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Lamar Swindoll Jr. Brings the Small Tire Nitrous Party to Sick At The Rock with This ’72 Camaro

Although the chances of seeing superchargers and turbochargers versus nitrous on drag and drive rides, there are still some bottle-fed rides that are holding their own.

One happens to be the 1972 Camaro of Lamar Swindoll Jr., and after completing four Sick drag and drive events in just over a year, Lamar is setting his sights on Sick At The Rock Presented by Motion Raceworks.

“After years of drag racing, I was ready for something different,” said Lamar. Drag and drive allows my wife and I to enjoy driving our hot rod on the open roads with our family members who join with their cars, hang out with other racers and their families, do a little site seeing and I still get to race my car down track. It's just a whole lot of fun!”

With a solid first outing at Sick Week in 2025, Lamar will make his next appearance with the Camaro in the new Sick Street Car Challenge class at the upcoming Sick At The Rock event. “I think it’s a great idea to have an event like this at least once a year for the guy that can’t attend a week long event,” said Lamar. “I think the shorter drive will be a great time for first timers to try out a drag and drive event.”

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Will Jacob Davis Make His Mark When Him and His AMC Hit Sick At The Rock, His First Drag and Drive in Over a Year?

The 2024 edition of Sick Week wasn’t the first drag and drive event Jacob Davis has participated in, but it would mark the first showing for a 1972 AMC Javelin, a previous race-only ride that he converted for Sick Week. Now, a year later, he’s preparing for a Sick At The Rock appearance.

After all the work to convert it to street legal and test it out, Jacob found that the car would give him some fits during last year’s Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, but Jacob persevered and finished the event with an 11.06 average, bolstered by a best pass of 10.80 at 124.97 mph on day three.

“I’m really excited to see Sick The Mag stepping up to save some of these races and adding their own flare to it with a fun, weekend style drag and drive,” Jacob said. “It requires a lot less commitment of your time and investment of resources to enter a shorter event like this, and I’m actually doing it for my ‘bachelor party’ with some of my groomsmen.”

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The Sick Affiliate Program a Success – Over $20K in Payouts Awarded to Affiliates From Sick the Magazine Events

“Bring a friend to the track / car show / event” is a phrase a lot of us have heard to encourage getting others to attend a car enthusiast event. A growing number of people get their first look thanks to the efforts of a friend or co-worker.

Tom Bailey noticed these efforts, and launched the Sick The Magazine Affiliate Program in December, a way to reward Sick The Mag event participants for bringing out fellow enthusiasts. After the first three months of the program, it has paid out over $20,000 in rewards for affiliate commitments.

“We were told not to do this by some promoters,” said Bailey. “Because they don't want to share the gate with the attendees, but we do. So, we are going to do it anyway!

“I have been to events where when I look at the crowd, my shirts outnumber the event shirts, but I didn't get anything for bringing those folks through the gate. And that was okay, but it got me to thinking, so we are going to change that.”

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Chuck Stefanski Gearing Up for Sick At The Rock, with His Sights on Being The Quickest Supercharged Ride in the new Sick Street Car Challenge Class

After competing in his wife’s Trans Am in 2023, Chuck Stefanski decided to up the ante and re-vamp his 1981 Pontiac Lemans station wagon for a full season in 2024.

Chuck Stefanski achieved some solid results, completing two drag and drive events, and scoring wins at two events. Now he’s got new goals for 2025, including the new Sick Street Car Challenge class at the Sick At The Rock event next month.

“I think this is an awesome way to showcase drag and drive, and giving the competitors several chances to win some real cash,” said Chuck. “This structure allows the spectators to stay at one track and see every pass. This event is going to set the pace for the future of drag and drive, and I am along for the ride!”

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Devin Vanderhoof and Josh Davis Bust into the Three-Second Range with a 3.99 at 185 MPH Blast in Testing with Sick Week-Winning Mustang

After a notable 2023 season where this 1993 Ford Mustang convertible picked up a trio of drag and drive wins, including the Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive and the Sick Summer Presented by TBM Brakes event, owner Devin Vanderhoof decided to make some major changes in 2024.

That list included a switch from a stock-style suspension to an aftermarket (parallel) 4-link suspension, double frame railing the Mustang, upgrading the roll cage to a 25.1 / 25.2 SFI-certification, and putting the car on a diet and removing around 200 pounds of heft.

Vanderhoof and Davis started their 2025 season with a win at this year’s Sick Week in the Modified class, including a new personal best pass of 6.37 at 227 mph at Gainesville Raceway (with eighth-mile numbers of 4.23 at 181 mph).

Just a couple week later, Vanderhoof and Davis returned to South Georgia Motorsports Park (SGMP) for the popular radial tire Lights Out event to participate in the ‘Braggin Rights’ street car class. After a few days of work, the team captured the overall title with a 6.38 at 228 mph final round blast.

But a recent test session at Carolina Dragway yielded a performance number they've been working towards for a long time.

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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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Bruised or Battle Ready – Sick Week Day Two Testing Reveals Some Carnage on Top Rides, While Others Show They’re Ready for the Test of Sick Week

As Georgia starts to thaw out from the freezing temperatures and snow they experienced last week, the action also heated up in more ways than one during the second day of testing at South Georgia Motorsports Park for Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive.

Several rides made some hot licks on the track, while others overheated their parts where the carnage has us wondering who can be ready for Day One on Tuesday, January 28th.

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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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Sick Week 2025 Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive Is Less Than a Week Away – Here’s All the Details You Need to Know!

While much of the United States may be in winter hibernation, we’re ready to see passes on the race tracks, as well as putting down miles on the street of Florida and Georgia. It’s just about time for the fourth Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, and with so cool stuff in store, we wanted to cover all the bases!

First things first: all the information on Sick Week is available at the event section on our website. We’ve also been covering some of the competitors coming to Sick Week in our news stories, as well as on our social media channels.

But we wanted to go over all the details, so buckle up and take a few minutes to prepare yourself for Sick Week 2025!

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Mike Finnegan Thrashes to Bring Blasphemi to Sick Week for the First Time in 2025!

“There are just two weeks until the Sick Week event, the next drag-and-drive we’re going to compete in here on Finnegan’s Garage, and I have some problems.”

This is how Mike Finnegan, the host of the popular Finnegan’s Garage YouTube channel and recently concluded Roadkill show, started his most recent video upload. The urgency to get his 1955 Chevrolet packing a supercharged HEMI engine, appropriately named ‘Blasphemi’, completed and ready for Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive is apparent, but peppered with humor and a little sarcasm.

Finnegan has had a love-hate relationship with drag-and-drive events, and although not uncommon to some participants, Finnegan has experienced a variety of reasons for not completing the event.

Will he complete Sick Week in his first appearance since 2022?

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Cleetus McFarland Expands Motorsports Presence – Partners with Victor Alvarez and Purchases 50 Percent of Bradenton Motorsports Park!

In everything he does, from piloting helicopters to 5-second race cars, hosting events to rebuilding a race track, Cleetus McFarland continues to elevate not only his impact on the sports and hobbies he enjoys, but brings along millions of viewers to watch the adventures on his popular YouTube channel.

It was about five years ago that Cleetus (the adrenaline-fueled alter face of Garrett Mitchell) purchased DeSoto Memorial Speedway, an oval track adjacent to Bradenton Motorsports Park that had sat abandoned for nearly two years.

And after a lot of work and success from that track, Cleetus didn’t have to look far for his next opportunity, as he announced today he is partnering with good friend and current owner Victor Alvarez, as 50 percent owner in Bradenton Motorsports Park.

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SICK WEEK 2025 PRESENTED BY GEAR VENDORS OVERDRIVE RETURNS TO FRDM+

THE Super Bowl of Drag-and-Drive, Sick Week 2025 Presented By Gear Vendors Overdrive, will once again be broadcast around the world by FRDMplus, reaching hundreds of thousands of automotive enthusiasts.

Established by YouTuber Cleetus McFarland in 2020, FRDM+ has set itself apart with high quality live streams from a variety of events, with a team who continue to push the boundaries of vision and sound. And for Sick The Magazine publisher and event promoter Tom Bailey, linking up with FRDM+ for the first time at last year's Sick Week made perfect sense.

Joining the regular watchers of FRDM+ will be thousands of Sick The Magazine subscribers, who receive a free month of FRDM+ as a benefit of their subscription. The offer is also open to anyone who plans on subscribing to Sick The Magazine before Sick Week. Even better, any new subscription is eligible for entries for the Sick 1969 Camaro Pace Car Giveaway.

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Rising From the Ashes – After a Fire Claimed His 8-Second Pick-up, David Cedoz BUILT aN UPDATED VERSION for His Return to Sick Week

After a period where cars were more about the styling and add-ons versus performance, the tables slowly started to turn in the 1980s, where multiple vehicles started to emerge from their smog handcuffed shackles. Trucks also started to get a boost in these times, including the 1990s Chevrolet SS and Ford Lightning pick-ups, and for David Cedoz, the Chevy truck would become a part of his life for 34 years.

David got his first taste of the OBS Chevy pick-up when his father picked up a brand new 1990 SS model, and after his father enjoyed it for ten years, David purchased it to tow his Bass boat for tournament fishing. It would see daily driver orders, and eventually a bump in power for more fun on the street and 8-second runs on the track.

David lost that truck to a fire in 2023, but managed to put a new one together in under 8 months! Can it back-up the glory runs the first jet black pick-up produced in 2023 at Sick Week?

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The Fight for Five-Seconds at Sick Week 2025

A five-second stage has been set for Sick Week 2025 Presented By Gear Vendors Overdrive, with a brutal assortment of street legal machines preparing for what may be the quickest and fastest drag-and-drive event in history.

Ever since Tom Bailey’s historic 5.99 run at Hot Rod Drag Week in 2019, drag-and-drive fans have been waiting for a repeat of the feat. It seemed for a period that interest in the Unlimited class and its road-going Pro Mods had waned, but an explosion of new rides has put high expectations on Sick Week 2025 Presented By Gear Vendors Overdrive (January 27 - February 1).

The combination of excellent VP Racing track preparation and sea-level weather conditions will provide the ideal environment for quick times at the event voted as USA Today's Best Motorsports Race for 2024 and Drag Illustrated's Event of the Year in 2023.

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The Fresh ’56 Bel Air – This Twin-Turbo Chevy Will Make Its First Drag-and-Drive Appearance at Sick Week 2025!

Now, this is a story about how the life of Will Fair got flipped upside down by cars, motorcycles and multiple forms of racing, and his latest chapter with a Chevrolet Bel Air.

It’s an interesting tale with street racing, drag racing and dirt track racing, before getting this classic Chevrolet ready for his first drag-and-drive event at this year’s Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive.

Along with best friend and co-pilot Dean Leppo, they brought this ’56 to completion in one year. “This car was pretty much a Facebook Marketplace build, except for the transmission. So we will see how it all holds together; fingers crossed.”

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Supercharged Swap – Darin Hendricks Takes a ’93 Mustang Cobra from a Championship Race Car to Drag-and-Drive Ready for Sick Week!

As trends come and go, one thing that’s shown staying power is the drag racing world and the history behind it. As each year rolls by, the history of racing, as well as the cars that participated as part of it, become talking points at more benchracing sessions and staging lane gatherings. It’s just cool to see cars with history come back into focus once again, and for Darin Hendricks, he’s ready to write the next chapter of a storied history for this Ford Mustang Cobra.

Now, the fact this is a real deal 1993 Ford Mustang Cobra, one of 5100 originally built for the model year (including the rare Cobra R models). But despite its collectability, Darin was anything but gentle with it. “It has spent most of its life as a race car,” said Darin. But after almost two decades as a race ride, Darin is ready for the next chapter - drag-and-drive action with a supercharged combination under the hood, and a 5-speed manual transmission!

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Sick Week Kick Starts a 2025 Drag-and-Drive Season - 30 Events on the Calendar

After a 2024 season with a record number of drag-and-drive events, the 2025 season is just a couple weeks away from rumbling to life. Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive is the first of thirty drag-and-drive events we currently know of for 2024, and there is no doubt more will be added as the year progresses.

With long-standing events like Hot Rod Drag Week back for the 20th anniversary, and Rocky Mountain Race Week celebrating its tenth year, several events returned for another year, including Redwood Rally, Miles of Mayhem, One Guy’s Garage Drag Weekend, and Southeast Street N’ Yeet.

We also saw some new events on the extensive list in 2024, as Drop the Hammer, Olympic Drag-and-Drive, and Big Sky Race Week were just a couple that pushed the number of drag-and-drive events scheduled in 2024 to 40 total. A couple did get canceled or postponed due to weather or poor registration numbers.

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A Change of Heart - This Twin-Turbo Tesla Ditched the EV for Gasoline and Big Tires to Take on Sick Week!

Even though some of the EV models that have come out in recent years have made for some quick times, there’s a clear divide from most enthusiasts about whether they like them or not.

But in the case in this Tesla, enthusiasts get the mix of the modern EV styling combined with horsepower fueled by E-85 instead of batteries. And for 2025, owner Greg Ward and builder Chris Doane are hoping to take it to the street and track.

After participating on the 2024 edition of Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive in Sick Ward, Greg and Chris are wanting to add the on-track element to things this time around. “We want to run as many events as possible, including Sick Week,” said Chris. “It is a great way to enjoy racing without having to chase that win. You can choose to be competitive or just enjoy the ride.”

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Twice As Nice – This 8-Second Sleeper Nova Gets a Second Turbo in Preparation for the Street Race Class at Sick Week 2025

Although some may recognize this 1972 Chevrolet Nova as a regular participant on Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, its performance still catches a lot of people off guard. The ‘plain brown wrapper’ appearance, complete with hub caps instead of flashy wheels, doesn’t give the appearance of 8-second potential. And for 2025, the Boosted By Rhino and Jimmy Rinehart-tuned Nova will kick the performance up another level in time for Sick Week 2025.

After three successful drag-and-drive events and pushing the single turbo set-up to its max, Jimmy and Drew discussed the next step for this year’s Sick Week. “The goal was to get that 8 second pass. I think we're about at the limit of the (single) turbo.”

For 2025, a new pair of turbochargers will feed the Texas Speed 5.3-liter short block, going through an air-to-water intercooler.

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