The ‘Uncle Sam’ Camaro is Back on Track, and Nick Taylor is Ready to Hit the Drag-and-Drive Campaign Trail, Starting at Sick Summer
After being on the sidelines for close to two years, what better time to bring back Uncle Sam than an election year? The 1991 Camaro got finished in time to participate in the first Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive in 2022, and Nick Taylor completed the event.
Just three months later, the Camaro was sidelined due to a no-prep crash, but after two business ventures and a move from his home state of Indiana, Nick is ready to return to the drag-and-drive scene in 2024.
Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks is next week: June 9th-14th 2024! It’s the drag-and-drive you need to start your summer right: 350 cars, 4 different race tracks, awesome checkpoints, and over 600 miles of street driving! Click here for all the details!
The Camaro known as ‘Uncle Sam’ is the latest ride that Nick (aka Nicky Bobby) has wheeled in both drag-and-drive, as well as the no-prep world. “It was built in the 1990s, and at one point had a third pedal for a clutch set-up,” said Nick. It’s been rumored to go 4.30 with a big cubic inch nitrous motor back in the early 2000s.” The ’91 Camaro has been a race car all its life, and despite missing a few of the essentials for the street, Nick converted it for drag-and-drive duty.
After completing Sick Week in February, the car made an appearance at a drag-and-drive exhibition during the opening event of the National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) 2022 series as part of the Sick the Magazine Shootout one month later.
Fast forward to May of 2022, and Nick would compete in War In The Woods, a big no prep race at Brown County Dragway in Indiana. That would be where Uncle Sam’s campaign would be derailed.
“When I wrecked the car, I only had eleven passes on it,” said Nick. “It ran its first (and only) 6-second pass on the seventh run of Sick Week, and I only made one more pass after that, the final day’s run.”
The damage left from War in the Woods was limited to the front end and firewall, and although he got started on the repairs not long after the wreck, Nick’s main focus wasn’t on racing. “I don’t want to be in a position where racing takes away from me running the business right,” he said.
With a recent move from Indiana to Arkansas, as well as splitting from his previous business in Indiana to focus on a new venture, Nickky Bobby Inc., Nick dove headfirst into making parts and getting his roots established.
The love for racing and cars never wavered, and he did make it out to several events. But Uncle Sam would be forced to wait for his chance to return.
“Alex and Dennis Taylor have been huge motivational factors in getting Uncle Sam back again,” said Nick. “They’ve been encouraging me to fix it when I’ve been trying to focus on the business, and I appreciate that support to get back behind the wheel.”
So Nick started making more time for Uncle Sam, completing the front end and firewall, installing a 388 cubic inch LS-based engine with Forced Performance 80/82-millimeter turbochargers and a Powerglide behind it. He was even able to make some shakedown passes on it during a test session in April 2024.
Nick was invited to be one of the eight competitors in the PEAK Street Car Shootout street-legal drag-and-drive exhibition as part of the Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Chicago’s Route 66 Raceway.
At Route 66, Nick advanced to the semifinal round, producing a best of the weekend 7.14 at 193 mph pass with a 1.12 60 foot on what some have said was a tricky surface. “I’m very happy with how the car ran all weekend,” Nick said. “Looking at the datalog, this car has much quicker runs in it.”
With two successful outings for Uncle Sam, Nick is now prepping for his return to the drag-and-drive scene at the upcoming Sick Summer event. “I’ve done Rocky Mountain Race Week with the Maliboost (a turbo G-body Chevrolet Malibu), Mountain Dew (a turbo LS-swapped Ford Mustang that he partnered with Lon Tibbs on), and the Gap Train (a turbo GMC Sonoma),” said Nick. I’ve also done Hot Rod Drag Week with Maliboost and Mountain Dew. After not doing a drag-and-drive for two years, I’m excited.”
“I love small tire racing, but I really love drag-and-drive. My dad Todd has never done a drag-and-drive, so he’s joining me for Sick Summer. We’ve gone racing together a bunch, but never a drag-and-drive. My goals are to finish Sick Summer with my dad, hopefully with a 6-second average, but main goal is to finish it.”
The best way to start a fun-filled summer is Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks! 6 days, 4 tracks, over 600 miles, and one hell of a road trip! See 6-second / 200-mph rides like Alex Taylor, Bryant Goldstone, Cleetus McFarland, Nick Taylor, Clark Rosenstengel, and over 300 more street cars and trucks, as they travel the roads and battle on the drag strips, of the Midwest.
Want to join us? Spectator tickets and Sick Ward spots are available! Click here to find out more!
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine, Motion Raceworks, 1320 Video, Nick Taylor and Megan Taylor.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com