Will Sick Week Be Michael Westberg’s Final Drag-and-Drive in the US?
After taking the drag-and-drive trip two times in the United States as a passenger, Michael Westberg’s third trip as a passenger took place on Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive in 2022.
Riding with Mikael Borggren, Westberg was exposed to the six and seven-second rides, and it was enough to get him to commit to taking the plunge stateside as a driver at the 2022 edition of Hot Rod Drag Week.
Piloting a turbocharged S-10 truck that had scored victories in 2019 and 2021 in Sweden, Westberg was optimistic about his chances stateside.
Packing a 400 cubic inch LS engine with a pair of Precision 86/85 turbochargers, backed with a Turbo 400 3-speed and controlled by FuelTech, the truck was competitive right out of the gate at Hot Rod Drag Week 2022, clocking a 6.53 at 212 mph on day one to sit second in Unlimited to Tom Bailey’s class-leading 6.03. Westberg would chew away at Bailey’s lead over the next three days, resulting in only a two-thousandths of-a-second difference in their averages by the end of day four. An unfortunate rain-out on the final day meant Westberg would finish a close second to Bailey’s 1969 Chevrolet Camaro.
Sick Week 2023 Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive will feature hundreds of America’s fastest street cars, racing and cruising through Florida and southern Georgia.
Sick Ward tickets / Individual day spectator tickets are available here.
After Drag Week, Westberg sent the engine off for a refresh at Ace Racing Engines in California. “We had some issues with the engine during Drag Week, so we were afraid of a DNF throughout the week,” Westberg said. “That should be sorted after the refresh. We have a new gadget to test out to help with the tuning, but mainly we're going to test some this week to try and find the missing performance.”
Sadly, his prep for Sick Week could be the final time Westberg pilots the truck, as it’s currently up for sale. “It's not sold yet, but there are a couple very interested buyers,” Westberg said. “If I sell, I am planning on another vehicle for drag and drive back in Sweden for the time being.”
- Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick The Magazine.