Back in the Summer of ’69 – Steve Rzewnicki Follows in Father’s Footsteps at Sick Summer with a Storied 1969 Dodge Charger
It was about a year ago that Steve Rzewnicki joined a group of enthusiasts from Streetcar Shenanigans Performance for his first drag and drive event, the Sick Summer Presented By Motion Raceworks.
He not only completed his first event but did so in a car that carries a family history, and Rzewnicki is preparing to return to Sick Summer next month.
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While he’s done some track racing at US 41 Dragstrip in street car-type classes, as well as the no prep King of Hillsboro at a Wisconsin airport, Rzewnicki’s experience on Sick Summer was an eye-opening was eye opening for him. “We had so much fun,” said Rzewnicki. “We had a whole team of cars from Streetcar Shenanigans Performance.”
For his first drag and drive appearance, Rzewnicki wheeled a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T in the popular Dial Your Own (DYO) class. “I inherited from my dad and grew up with it,” said Rzewnicki. “My dad bought it in the late 90’s, and it didn’t make a pass until 2019.”
To lay down consistent 11-second times during Sick Summer, the Charger packs a 446 cubic inch powerplant with Trick Flow cylinder heads and a Holley EFI system. A 727 automatic transmission with a PTC converter back the mill.
The Charger delivered a mid 11-second pass at each and every stop on Sick Summer, and by the end of the week with the math done between his quickest pass at 11.529 and his slowest pass at 11.564. Rzewnicki had a .035 of-a-second variance. This finished third out of nearly 100 entries in the DYO class, earning Rzewnicki a third-place award to go with completing his first event.
“We only lost a fuel pump on day 4,” said Rzewnicki of his Sick Summer experience. “I can’t wait for the next one.” Since his first drag and drive event, Rzewnicki has added some upgrades to the Charger, including a pair of Cal-Tracs, Viking Performance double adjustable shocks, and an anti-roll bar from TRZ Motorsports.
Rzewnicki even added a second event to this schedule for 2025, participating in the Back To The Streets event this month, before returning to Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks next month. “I love having a street car and you can’t fake a drag and drive,” Rzewnicki said. “If your car completes it, despite what anyone says, it’s a street car.”
Rzewnicki would like to win a drag and drive class, be a part of the Sick Week event, and pop a wheelie in the near future. And he plans to do it with girlfriend Jennifer Revenko as my co-pilot. “She loves to help me with the car and taking videos.”
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com