Nearly two decades ago, Donald ‘Duck’ Long noticed that one of the biggest groups of heads-up racing, Outlaw Drag Radial, wasn’t being given the amount of attention he felt they deserved. So, he did something about it, and sixteen years after the ‘Lights Out’ event debuted at South Georgia Motorsports Park, it remains a destination race for racers and fans where the wild and unpredictable happens, as well as many a record are set.

Paolo Guist would be the lone car to dip into the 3.4-second range in the top tier Radial Versus The World (RVW) class during the first session, clocking a 3.498 at 213.60 MPH blast for the top qualifying spot. The impressive run was just twelve thousandths of-a-second off the world record of 3.486 at 213.83 MPH from ‘Stevie Fast’ Jackson, set last March at Alabama International Dragway. But Guist wasn’t done yet.

With the sun all but gone and track temperatures dropping quickly, the entire list of heads-up classes had completed their first session of qualifying. But the decision was made for one more round of RVW qualifying. Guist would be in the first pair of cars out of the staging lanes, lining up alongside a former Lights Out event winner, Ken Quartuccio.

The scoreboards would show history less than three and-a-half seconds later, and for more than one reason!

Now, this is a story about how the life of Will Fair got flipped upside down by cars, motorcycles and multiple forms of racing, and his latest chapter with a Chevrolet Bel Air.

It’s an interesting tale with street racing, drag racing and dirt track racing, before getting this classic Chevrolet ready for his first drag-and-drive event at this year’s Sick Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive.

Along with best friend and co-pilot Dean Leppo, they brought this ’56 to completion in one year. “This car was pretty much a Facebook Marketplace build, except for the transmission. So we will see how it all holds together; fingers crossed.”

As the drag-and-drive community continues to expand, the number of events has also increased. Sick the Magazine takes our events like Sick Week and Sick Summer a step further than others, putting more emphasis on track prep, and having companies like Mickey Thompson on hand. 

“2024 has been an exceptional year for Mickey Thompson,” said Jason Moulton, Director of Motorsports. “The drag-and-drive scene continues to show growth. These events are among our favorites to go to.”

It’s a slippery slope; prep less and racers could (and normally will) complain about the track. Prep to the level that quick elapsed times demand, and the casual observer will wonder why all the time is spent watching tractors on the live feed or from the grandstands.