2004 Pontiac-Oakland Club International Convention

If this is your first time tuning in, let me bring you up to speed. POCI (Pontiac-Oakland Club International) is an all-encompassing club that basically embraces any vehicle that rubs elbows with Pontiacs from Oaklands to GMCs. During July 6-10, 2004, the Greater Ozarks chapter of POCI (GO-POCI) hosted hundreds of Pontiac Oakland-GMC fans from all across the country at the Joplin, Missouri, Convention Center. The mantra for this event was have fun and stay busy!

In the rich tradition of bringing you all the unique or unusual sights of the POCI Convention, the 2004 event made the hunt for oddities much easier. As we reported in our January '04 Tribal News, the Ames Performance Engineering-sponsored 2004 POCI event broke from tradition of just showing and judging cars by revisiting racing. Yes, drag racing at the POCI conventions of the past has been an on-again-off-again occurrence, but this year POCI was organized and ready to race thanks to a new drag race committee.

The drag event jumpstarted the five-day convention on Wednesday, July 7th. Carl Blanton, owner of MO-KAN Dragway, and his crew were thrilled to host a 400-plus tribe of spectators and 50 Pontiacs in what was said to be one of the track's biggest turnouts ever. But the other half to making this event happen was the generous sponsorship of Allpontiac.com, Performance Years, Butler Performance Group, and POCI, whom donated prize packages worth $2,750 to race participants. Of course, all of this could not have come together without the volunteer work of Dave Bennett, Arthur Barrett (Co-Chairman), Bill Fortune, and other members of the POCI Drag Race committee.

Where there is Pontiac racing going on, you can expect every Pontiac racer's best friend, Fred Simmonds, of GM Racing. Fred brought out the General's latest high-tech FWD sport compact toys for a few exhibition runs. Nelson Hoyos, who drives the GM Racing '04 Chevy Cavalier, made a few 7-second, 190-plus-mph passes, while Marty Ladwig, who drives the GM Racing '04 Pontiac Sunfire, set the lights off with a few 8-second passes.

Mike Cooper's blown 506ci Indian Adventures' block '63 LeMans not only brought home a gold award in the points-judged car show, but also set the lowest e.t. of the event with a 7.42 at 189.55-mph pass. On the opposite end of the performance spectrum was Arnold Landvoigt's '26 Pontiac speedster that eventually set the lights off with a nearly 30-second e.t. This original 186.5ci-powered Pontiac was quite possibly the first Pontiac racer and it tackled Pikes Peak in its day. After the attendees and the engines cooled down, the hosting club gathered approximately 150 Pontiacs at the local Route 66 drive-in theatre.

Thursday, the GP Chapter held its Third Annual Slow Drags. As the name implies, the objective of winning this event was to have the slowest Pontiac (GP and non-GP bracket classes) when put in drive without the brake and left to chug under idle engine power. That evening, an outdoor ice cream social was forced inside the convention center when the infamous Midwest rainstorms swept the area. There, GM Racers Hoyos and Ladwig were joined by four other Pontiac drivers (Bruce Allen, Mike Edwards, Jim Yates, and Warren Johnson) to sign autographs and mingle with event participants. Inside the convention lobby, renowned Pontiac ad artist Art Fitzpatrick was on-hand displaying his and the late Van Kaufman's famous art prints from the '60s and '70s. In the seminar room, John Sawruk (retired Pontiac engineer) and Dennis Kirban (of Kirban Performance Parts fame) were among the special guest speakers on-hand to answer many questions. Inside the center's main room were famous Pontiacs, including the Knafel Pontiac '66 "Tin Indian" GTO and the Arnie Beswick-lettered '63 LeMans. Pontiac also brought some goodies like the Solstice concept roadster, a '66 GTO, several early '20s and '30s Pontiacs, and a GMC fire truck.

When Friday rolled around, the rain had passed and a slew of show Pontiacs could be seen coming out from their trailers and car covers. This was the big day for the car show people as it was points judging. Acres of proud, polished Pontiacs lined up awaiting the judges' decisions.

For those who just maybe wanted to take a moment away from the Pontiac goings on (Why? We don't know.), the Greater Ozarks had a whole grab bag full of brochures and flyers for local sites and activities. Thomson Pontiac-GM Sales Company from Springfield, Missouri, sponsored "Precious Moments" bus tours all day long for those who had an interest in beautiful figurines and a shopping outlet tour to Branson, Missouri, for those with the itch to shop. This day's guest speakers were Merle Greene, Arnie Beswick, and Jim Wangers. At 4:00 p.m., the final call came for anyone who participated in the Historic Route 66 Poker Run. Anytime from Tuesday to Friday, participants had to drive to checkpoints to gather playing cards, and the best hand on Friday would win $200. Other monies and door prizes (courtesy of O'Reilly Auto Parts) were given to other participants.

Saturday brought about all of the Pontiacs and Oaklands that had been hiding during the week in time for a popular vote and display. As the day came to a close, points were calculated, and the attention turned from the automobiles in the hobby to the people who make the hobby. At that evening's award banquet, ticket holders were treated to a mouthwatering meal inside the convention center. Video footage from the past four days was displayed throughout the room as friends and family dined and reflected on the festivities. Winners and runners-up in each race class were presented with a commemorative award. The highlight of the evening was Arnie's standing ovation after thanking the membership for their contributions and get-wells.

Greater Ozark chapter co-chair, Bruce Rutherfurd, shares this, "Limited paved trailer parking and the always unpredictable weather were the only real headaches encountered. Our goal was achieved--to have people leave the Greater Ozarks Chapter of POCI (GO-POCI) convention and Joplin, Missouri, with smiles on their faces. Thanks to all who attended and helped to make this year's event a real success!"

The 2005 POCI Convention will be set in Greenville, South Carolina. The 2005 event dates are July 12-16, with the drag races scheduled for Thursday, July 14th at Atlanta Dragway. This event will have big shoes to fill after the fun had at 2004, but we're confident that as long as Pontiacs and Pontiac fans show up to race and show, a great time is bound to ensue. Contact POCI.org for more information about 2005's event. We'll see you there.