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.
THE SUPER BOWL of drag-and-drive is less than 2 weeks away - Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive! Over 300 racers will battle in cool winter temps on four great tracks, and the result will be tons of single-digits runs, possible new records, and a truly awesome experience! It’s a week to not miss - January 27th through February 1st. To grab your discounted advance Sick Week tickets, CLICK HERE! For more details on Sick Week, CLICK HERE!
For Will Fair, it all started at age fourteen with a car that several of us wouldn’t mind owning – a first-generation Chevrolet Camaro. In Will’s case it was a 1968 model, a car that saw both street and track racing, and he still owns it to this day.
Then Will made the move from hard surface to dirt, racing ‘Thunder cars’ at Trailways Speedway in Pennsylvania, followed by Limited Late Models at Maryland’s Hagerstown Speedway. “That was a lot of fun, and a whole lot of work,” said Will.
He then moved into building chopper motorcycles when the movement was hot, but eventually found back into the four-wheeled fun with Pro Street rides, and then no-prep racing.
His most recent effort, a 2001 Chevrolet Camaro, got Will his speed fix with a 632 cubic inch big block, packing twin 88-millimeter turbos and a Bruno-Lenco transmission. “I did the no-prep thing for a short while, then started running with a class in the Maryland area called Warriors ran by Larry Mack,” said Will. “We had some success, and ran with some fast cars and great groups of racers and crews.”
Will even participated on the Street Outlaws No Prep Kings event at Maple Grove Raceway in Pennsylvania. “I lost in the 2nd round, but what an experience that was.”
With good friend and Sick Week co-pilot Dean Leppo by his side, Will decided to embark on his next adventure with a drag-and-drive build. Starting with a serious 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air chassis certified to 6-second SFI specs, Will decided on a big block 565 cubic inch bullet for power.
Sticking with twin-turbochargers for extra sauce, these in a form of 88-millimeter Precision Turbo & Engine versions, Ricky Sellers at Ruthless Performance and Fab in Daytona, Florida handled the pipes for the turbos.
Will put a Rossler Turbo 400 transmission and Neal Chance converter behind the mill up front. At the back, the stock frame rails were relieved of their original mount points for bigger tires, and a Fab 9-inch from Mark Williams, along with a 4-link suspension, was slid in place.
Will and Dean cranked on the ’56 for a solid year, with Ricky Sellers help on turbo plumbing, and selecting Mannie Soler from LTR to wire up the beast. “This car was pretty much a Facebook Marketplace build, except for the transmission,” said Will. “So we will see how it all holds together; fingers crossed.”
At press time, the ’56 Bel Air known as ‘The RedBull’ due to the red color and set of bullhorns it sports, only has a single shakedown lap. But Will is encouraged and excited for this new chapter, as he jumps into the Unlimited Iron class. “Sick Week has been something that was on my bucket list to do,” Will said. “What better way to enjoy your passion then to build it, drive it and race it. It’s the best of all worlds.”
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Will Fair.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com