22nd Annual High Performance Pontiac Day

It is said that you can pretty much see it all at those gargantuan Super Chevy and Muscle Mustangs shows. And why not, with literally thousands of cars and tens of thousands of spectators, those carnivals cover every nook and cranny of their respective markets. Sure, you have to park a mile away and swim a human sea just to hit the midway, but if you have to have that gold-plated hood emblem from an original/restored/ex-celebrity-owned '57 Chevy driven by Tattoo from Fantasy Island, you're in the right place.

But aligning one's self with the B-O-P section of the automotive universe usually means smaller get-togethers with slightly less fanatical enthusiasts--a good thing, we think. The downside to our gatherings, of course, is that their smaller scale can sometimes leave out a few aspects of our beloved hobby that many wish were present. But upon experiencing the 22nd Annual High Performance Pontiac Day at Englishtown, New Jersey on Saturday, May 11, we're happy to report that this event may have been the most comprehensive of our Poncho celebrations to date.

The day dawned perfectly, with mid-60s temps that rose to a high of 72 during noontime. The humidity was low, with gentle 10-mph winds blowing across Raceway Park. Things got rolling around 9 a.m., as the show machines were detailed and shined, the go fiends rolled over to the tech inspection. The show area looked a bit desolate in the early hours, but swarms of the Poncho faithful came between 10 and noon to fill up the spaces--and we do mean swarms.

117 Indians covered the area and, combined with their passengers and excited onlookers, the cordoned-off space was literally packed. Restored Pontiacs like R/A III GTOs and First-Gen. Firebirds were present, and customs like a white-hot late-model Grand Am, a cool convertible second-Gen T/A, a Hillborn-injected Pro Street Goat, and even a hip-hopping, hydraulic-powered Catalina 2+2 lowrider with 421 badges showed up. Vendors sold great Pontiac parts, along with vintage Pontiac documents and manuals. Some guy grabbed us while we were photographing said documents and showed us Pontiac tattoos on Pontiac arms. What was that, about fanatical enthusiasts?

As Raceway Park's efficient track crew finished up the prep work, 174 racers were called to the lanes. Cool spring weather abounded, keeping the seaside humidity at bay, and the Ponchos were flying. There are traditionally more radial entrants than slick guys on Pontiac Day anyway, but the huge amount of burned tread on the starting line attested to the sheer number of daily drivers that made the trip. Many were first-time racers enjoying the power of their LT1/LS1-powered F-bodies; the times didn't set any records, but the smiles on their faces were a mile wide! And the welcome sound of hissing, supercharged GTPs and GTXs filled the air.

Many were far into the 13s--some even into the 12s--while retaining their OEM-like characteristics. Turbos, superchargers, and big cubes were running rampant on E-town's sticky surface, and drag racing continued through eliminations until the winners of each respective class were crowned.

Meanwhile, 729 show-goers sat around in lawn chairs and stood in groups, shooting the breeze and checking out the Pontiacs. Once late afternoon came, the show votes were tallied up, and everyone gathered at the awards tent for the presentations. Winners collected trophies for their respective classes to hearty applause, and then the group dispersed to pack up and head home. There was some great competition this year, and the winners walked away with those awards knowing it. Unfortunately, Raceway Park was unable to find the official show results from Pontiac Day--our apologies to all of the winners, you know who you are.

The turnout was great for the Y2K2 edition, and we're hoping for even more hobbyists next year. If you're looking to have a little Poncho-related fun in 2003, check out www.etownraceway.com or call 732-446-7800 for the definitive date of next year's event. We'll see you there.