Jim Stuempfle's Union Park...
Jim Stuempfle's Union Park Pontiac-lettered racer harkened back to the halcyon days of factory-backed drag competition.
Thought all SSJs were either...
Thought all SSJs were either white and gold or black and gold? Not so. Larry Morris' '72 Hurst SSJ is green and gold.
It features a bench seat and...
It features a bench seat and this funky Hurst automatic shifter.
Eric Weigand provided undercarriage...
Eric Weigand provided undercarriage examinations for race fans with each launch. Later, he won the Chief class in his 10-second '64 GTO. Verne Howard wheeled his way to a win in the Pure Pontiac Traditional class in his '77 Can Am that evening.
Bryant Denning was on top...
Bryant Denning was on top of his game on race night in his '69 Firebird. As a result, he won the Warrior class.
Butch Kale had the consistency...
Butch Kale had the consistency needed to win in the Super Chief Quick 8.
Paul Spotts took Low ET of...
Paul Spotts took Low ET of the Meet laurels by posting a 7.488 at 188.08 in his nostalgia slingshot dragster. Dave Bennett said, "Paul has a really unique piece in his front-engined dragster, but I'm still trying to figure out how he gets himself in it and what it takes to pilot that machine from that small cockpit."
Vintage and modern Pontiac...
Vintage and modern Pontiac Performance went head to head as Dave Bennett's '64 2+2 squared off against a new GTO.
Reflecting on the highlight of the event for him, Richard confided, "My favorite moment would have to be Saturday afternoon when we had Marvin Panch, David Pearson, and Larry Frank in the building signing autographs. Marvin Panch won the '61 Daytona 500 in a 1-year-old '60 Pontiac, with David Pearson, 2nd, and Larry Frank, 3rd. On that Saturday 44 years later we had all three at our Convention."
What was the most unique feature of the event, according to Richard? "It has to be the inside car show," he said. "Our conventions are held in late June or early July. Having both the Points Judged and Popular Vote car show inside, under one roof, with air conditioning was wonderful, especially with Hurricane Dennis creating problems outside for most of the week." HPP liked the concept of the indoor car show as well, despite the fact that the lighting made photography somewhat of a challenge. Nevertheless, walking from room to room in air-conditioned comfort when it's hot and humid and sometimes raining outside was a comforting experience.
Commenting on the event as a whole, Richard says, "We are very proud of the '05 Convention. We had very few problems during the week. And we can honestly say we did our best to provide a great and memorable convention for members." Having experienced the event for ourselves, the HPP staff concurs. The event was enjoyable, and the diversity of the Pontiacs presented combined with the many seminars and other activities ensured there was never a dull moment.
What's on tap for 2006? How about a nice trip to Ontario, California, where the Southern California chapter will host the 34th Annual POCI convention on June 27 to July 2 at the Ontario Convention Center? There will be a 3rd Annual POCI Drag Day as well, details to be announced. Log on to POCI.org or www.sccpoci.com for further information.
WHAT TO DO AT POCI
It would be impossible to be bored at the POCI convention. Even if you could care less about the car show, drag race, or swap meet, there were still these available activities.
Bus trips to Biltmore EstateBus trips to Floyd Garrett's Musclecar museumShopping trip to Prime OutletsBMW Zentrum and plant tourGreenville Tech Race & Custom Car Shop tourOakland Chapter Drop-inCruise-in to Beacon Drive-in restaurantIce cream socialPOCI SEMINARS
If you wanted to learn more about Pontiacs, many opportunities were available, as follows:
Milt Schornack - his days at Royal Pontiac and drag racingJim Wangers - his days at Pontiac and his involvement in advertisingState Farm - insuring collector carsArt Fitzpatrick - his days with Pontiac and stylingJohn Sawruk - his days at Pontiac EngineeringChuck Abbot - a computer program for car show managementMike Garblik/Arnie Beswick - early days of drag racingEvan Shealey - Die-Cast collectingPaul Prinzing - FuturlinerNewsletterLeadershipDRAG RACE SPONSORS
Performance Years Pypes DivisionYear One Inc.AllPontiac.comKauffman Racing EquipmentButler PerformanceKennedy DieselINTENSE RacingRam Air Restorations EnterprisesSpecial thanks for the efforts of POCI President Bob Desrochers, and Pontiac Motor Division.
POCI CONVENTION SPONSORS
Year One Inc.Ames Performance EngineeringState FarmKevin Whitaker Chevrolet in Greenville, SCThe Parts PlaceBaldwin Pontiac-GMC in Laurens, SCHOCO, the new vendor for POCI Club items