BYA RAZOR'S EDGE

Tom Bailey wins his fifth Drag Week to become America’s Fastest Street Car.

- MIKE GALIMI, JORDON SCOTT, JOHN MCGANN

Tom Bailey and engine builder and co-pilot Steve Morris both agree this is the most brutal HOT ROD Drag Week they've ever completed as Bailey secured his fifth Unlimited title with a 6.58 average in a rain-shortened week.

This week was supposed to be a 5-second affair, but it turned into a fight for street car survival for Bailey and Morris in Sick Seconds 2.0, a 1969 Camaro that is purpose-built for drag-and-drive events.

It looked promising when Bailey rifled off a 6.03 at 249 mph in the opening round at World Wide Technology Raceway. However, a post-run evaluation proved to be costly. The Steve Morris Racing SMX billet engine had pinched a piston ring.

The engine was healthy enough to make the drive to Indianapolis and he limped it into Indy Speed Shop for overnight repairs.

The shop is owned by Richie Crampton, former NHRA Top Fuel driver and master fabricator/car builder. Morris and his son, Steve Jr., worked on replacing the engine while Bailey and Crampton addressed a secondary issue: cracked turbo headers. A few cutters, welders, and good ol' ingenuity repaired the headers while the Morris family easily handled the piston swap. The team finished up around 6 a.m., enough time to get a shower at the hotel and head to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for Day Two.