Aydan Bailey scored his first-ever drag-and-drive victory at the Sick Michigan Miles Presented by Driven Racing Oil, piloting his 1957 Chevy wagon to the overall win after a grueling week of eighth-mile racing and road miles across Michigan. The 22-year-old local averaged a 5.242 across four tracks to edge out Evan Uerkwitz, who finished second with a 5.430 in his 1979 Chevy Malibu, and TJ Linebaugh, third with a 5.439 in his 1978 Ford Fairmont wagon.
Bailey, son of six-time Drag Week champion Tom Bailey, kept it simple all week long, making “one-and-done” passes each day and letting consistency carry him to the top. His opening 5.243 at Milan Dragway put him in second place behind Uerkwitz, who set the week’s quickest official lap with a 5.116. But when the event rolled into Northern Michigan Dragway, Bailey’s 5.266 vaulted him into the lead. He never looked back, adding a 5.245 at Ubly Dragway and closing with a stout 5.215 on the final day back at Milan to seal the deal.
“We have been doing a lot of eighth-mile testing in the last year to get the car better sorted out,” Bailey said. “It’s an LS twin-turbo engine with a Rossler Turbo 400 transmission and a Gear Vendors overdrive, so it is a reliable beast that is going to do the same thing every time. The long wheelbase with big tires helps us get down a lot of surfaces. Richard Crampton did a great job building the chassis — the thing just hooks and goes.”
The week wasn’t without challenges. Bailey and his co-pilot — none other than his father, Tom — had to deal with cracked street-tire rims and a broken strut to keep the wagon roadworthy across more than 1,000 miles. Along the way, the Sick Michigan Miles caravan crossed the Mackinac Bridge, soaked in the lakeside scenery, and even made a stop at the legendary Woodward Dream Cruise.
With Michigan in the books, the Sick events calendar now shifts south for Edelbrock Sick Smokies, October 12-19, 2025, with Gassers, Appalachian mountain roads, and another week of drag-and-drive adventure waiting.
This story was originally published on August 17, 2025. 
