Nick Cryer got to celebrate his birthday at the race track, and his twin-turbo ’33 Ford also delivered a present – a wheels-up 4.608 at 157 mph pass, his best run of the week. Just one drive and one more solid run separates the drag and drive veteran from his first overall win, and we caught the ’33 Ford stopped for a minute on our second checkpoint, Lookout Mountain Pizza.
It’s not the first time someone debuted a new build on a drag and drive event, but for Eric Bennecker, this wild Pontiac Tempest Gasser also marks his first dive into racing. The tunnel ram equipped ’67 station wagon has been a hoot to watch all week, airing out the left front wheel on almost every pass.
For the second time in 2025, a Sick The Mag drag and drive added the Junior Street class to the mix. Designed to get teenagers between the ages of 13-16 behind the wheel at a drag strip, a couple of them answered the call for action on Edelbrock Sick Smokies.
Not many choose the nitrous route on a drag and drive versus the other power adder choices, but the competition isn’t laughing when Lamar Swindoll Jr. is on the property. The big block stock suspension ’72 Camaro is right on the edge of a 4-second pass, with a best of 5.017 at nearly 141 mph from Brainerd Motorsports Park.
While Saturday was good for some, it was sour for others. After running into problems at this year’s Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, Robert Freund looked to bounce back at Edelbrock Sick Smokies. But an errant deer had other ideas Saturday night, and the twin-turbo big block powered Tesla caught the brunt of the damage, putting Freund out of competition.
Sunday, October 19th returns the Edelbrock Sick Smokies drag and drive back to where we started, Rocket City Dragway for the final day of racing action, and a chance to crown our class and category champions…