Drag-And-Drive Battle: Niklas Lindrin Headlines Sick Week 2026 Winners

Drag-and-drive events are the ultimate test of any street car, or anything that claims to be a street car. The drives between tracks are grueling, and competitors have to be ready to push their vehicles to the limit. Mix in challenging weather, and you have a recipe for an anything-can-happen situation, and that’s exactly what happened during Sick Week 2026.

Sick Week has become one of the top drag-and-drive events in the world. Each year, the event visits Gainesville Raceway, South Georgia Motorsports Park, Bradenton Motorsports Park, and Orlando Speed World Dragway, rotating the order annually. The weather is usually fairly pleasant, but this year Mother Nature tossed a nasty curveball at competitors with frigid temperatures that dipped into the 30-degree Fahrenheit range.

The biggest story heading into Sick Week 2026 was the $10,000 bounty and the battle to become the first competitor to achieve a five-second average during a drag-and-drive event. Tom Bailey, Josh Davis, Bryant Goldstone, Stefan Gustafsson, and Jeff Lutz all brought the big guns in an effort to shatter that barrier.

However, the drag-and-drive gods had other plans. After the first day at Gainesville, no driver made a five-second pass. Jeff Lutz dropped out after struggling at Gainesville, and Bryant Goldstone crashed on his final pass, ending his run for the week.

The Unlimited class quickly turned into an all-out war of attrition. Tom Bailey, who experienced issues at Gainesville, dropped out after South Georgia Motorsports Park. Stefan Gustafsson followed shortly after. Josh Davis appeared to have the Unlimited class title firmly in hand, but a fire at Orlando eliminated him from contention.

When the carnage finally settled in the Unlimited class, Niklas Lindrin and his 1967 Pontiac Firebird remained. His 6.490 average was enough to hold off Nick Cryer’s 1933 Ford Coupe and secure the Unlimited class victory.

Unlimited Iron delivered a week-long battle between Les Smith and Alex Taylor. Taylor opened the event with a personal-best 6.558 on day one at Gainesville but stumbled at SGMP, managing only a 7.458 compared to Smith’s 6.999. That difference ultimately proved decisive, allowing Smith’s 6.860 average to edge out Taylor’s 6.868 average for the week.

Alan Whitaker was the picture of consistency in Heavy Metal during Sick Week 2026. His string of high six-second passes, along with a single low seven-second run, was enough to get the job done. Whitaker finished the week with a 7.001 average.

While plenty of racers fell out during Sick Week, Val Morris was not one of them. Morris was locked in a tight battle all week with Chris Benoure and ultimately emerged on top. When the averages were calculated, Morris posted a 7.151 average to defeat Benoure’s 7.188 average.

In Pro Street, Nick Rinehart captured the win with a 6.813 average. Super Street saw Bradley Arnold take the Sick Week victory thanks to a 7.159 average, while the Sick Shift class win went to Darin Hendricks with an 8.235 average.

Here is the full list of Sick Week 2026 winners and event results:

Less Smith: Unlimited Iron

Bradley Arnold: Super Street

Darin Hendricks: Stick Shift

Alan Whitaker: Heavy Metal

Trevor Branden: Sick Week Freaks

Tanner Stover: Rowdy Radial

Randy Fuller: Naturally Aspirated

Val Morris: Modified

Robbie Wysuph: Gasser

Robby Wysuph: Gassers vs Hot Rods vs Beetles

Randy Seward Street Race 275

Jason Tabscott: Naturally Aspirated Small Block

Brian Acton: Sick Street Race

Jimmy Rinehart Pro DYO

John O’Malley: Sick Bulls Eye Challenge

Nick Rinehart: Pro Street

Jonathan Montesino: DYO

Honestly, simply finishing a drag-and-drive event is a victory in itself. The challenges these events present are truly unique in the drag racing world. They give gearheads the opportunity to not only take their rides on the ultimate road trip, but also flog them down the track at some of the coolest racing facilities in the country.