The Race to Win the Sick Street Race Class – Aaron Shaffer and Dustin Trance Race Not Only Each Other, But the Clock as Well

With over 300 competitors in sixteen classes, there was something for everyone to watch at the 2023 Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive event.

But one class in particular came closer than most, and would establish a new class record of average time against a class lowest elapsed time available.

The Sick Street Race class started with 26 participants, and by the second day, the focus for the top spot had shifted to Aaron Shaffer and Dustin Trance. Both drivers had tasted victory previously in drag-and-drive competition, Shaffer on Rocky Mountain Race Week, and Trance on Hot Rod Drag Week.

Both opened with respectable passes on day one at Orlando ‘Sick’ World Dragway, with Shaffer holding the advantage over Trance via an 8.516 pass versus an 8.527 for Trance. That margin was widened at Bradenton Motorsports Park where Shaffer lit the scoreboards with an 8.502, to a best for Trance of an 8.522.

The two competitors clocked nearly matching 8.52 passes on the third day at South Georgia Motorsports Park, but Gainesville Raceway would find the averages widening once again. After both drivers had a couple shots at the track, Schaffer produced a perfect 8.500 at 163 mph. Trance sat in the water box one pair after Shaffer, and got a heartbreaking 8.499 pass, one thousandth of-a-second too fast and unable to turn in.

After several more passes, Trance finally got an 8.510 at 159 mph, bring the averages to 8.510 for Schaffer and 8.520 for Trance.

At the final stop at Orlando ‘Sick’ World Dragway, Shaffer got the first shot, and returned an 8.58. Trance followed with an 8.59, and now the race was on to see who would get closest to the 8.50 limit. Eventually, both drivers would return 8.51 timeslips, and with those turned in, Shaffer would record the lowest Street Race / Limited Street class-winning average in drag-and-drive history, an 8.510. Trance recorded his best average ever as well with an 8.159.  

Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick The Magazine.