After participating in the first Sick Summer as a co-pilot, Jim Shipley returned to Sick Summer in 2024 for a competitor spot. Wheeling a unique 1988 Ford LTD Country Squire station wagon, would Shipley survive the week?

Although it’s becoming more common to see some familiar rides and names at more than one drag-and-drive event per season, a large majority will choose to participate in different styles of events. And we’re seeing dozens of drag-and-drive competitors putting together solid event results outside of the drag-and-drive event calendar.

One of the most interesting things to consider, especially in the current state of popularity for what the global state of street legal and endurance drag racing looks like, is the fact that the seed took so long to germinate. Consider the fact that long before WWII hot rodders in the western US would take long trips in their cars to get to the dry lakes and beat the stuffing out of them all day and then turn around and drive them home. It’s in the culture and fabric of hot rodding to actually drive the machines we build and then test them to their limits, so why did it take the better part of 70 years to actually start this whole craze?

Erik Lawson has been drag racing since the age of fifteen, and he even passed the drag racing addiction to his son Cooper, who regular enjoys seat time in his junior dragster. But the Lawson boys also enjoy time racing with some street time mixed in.

Despite making his mark initially the drag-and-drive community with an eye-catching 1995 Geo Tracker he refers to as ‘Project Samsquanch’, Vinnie Barbone couldn’t resist the calling of a model that truly inspired him, a Chevrolet Monza. “Basically, I was born into having an H-Body gene encrypted into my body.”

A drag-and-drive can be an amazing experience, from the racing to the drives, checkpoints to the parking lot parties, trailer burnouts and even the thrash sessions. A drag-and-drive can also expose what rides are up to the challenge, but the community comes together to exchange information and help competitors endure and finish a drag-and-drive.

It’s among the most gut wrenching things a car enthusiast can experience when your ride is stolen. Advancements in GPS tracking and theft deterrents have made a dent to bring the numbers down to an extent, but thousand of thefts still happen. And although a recent theft during a drag-and-drive event didn’t have a 100-percent happy ending, the car was recovered thanks to the efforts of the car community and social media at large.

Despite appearances that things are good on the surface, a racer’s mind can be a hamster wheel of thoughts both good and bad on their next run. In Colin Gee’s case, he started thinking about the 1983 Chevrolet Malibu station wagon he had finished in 2023, and his goals for the future.

For the fifth time since 2019, the Midwest Drags was completed last week. Starting in Kentucky and visiting two tracks in the state, the visited a single track in Ohio. The group then returned to Kentucky to complete the week, and crown ten class winners.

The Stark family first joined the drag-and-drive community at the 2019 edition of Rocky Mountain Race Week, with father Tom Stark wielding the shifter handle in his ‘55 Chevy wagon stick shift entry. But just three later, son Blayne and daughter MaCayla moved into the driver’s seat.

There are several proven models and chassis that have been successful over time in drag-and-drive competition. But we also see some unique examples. From station wagons to milk trucks, Triumphs to T-bucket roadsters, we’ve seen a lot. But this could be the only limousine we’ve seen participate in a drag-and-drive.

“Any idea how many times people have towed a car to tech, having never driven it, and made the week still? It’ll see the street for the first time in probably 20 years on the drive to Cordova on Monday.” Quotes like this on a just-finished vehicle gives you an idea you’re in for an epic week!

The drag-and-drive calendar has greatly expanded since the original drag-and-drive, Hot Rod Drag Week, first made an appearance in 2005. But do all the events, both big and small, stay true to the original concept David Freiburger created?

This week’s submission comes from Wyatt Nejdl, who joined father Doug for the second time on a drag-and-drive at this year’s Sick Summer with their 1988 Ford Mustang.

As all of us go through life we receive advice from our elders. Loads of that advice is good and some of it is suspect. I think we can all agree that there are a handful of people in our lives that have delivered advice either by words or example which have helped to form us into the people that we are and that we eventually became. The more colorful the character the more colorful the advice it seems but at the end of the day, we all need some help along the way and advice, whether solicited or not is normally how we get it.

With the increase in the number of drag-and-drive events in the last three years, it’s becoming more commonplace to see competitors at more than one event during a calendar year. There are several that have made their mark in the drag-and-drive world, and one of the top ones is Bryant Goldstone.

Last summer, Chris VanWerden’s Nova garnered a lot of attention, but unfortunately for Chris, it was for the wrong reasons. But one year later, he’s burning the midnight oil to get it back in the game.

What does one have to do with the other, and how does it sound like both rides might be even more fun than before? It all started when Jonathan Whitaker took his ‘93 Ford Mustang Cobra on this year’s Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive.

After years of doing motocross as his hobby, Alex Zastrow decided to take the plunge into not only drag racing, but also into drag-and-drive. Some might consider that a daunting prospect, but with wife Courtney and brother Derek along for the ride, the Zastrows completed their first event at Sick Summer.

Last year, we saw Adam and Jason Kelley hit the ground at Sick Powerfest Presented by Dodge and M1 Concourse with a pair of Ford F100 pick-up trucks and a 3rd-generation Camaro. This year, they will bring two new burnout vehicles that we didn’t get to see last year to defend their title!