Auto enthusiasts can be drawn to a particular vehicle for several reasons. It could be the styling, the power, the handling, or even the chance to fulfill a dream of owning one when you couldn’t earlier in life. But then there’s cars and trucks with history, or a family connection, and the bonds and memories created with these rides can be some powerful ones.

The 1968 Mercury Cougar of Josh Dowies has a sixteen-year history in his family starting when his father bought the car for his mother to drive. “She always wanted to have a little hot rod to cruise around,” said Josh. She passed away back in 2017, and the car sat until 2022, when Josh bought it. “Getting to build this car has been as much for me, as it has been for my mom and in memory of my mom."

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.

Kevin Schweizer chose a different car for his efforts with a 1980 Mercury wagon, and he also skipped past traditional Ford options, instead landed on one of Ford’s newest engines, the 7.3L Godzilla pushrod engine. This not only allowed him to run the all-Ford NMRA series, including their popular True Street class, but also take part in the Godzilla Invasion special classes at the recent Norwalk event.

Some are tested and ready days, or even weeks in advance for this week’s Sick Summer event, while others are still busting their knuckles to make the 1 p.m. deadline to arrive in tech line to be able to compete. From last-minute turn signal wiring, to pulling out a transmission with the final hours ticking away, this is what we’ve seen on last minute work to get into competition.

“It’s funny to think about this car starting at Pump Gas Drags with twin superchargers and an FE big block. Now it’s all-motor time.”