone and His 6-Second AMC Becoming the Face of Drag-and-Drive?
With the increase in the number of drag-and-drive events in the last three years, it’s becoming more commonplace to see competitors at more than one event during a calendar year. There are several that have made their mark in the drag-and-drive world, and one of the top ones is Bryant Goldstone.
A Tale of Two Sick Summers – Aaron Gierke Battles to Complete His Second Sick Summer with a Nitrous-Gulping Stick Shift Ford Ranger
At the inaugural Sick Summer Presented by TBM Brakes, a healthy field of Stick Shift entries turned out. Aaron Gierke was one of 16 that completed the week, and the experience made him plan a comback for more fun, and single-digit runs, in 2024!