How Drag Week might change your life...

Over the last several years, HEMI Joel was bugging me to go with him on Drag Week. I turned down the chance until 2015, when Joel said he would at least bring a cool back up car, his '67 HEMI GTX convertible. I couldn't pass up that chance, and we had a blast, and I told Joel, I would go to Drag Week, as a Trunk Monkey, as long as he was going. It's addicting!

Fast forward to 2016, and Joel, and I arrived in Columbus again with his backup car... But this year I knew what to expect, and wasn't quite in awe as my rookie year, BUT you can then see it on the faces of new participants. Mopar Billy tells the best description of he possibly can of how and what Drag Week feels like, but until you are actually there, and part of it, it CAN'T be described. It's a drug.

On Monday, while waiting for Joel, Jay Brown, and our friend Kevin to run, everyone was getting hungry, so I wondered off to the concession stand to get our crew some food. While in line I met up with Paul, and Joe Castiglione out of New York. Paul was racing his Bright Yellow Challenger, and Joe was following the route with his custom Peterbilt. These guys had grins ear to ear, and were having a ball. Over the week, we met up a few times, and the brothers were always smiling, joking, and had a great time. We keep in touch on Facebook, and it's always cool seeing how close their family is, and the passion they have for Hot Rods, and trucks.

Fast forward to about a month ago, and Kevin, aka: thatdarncat, posted on my Facebook page a local 69 Road Runner for sale, that had been a bracket car for about the last 30 years. The guy that once owned the car was a local legend, and EVERYONE that met Barry, liked him. Unfortunately he passed from cancer about a year ago, and the family sold it another racer, Tom. I think owning a car that was so well known by everyone local, it's hard to have it feel like it is YOUR car, so Tom decided to put the Runner up for sale. When Kevin posted the car for sale, Joe instantly fell in love with the car, and asked if I could get more info on the car, and contact info. I got him everything he needed, and Joe, and Tom made a deal. It would be 3 weeks before the two could meet, up and finalize the deal. Well today Joe made the 1294 mile one way trip to Hudson Wisconsin, and loaded the car up!

At the drivers meeting at Drag Week, David Frieburger lets everyone know, if you are a introvert, you better come out of your shell, because you never know who on Drag Week will change your life... His statement is very true.

I can't wait to see what Joe does with this car to make it his own, and he has talked about making it street legal again, and joining his brother on Drag Week! The car couldn't have gone to a nicer guy.

👍👍👍👍👍. Great post Jerico! HotRod culture and comradery at its finest!
I would love to experience drag week and meet as many like minded people as possible!.... and I’m hopeful that someday I can.

Great story.Thanks for sharing.Next year should be off the charts.Larson,Cline and a few others that havent been for 5 or 6 years will be returning.

Jeff, its' true! Drag Week definitely expands your circle of friends. And it sucks you in and hooks you. But Jeff has had it easy lapping Drag Week in my parade car. Next year Jeff, I am going to work your butt off on Drag Week!

My first Drag Week was as trunk monkey for Jay Brown, and it was a trial by fire. By the end of sunday test day, we had fragged a blower and roasted the transmission. Then blew a trans cooler that oiled the brakes, broke a shock mount, broke a header, dealt with leaking slicks, jammed the oil pump and broke off the oil pump drive shaft plus a bunch of little challenges. We fixed all that thoughout the week, and somehow managed to make it to the next track every day, and finish second in class. Sleep was a rare occurence.

Like a woman who has been thru childbirth, when it was over I said " I can't wait for next time!"

click here for Joel and Jays 2007 Drag Week adventure

You and Billy's stories are one of the reasons I decided to do Drag Week. I have now completed 5. I am not sure if I owe you guys a thanks or if you guys owe me an apology lol.

I would love to participate in Drag Week, seems like a really cool experience. One of these years!

Its already changed my life. I watch all the vids I can of it and you guys that participate in it keep me glued to it.

I have to live thru you guys and the people participating in it for now with envy.

I will switch my car to a G3 this year in hopes of one day being able to participate in Drag Week.

Unfortunately the job I loved for the last 7 years where I had the vacation time available to me, is now gone and my new job will not allow me any....so I am stuck. But hopefully I can make it a Drag Week capable car, and be ready one day.

I didnt go this past year. I watched the live feed the whole time. Someone stopped by my garage and was asking me how I could sit there for hours and hours and watch the live feed. I said it no different than watching racing, football or any other sport except that I know most everyone and enjoy routing for each of my friends that I have made

In 2016, I wrecked my car. And if it wasn't for this site I may never have met Brad Bowers. Somehow I tracked down and started talking to Brad over 10 years ago when I ended up with a set of ported sb edelbrock that once belonged to him. When I wrecked my car, it was him and his buddy Tory that saved the day. Me and my gf spent a day over Tory's house a few months ago and I now talk to those guys daily.

Tory and Brad shipping me parts to get my car back together and my copilot bought me a new set of wheels. I would have never been able to pay for this stuff to get my car back together. It took months after DW was over to pay everyone back and I worked my ass off to do that and they said it a hundred times, that they were just happy to be a part of my win. And I am so grateful for what everyone did for me.

My 06 and 08 DW experiences with Eddie were completely exhauating over a 9-10 day stretch and amazing experiences. My 2016 DW was completely exhausting over a 8 month stretch.

Mopar Billy and his family are on another level of complete insanity. Well deserving of the Spirit of Drag Week award. I always say I want to follow those guys on the route but the truth is that they just scare me that I wouldn't have the energy to keep up with them

Drag Week is on my bucket list!

The stories on here of drag week adventures were inspiration for my father and i to start planning our own trip to drag week in my 15 scat pack challenger. He unfortunately passed suddenly from pneumonia complications and we never got to make the trip. I sold the challenger to help with his estate but never gave up the dream of at least being at a drag week. I made it to cordova this year as a spectator and had a riot. My Dad would have loved it! Hopefully i can get my valiant finished in the next few years and try and make the full event. Thanks to everyone on here for their tales of dw.

What Hot Rodding is all about right here!

I really want to do DW at least once, after reading MoparBillys tales.
I ran the first Drag Weekend in Arizona, Oct. 2015, and had a blast, met some good people, some from this site, even Billy himself stopped by while we were at Phoenix to say hello.
Being out here in Cali, and most likely driving alone here to there, then DW itself and back alone would be kinda tough, so we'll see.

You could always tag along with someone once you get to DW. As Billy has mentioned, their family and many others have had empty Trunk Monkey seats. I don't think the Aussie Chevelle guys have ever had a hotel reservation booked before arriving, but somehow find a place to sleep.

awesome story you posted. my wife and i too met Joe and Paul at drag week 2016, along with Pauls son Paulie. they are great guys and we keep in touch as well. you are correct, that car couldn't have gone a better family and a better guy.

After years of reading Billy's and Ray's stories and wasting all week at work watching the live feed, I finally made the plunge in 2016. My father was the trunk monkey in the car he/we built as I was growing up.

I took the advice of others, and had a pretty well sorted combo, and only had to open the dumps and adjust tire pressure when we got to the track in the morning. Billy joked that we were making it look easy after his tales of trials and tribulations. I will say that while an uneventful week was still long, it didn't make for nearly as entertaining as a story. We had a blast, but didn't socialize too much as we were part of the "one and done" crowd and weren't hanging around the tracks too late.

It is addicting, and I will be back, but I told myself I wouldn't return until I could be competitive in the class I was entered. Hoping to start on my dart this winter...but a new house might interfere with those plans

I've thought about it, but would rather get to run my own car, but its a option.

Awesome stories! Looking forward to see that RR on the live feed next year. Like several of you I went to one or two of the days and have put it on my bucket list to do. Have to find a car first but will make it happen someday.

Moparts seriously needs a LIKE button.

Every year we do not get to go, we stream it on the big tv at the office.

2011 was my first year and on registration day, I kept thinking "I can't believe I'm really here, at Drag Week! This must be a dream". Haha

It gets in your blood to the point where "DragWeek-ibility" weighs in to every little change you make to the car.

Love it, and love that my kids are excited about doing it too!

I have a couple friends that do Dragweek, blue twin turbo Geo Tracker, and I pretty much know that I wouldn't be able to handle Dragweek. I don't even like driving long distance in a comfortable SUV let alone a hot rod lol. If I made myself do it I would enjoy it though, my Duster would be good for it as I already drive it a lot, especially if I were able to put an overdrive in it.

Does Hot Rod magazine put any money up for winning or completing this deal ? If not, why not?
They make a lot of magazine sells off of this deal, correct
If I'm going to put my time, money and effort into competing in any competive automotive deal like this I want to be compensated if and when I win :twocents
Is there any side betting between competitors that a guy can make some money back on

They don't put up money because they don't have to. No cash prizes, and they still get almost 400 racers. Personally, I don't entertain any fantasy of ever making any money off of racing. Racing is a money pit, and I accept that. I work at my business to make money, I race to dispose of it.

At least you know who you are and what you like
What's the old adage about many very rich men have become moderately wealthy from racing

Prizes can really have a tendency to bring out the cry-babies. I read somewhere that Keith Turk agreed to run Drag Week, and be the tech heavy, only if there was no cash prizes. But on the other hand, so can racing for ego. When I was a director of FAST racing, even though 95% of the racers were awesome; in it for the fun, friendships and cars, I unfortunately learned how easily the 5% who are whiners or worse, and their minions can mess up a good thing. Nobody wants Drag Week to get messed up with whiners. It's the original point of Jericos post here: The friendships that develop from the event are an important part of it.

we had a great time both drag weeks i've run so far 2015 my girls t type buick [ quickest buick average in the history of drag week ] and we both ran in 2016 we were out buy the second track great times and great people funnest thing i've done with my car in 33 yrs with out being ARRESTED !!!! lol CAN'T WAIT TO GO BACK

Great story Jeff/Joel!