Tribute cars aren’t uncommon in the street machine world, but often the emphasis is placed on authenticity rather than personality, lest they be judged by the dozens of other owners of identical vehicles.

Thankfully, that’s not the case for Nick Wiegand and his Smokey and the Bandit-inspired ’76 Pontiac Trans Am. We’re sure Burt Reynolds himself would have been impressed with the combination of subtle black-and-gold nods and horsepower that Nick has blended into his own screaming chicken.

“In the meantime, my dad had so much fun at Drag Week in 2019, that we started building a gasser for him afterwards. “

We know Jessie Harris isn’t afraid to exercise his 6.7-liter Cummins diesel-powered 1975 Chevrolet 1/2-ton pick-up on the street and the track during numerous drag-and-drive events. But what does it make for power?

“I love driving my car every day, everywhere. Drag racing and meeting new people that enjoy the same hobby is what has gotten me interested in the drag-and-drive world.”

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!

While we did write about several track closures in 2023, it was refreshing to hear and see about a few tracks coming back to life as well. It’ll be just a few weeks before a popular track in Alabama re-opens with a new name, Rocket City Dragway, this spring.

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’ve never run a seven-second pass, and if I can get one, I’ll leave a happy man.” Considering Kyle Williams finished second in the small tire class at the 2023 Miles of Mayhem event, TX2K would give him a solid chance for that 7-second blast.

Although he exited before the final round was contested, the big news out of Alabama is Stevie ‘Fast’ Jackson’s record run of 3.48 at 213.82 mph, setting a new mark for the quickest radial-tire car.

Will Stevie ‘Fast’ Jackson be able to capture his second-straight Radial Versus the World win this weekend?

Sourcing decent food during a drag-and-drive is fraught with trouble. That’s why the sketchy-looking Mexican joint with steel bars on the windows may be your best bet. I know that sounds counterintuitive, so let me explain...

Hoping the 5.3-liter LS-based combination had one more solid run in it, Rich Woodward spooled up the twin-turbo Mustang and rocketed off the starting line. But by the time he reached the finish line, things had changed; a lot!

“I’ve been looking for a clean ‘72 for a while now, since my dad sold his in late 1999 early 2000. “

“I bought the car about three years ago as a roller and I’ve just been chipping away at it. It has a SFI 25.3 chassis already, and the cage work was complete and certified, had all the tin work done, and brakes done too.”

After six days of racing, weather and personal best for more than just a few drivers, the 25th anniversary of TX2K is in the books, and champions have been crowned in the thirteen drag racing classes, as well as four roll racing classes.

Both racing and watching heads-up is a day full of edge-of-your-seat fun. But there’s also many of us that don’t have the cubic dollars to compete in races like these, where the old saying comes into play: “Speed costs money, how fast do you want to go?”

“Drag-and-drive is an opportunity for me and my husband to get to spend time just the two of us, doing what we love most, together and working as a team. Supporting each other, directing each other and just flat out laughing our asses off.”

Felicia Smith has become well known for her 2009 Cadillac CTS-V sedan, better known as ‘4 Door Rocket,’ and Felicia can trace some of her racing and automotive addiction to high school, where she attended an automotive tech class as part of her studies.

“I think we are done on 235s. We did what we wanted; we won twice in Rowdy Radial in the same year.”

“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.”