Tales From Death Week – Bringing Old School Flavor with a Blown Chevy II Nova
When a drag-and-drive event is planned for the west coast, people take notice. It’s not uncommon to even see some participants that make the trip out west when they can participate closer to home on the east coast.
For Jim Forbes, Death Week would start just a few hours from his home in Sierra Vista, Arizona. So, he prepared to take an eye catcher of a ride, a 1962 Chevrolet Nova gasser he calls ‘Plan II.’
Don’t miss our next one-off drag-and-drive: Sick 66 - October 2024!
Event information and expression of interest forms can be FOUND HERE!
Sporting class gasser features, along with a big block Chevrolet powerplant sporting a GMC 6-71 blower on top, Forbes even just a test run before loading up to head to Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. “I did a last test drive before heading up to Phoenix,” said Forbes, even noting he took a few test checkpoint pictures of “a little bit of Arizona everyone else will miss.”
His first day in Arizona had Forbes handing in a 7.09 at 104 mph time slip, followed by a 7.25 at 89 mph on day two at Barona Drag Strip in California. “Not much traction the first two days,” said Forbes, but he soldered on.
After two drive days rolling through the California coastline and lots of altitude changes, Forbes arrived at Famoso Drag Strip in Bakersfield, hoping for better elapsed times from the third drag strip on the route.
When the night was complete, Forbes had turned in his first 6-second time slip of the week. “It hooked ok at Famoso and ran 6.67,” said Forbes. “Not quite as fast as it should, but it was a fun ride.”
Then it was negotiating the drive back to Arizona, with a few stops along the way, including Las Vegas for a day of fun.
Once back in Chandler at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, Forbes got serious. “I set the timing up where it should be the last day, and was on the track early when it was cool and prepped,” he said. “I ran 6.43. I was happy with that one!” It pushed his average to a 6.86, enough for a top ten spot.
“Thanks to everyone who made this event possible, it was a blast,” Forbes admitted. “Great to see everyone, and check out the awesome rides, and see the scenery together.”
Did you miss the chance to participate in Death Week? Check out the details on our next one-off event, Sick 66, scheduled for October 2024. More details and ‘expression of interest’ forms available HERE!
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine and James Forbes.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com