2003 Pontiac Southern Nationals

Celebrating 10 glorious years, the Dallas Area Pontiac Association's Pontiac Southern Nationals has become a premiere Pontiac event and an annual must-attend for any hobbyist. It all began back in the early '90s when DAPA decided to host an event closer to home since the other national events were held too far east or west. Over the years, the PSN grew by leaps and bounds into the major attraction that it is today. And with that growth the trouble became trying to find a hotel large enough to host all the Pontiacs and family members. Today the PSN is held at a 4-star hotel, the Richardson-Renaissance, located just outside Dallas, Texas, which is large enough to host any activity.

Friday, June 6 began with registration and tech inspection, followed by a welcome reception in the convention center. While the evening sun melted into the west, Ames Performance provided a Texas-style barbecue that required a big appetite and a bunch of napkins. Later a sock hop featured, The High Rollers playing the oldies, sponsored by Zaino Brothers Show Car Polish, and NAPA Auto Parts.

For Saturday morning, the weather couldn't have been any better. The smell of wax and detailing products filled the air and elbow grease was used in abundance throughout the show area. Everything from Pontiac street rods to vintage big cars could be seen. All generations of Firebirds were represented as were the GTOs and the late-model GPs. ClubGP.com, with membership of over 40 late model Grand Prixs used the event to host their second annual gathering. ClubGP has a growing membership as well as an online bulletin board to help other GP owners with their modifications.

The PSN also had a special class just for the 10th Anniversary T/As to commemorate the event's 10th anniversary. Responding to the call were 6 of the best looking 10th Anniversary Trans Ams in existence from around the country, and one traveled from as far away as Tipp City, Ohio.

Vendors set up shop to display exciting new items that will make your Pontiac cruising more enjoyable. Rodney Red Performance Products was on hand to show us how to tame the Texas heat and prevent your Pontiac from becoming a Stanley Steamer. Ram Air Restorations displayed the newest exhaust systems with ram-air manifolds and very cool X-pipes among other components.

Sewell Pontiac-GMC, a major sponsor, featured the new and exciting performance Pontiacs on display in front of the hotel. Saadallah El-Jundi, member of DAPA as well as a manager from Sewell provided the staffers of HPP with a killer new Grand Prix GTP to drive. And of course the HPP magazine booth was there selling subs and renewals in a package deal that included a free T-shirt.

The event was very informative as well featuring 2 seminars--the first with Jim Hand on the 48 years of the Pontiac V-8 followed by Jim Butler of Jim Butler Performance speaking about high performance engine tech.

Before the awards this year, an added attraction was the trivia contest. Questions asked about Pontiacs' current events and history were posed to a panel of participants and correct answers were rewarded with cash and prizes donated my DAPA and its sponsors.

Over 95 show awards and 14 special awards were handed out to proud Pontiac owners at the car show awards presentation. This included the prestigious High Performance Pontiac Editor's Choice. For 2003, editor, Tom DeMauro, chose a beautiful '64 Tempest convertible GTO clone owned by Todd Schoel. It's a very subtle appearing Pontiac with the heart of a tiger and a few modern upgrades that leave some late-model Mustang owners scratching their heads. Todd's potent '64 is featured elsewhere in this issue.

As Saturday closed and the festivities concluded, the weather began to show its ugly side. After warnings from the weatherman for days, the clouds rolled in and it started to rain heavily. Would the race on Sunday be canceled? Would the race fans go home?

Thankfully, on Sunday morning the sun rose to a beautiful clear day. The race was on. However some folks didn't think Mother Nature would cooperate, so attendance at the racetrack was down just a bit.

The gates of the legendary Texas Motorplex located in Ennis, Texas, just South of Dallas opened at 8:00 a.m. sharp. As always the racing action was intense with 6 hotly contested classes plus a race of champions. And for those who lost in the first or second round of the eliminations, a buy back was offered to those drivers enabling them to get back in the action for a small fee--kind of like a do-over. I was able to speak to many of the racers during the day, they all had positive things to say like the track was in great condition and the race couldn't have been any better. HIGH PERFORMANCE PONTIAC's Low Reaction Time award, which included $50 plus a plaque from DAPA went to Lydia Watson who posted a perfect .500 light in her '00 T/A.

One of most anticipated aspects of the race was Rodney Butler's exhibition rounds in the twin turbocharged and injected '65 GTO. Though the Goat broke into the 6s at over 200 mph just weeks before, on this weekend Rodney had to shut down at around the 1/8-mile mark, coasting through the traps, still in the mid-8s. Jim Butler of Jim Butler Performance sponsored the race while Partsforyou.com sponsored the Grand Prix portion of the race.

If all of the showing and racing weren't enough DAPA also made sure to provide aid to a charity. The club donated over $4,500 dollars to the Promise House, which provides emergency housing to runaway and homeless teens, having served over 5,196 clients and their families in 2002.

If this event sounds like fun to you, make plans to attend next year's Pontiac Southern Nationals, June 11-13, 2004. Visit www.Pontiacsouthernnationals.com, or call 972-618-0070 for more information. Visit The Promise House at www.promisehouse.org.

Final Round Action
Editor's note: Final round dial-ins were not available at press time