Tom Bailey was one of those racers determined to see how far a tag and insurance would blend into a Pro Mod . To some people , it was the coolest thing you could ever have on the road , to others it was sacrilege – a violation of the spirit of a street car .

Drag Week-style racing first caught Bailey ’ s attention for a number of reasons . The most important was how much use he could get from a car .

“ You ’ ll hear someone say they have a drag car , and then it is sitting in a garage or barn , and they haven ’ t had time to race it ,” Bailey begins . “ The vehicle has no other use . With Drag Week builds , you can use it from time to time as a daily driver

or take it to the track .

“ The other thing is that with events like Drag Week or Midwest Drags or Rocky Mountain Race Week , you are able to visit more tracks in a week than most people do in a year . When my kids were younger , there ’ s all the sport practice and all the other events that come with it , you don ’ t get much time for yourself . So if you can take a week for yourself and dedicate that as your time

to go racing , it gets you by for another year . That seems like a good alternative , as well as being able to drive it on the street , of course .”

For all of the Internet comments featuring personal opinions about what a street car is , the fact of the matter remains . Bailey has to complete around a thousand miles of street driving for each Drag Week . It drives on the streets , and it ’ s a car . Street car .

PHOTOGRAPHS BY LUKE NIEUWHOF