Each year, the folks at HOT ROD Magazine hold the most grueling test of man and machine, known as Drag Week. Crisscrossing the Midwest along with a stop in the Northeast, this week long affair of brute horsepower being pushed to the extremes continues to build steam each year as competitors vie to prove once and for all who truly has the quickest and fastest street car in the world. The 2010 edition kicked off with the traditional test ‘n tune day at National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio, followed by the opening day in the same location. Then, it was off O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, Milan Dragway in Milan, Michigan, Pittsburgh Raceway Park in New Alexandria, Pennsylvania, and coming to a conclusion right back where the tour started in Columbus.

Day one of Drag Week 2010 kicked off on Tuesday morning in Columbus, with excitement in the air as this fun-filled week of cruising, drag racing, and yes, performing repairs, was about to get underway following a year of buildup and preparation. As expected, Larry Larson and his familiar ’66 Chevy II came out strong right out of the box, leading the way in the Unlimited class with a great 7.16 pass. Larson burned up the clutch in the car during Monday’s testing and was helped out by fellow competitor Jeff Lutz, who loaned the parts needed to make the repairs. Lutz himself made a nice 7.41 lap to finish out the day in second. Eddie Miller and his purple ’73 Duster all the way from Florida led the Pro Street category with an 8.43, and Todd Maschmeier led the Modified Power Adder class with an 8.21 from his ’68 Camaro.

Day Two: O’Reilly Raceway Park

From there, it was off to the Hoosier State and the O’Reilly Raceway Park on Wednesday, where Larry Larson made a huge statement with an incredible 7.01 pass, leaving him just short of the six second barrier. With his sights set on clicking off a six-second lap, it’s just a matter of time this week before he accomplishes the feat. Jeff Lutz also cracked the 200 mile per hour mark, joining the very elite HOT ROD Drag Week 200 MPH club, if he can finish out the trip.

Eric Yost also lowered the mark in Pro Street, with a 7.57 that leads by several tenths, but with an average just .02 behind Eddie Miller. Maschmeier did likewise in the Power Adder class with a 7.93 at 173 miles per hour. Rick Prospero leads the Big Block Power Adder class with an 8.53 best and an 8.60 average, nearly .03 quicker than the next competitor.

Day Three: Milan, Michigan

The strong field of cars pulled out of the gates in Indianapolis and headed up to Michigan and the Milan Dragway, well know for its heads-up, street car racing. Larry Larson blasted to a 7.15 at 205 miles per hour best in his Nova on what was said to be a very slick racing surface. Meanwhile, Jeff Lutz made his presence known with a 7.06 that paced the Unlimited class for the day, and gaining some ground on Larson’s average ET. Eric Yost jumped to the top of the pack in Pro Street with the Drag Radial-equipped Firebird, running an 8.01 at 173 MPH lead Eddie Miller by a tenth and half in average for the week. Todd Maschmeier remaining consistent, running yet another 7.96 best for the second day in a row to lead Modified Power Adder.

Day Four: Pittsburgh Raceway Park

Following the days activities in Milan, it was off to the Pittsburgh Raceway Park for day four of Drag Week 2010. Larry Larson continued to knock on the six-second door, running a best of 7.11 on the day, while Jeff Lutz was right there with a 7.11 of his own at a booming 200 miles per hour. In doing so, Lutz moved to within a tenth of Larson’s lead average. Eric Yost pounded out a 7.83 at 176 to lower the mark in Pro Street on a day that saw second place runner Eddie Miller succumb to problems, ending his Drag Week campaign.

That moved Michael Roy into second with an 8.63 average for the week. In the Big Block Naturally Aspirated category, Collin Williams and his ’99 Camaro leads with a 9.62 average, giving him a couple tenth advantage on the class. In Pro Street Naturally Aspirated, Clark Rosenstengel, who led the class all week, also saw his week come to an early end, handing his sizable lead over to Darrin Pape and his ’73 Vega.

Final Stop Back to National Trail Raceway

On a day when everyone typically lets it all hang out with the knowledge that there are no more highway miles to survive, the tour wound its way back to National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Larry Larson stunned everyone with a 6.95 at 209 mile per hour blast that solidified his place as the fastest street car in America, concluding the week with a 7.07 average elapsed time, edging out Lutz’s 7.18 average following a 7.10 on the final day. Eric Yost walked away with the Pro Street crown, running a 7.92 best on Saturday to finish up with an 8.03 average, more than a half second quicker than second place Michael Roy. Darrin Pape and his Vega finished off the Pro Street Naturally Aspirated category, and Todd Maschmeier rounded out a solid week with the Modified Power Adder victory, running an 8.12 on the last day for an 8.15 average, well ahead of the rest of the category.

Rick Prospero won the Big Block Power Adder class with an 8.57 average following an 8.60 best at Columbus, ahead of Shannon Carnathan’s second place 9.00. Collin Williams drove his Camaro to a nice 9.67 at 138 miles per hour on Saturday to conclude a class that he virtually dominated, finishing up with a 9.70 average that outdistanced second place Gary Satterlee by over three tenths. Jamie Hacking was the Small Block Power Adder champ with a 10.10 average after recording his best lap of the week on the final day with a 10.01. Michael Crow was the Small Block Naturally Aspirated titleist with a 10.47 average for the week, more than two tenths quicker than his closet competitor.