The popular drag-and-drive event features a series of drag racing events held on consecutive days, where the competitors must drive the same street-legal car from track to track. There are no transporters or support teams permitted, only what they can tow behind them on a small, single-axle trailer. Competitors must make at least one run per day and follow a predetermined route from track to track with check points along the way.
Last year, Sweden’s Stefan Gustafsson completed the week with an average elapsed time of 6.677 seconds in his turbocharged Corvette to win overall honors. More than 350 vehicles are expected to participate and compete for trophies in a wide variety of classes. The event also attracts a large number of well-known media personalities and influencers, including Cleetus McFarland, Alex Taylor, and Mike Finnegan.
Part drag racing event and part car show, Sick Week provides a unique experience for spectators, who can watch the action on track before following their favorite racer on the open road and the checkpoints that are set up along the route.
Sick Week was created by Tom Bailey, one of drag-and-drive’s most well-known names. Bailey is a five-time winner of Hot Rod Drag Week, the original drag-and-drive event, and the owner of the world’s quickest street car — the Sick Seconds 2.0 Camaro. Bailey has run as quick as 5.99 seconds and run more than 250 mph.
“Everyone had a great time at the first Sick Week, except for me,” laughed Bailey. “[My car] broke on the first day and then my son, Aydan crashed on the last day, but everything in between that was a blast. The amount of smiles you see from racers cruising between the tracks or setting records was awesome and made us realize we had something special.
“The challenge for the 2023 event is how do we step up? We’ve got some ideas, and we want to make sure that this year has its own feel. Each event should be special and memorable in its own way.”
Bailey said the drag-and-drive scene has exploded in popularity in the last two years, as more and more racers build cars specifically for the niche.
“I think people have realized that building a drag-and-drive car gives you a lot of bang for buck,” Bailey said. “You don’t have to be confined to race events to use your vehicle, and you can bring your friends and family along for the ride. We’re even seeing NHRA racers like Larry Dixon and Clay Millican taking part now, because they’ve seen just how much fun it can be.
“Our sponsors like Gear Vendors Overdrive and Motion Raceworks are driving us to create more and more events — obviously the more cars that are getting built, the more parts they can sell.”
Last year’s first event was, by all measures, a success. Competitor entries sold out in under three minutes and the Motion Raceworks Live Stream featured more than 100,000 viewers each day. YouTube videos accumulated more than 18,000,000 views in the weeks afterward thanks to the presence of big names such as Cleetus McFarland, PFI Speed, Alex Taylor, and 1320 Video.
The event visited NHRA member tracks Bradenton Motorsports Park, Orlando Speed World Dragway, Gainesville Raceway, and South Georgia Motorsports Park.
This year, the event has once again already sold out to racers, although the Peak Sick Ward option is still available for those who prefer to cruise for the week.
This year’s event will start at Orlando Speed World Dragway for testing on Feb. 12 and then the first day of competition on Feb. 13, before heading to Bradenton Motorsports Park (Feb. 14), South Georgia Motorsports Park (Feb. 15), Gainesville Raceway (Feb. 16), and then back to Orlando (Feb. 17).
More information about Sick Week is available at www.sickthemagazine.com/sick-week