After only a few people have entered the 7-second zone naturally aspirated in drag-and-drive events, ‘Fast Eddie’ Ensor definitely opened up the conversation at Sick Summer Presented by TBM Brakes in 2023.

Completing the week with a 7.53 average, along with a best single pass of 7.46 at 184 mph, Ensor set the record for Naturally Aspirated classes, and 2024 shows he’s coming for more.

This colorful 1976 Chevrolet Nova has already secured a class victory at Hot Rod Drag Week in 2022, along with a pair of top three finishes at Sick Week in 2002 and 2023.

But for Drag Week in 2023, Jerry and Matt Sweet rolled to the starting line on day one packing a new engine combination north of 800 cubic inches, putting the Nova into the 7-second zone for the first time in competition. They didn't finish the week last year; will they complete the task this time around?

During this year’s Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks, Frank Webb shot onto our radars on day two with a massive triple-wheelie from his 1978 Ford Fairmont.

It got Webb and the Ford a lot of attention, but it also resulted in a trip to the tower looking for a replacement Aeromotive mechanical fuel pump, when the wheelie claimed his pump. Would it be the second-straight DNF for the 7-second Ford?

For the second time in a month, multiple drag-and-drive names we recognize are making their mark at local tracks, big events, and even test-and-tune sessions to post personal best times.

After a successful drag-and-drive debut at Hot Rod Drag Week in 2023, Jack Brooks looked to continue his drag-and-drive adventure at this year’s Sick Week and Sick Summer. Neither panned out as he wanted, so it was back to the drawing board, and a bunch of changes, to plot his return to Hot Rod Drag Week.

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.

The two lists that determine early entry for the 2025 edition for Sick Summer Presented by Motion Raceworks are the Top 100 Averages, and the Top Individual Runs.

The 8th stop on the Street Car Takeover event tour of 2024 was held at zMax Dragway in Charlotte, North Carolina. Always a well-attended event in multiple classes, a couple of Sick Week competitors found themselves as the top rides in the popular Street Racer class.

The Diehl brothers and Chris Merry appeared to be ready for Sick Summer 2024, but they decided that a little tune-up was needed. So they popped into a Street Car Takeover event at US 131 Motorsports Park, held just one day before registration and tech day at Sick Summer.

“Just a reminder, if you’re building a combo and it isn’t an exact mirror of a known good one, get ready to work a lot.”

“I think it showed the maximum of what we can accomplish on this turbo. There might be a little left, but we hung it out pretty good.”

“The biggest challenge (with a drag-and-drive) is accepting the reality that you may not do as good as you wanted to, and refraining from making stupid tune up decisions so you can make a clean pass and get on the road.”

Recently, a pair of stick shift performances, one by a drag-and-drive competitor, as well as a Cadillac nearing the 6-second zone, got our attention from a test session in Michigan.

In February of 2024, after the latest round of upgrades and a visit to Nicolas Performance for a tune-up, Colby Davis posted a short dyno clip to his Instagram page showing 2156 rear-wheel-horse-power!

Ford definitely got some eyeballs with a 7.75 at 180 mph pass in their Super Cobra Jet 1800 at last weekend’s NHRA Winternationals; will it open people’s minds to the possibility of owning, driving and even racing electric cars in the future?

“I would like to run at least one 6-second pass at Hot Rod Drag Week, and finish in the top three in my class.”

With the huge upswing of drag-and-drive events in the last two years, several have speculated what it takes to be competitive in classes, and what the top 100 averages look like, has been mentioned a few times.

It’s official; the first drag-and-drive of the 2024 season is in the books. And, the starting point on the top 100 averages list, as well as the top 100 single passes, has been created!

A drag raced and driven Honda S2000 that gets quicker and quicker every year.