Tom McGilton’s ‘Why Not’ Camaro Catches Fire During Testing for Sick Week
A well-known ride in the drag-and-drive community, Tom McGilton’s Camaro was at Orlando ‘Sick’ World Dragway today, as part of pre-Sick Week testing during the Cadillac Attack event.
Unfortunately, the first run on the car in about a year-and-a-half resulted in a fire, and although Tom escaped unharmed, the same can’t be said for the Camaro.
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We hadn’t seen Tom’s Camaro he calls ‘Why Not’ since appearing on the first Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive in 2022.
The 2013 ZL1 was in control of the Pro Street class with a 7.22 at 199 mph on day one, and a 7.29 at 186 mph pass on day three. But then Tom experienced engine woes to drop out of the running.
The return of the Camaro to Sick Week was a story we were looking forward to covering, but the return was short lived. “It was the first run, and I shut it off just passed the eighth-mile mark,” said Tom. “I didn’t know anything was wrong until I was just about to exit the shutdown area, and fire came up through the hood!”
Tom got the car stopped, and stated the fire safety team from Orlando was right on the scene. Combined with an onboard fire system, the damage was regulated to the engine bay, and although Yom believes the engine isn’t damaged, extensive damage to the wiring, plus the hood and body panels puts Tom is out of competition.
“I’m not one hundred percent sure what started the fire,” said Tom. “It was either a drive belt, or a loose injector O-ring. The car has an onboard fire system, and I’m grateful for it and the safety gear I was wearing. I didn’t see any fire damage inside the car, but when I got the car stopped and got out, my feet were hot.”
Although he’s out of competition, Tom will still take part in Sick Week and “be a pain in the ass” to his daughter Audrea Beeler, as she competes with her ZL1-powered Chevrolet El Camino.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Tom McGilton and Audrea Beeler.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com