It would seem that most Pontiac events of the '05 show season were either just before or just after a major hurricane hit the South. So it should come as little surprise to learn that soon after South Carolina hosted Hurricane Dennis, the Palmetto chapter hosted the 33rd Annual POCI Convention in Greenville July 12-16.
Though the remnants of nature's fury could have put a serious hurtin' on the festivities, luckily it was not to be. Following the heavy rains of the daylight hours at the beginning of the event, later, the storms moved in during the evening and overnight. Regardless, the Palmetto chapter had already planned ahead for finicky weather. It had the entire show inside the Palmetto Convention center and Woodside Conference center. Only the swap meet and the car corral were outside--and, of course, the drag racing at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia.
Speaking of Atlanta Dragway, HPP also did four shootouts there in conjunction with Year One and selected POCI members. We had a great day of racing with dry weather, though it was somewhat hot and muggy. Then, just after the race was over, the skies opened up.
There was an eclectic mix...
There was an eclectic mix of Pontiac iron in the Points Judged area of the event.
When the Second Annual POCI Drag Day rolled in the next afternoon, time shots began under threatening skies. As you can see in our photos, it got so dark we had to use lots of flash at the starting line. Thankfully, the rain stayed away and plenty of strip-scorching action was the result on Thursday evening, July 14, with 65 racers vying for dragstrip supremacy in front of a crowd of 300-plus spectators.
If bragging rights weren't enough, there were also prizes and money to be won. A whopping $9,850 was dispersed in cash payouts, gift certificates, and trophies. When HPP asked Dave Bennett, co-chair of POCI's Drag Race Committee to share his thoughts regarding the drag race, he had this to say, "It goes without saying that the POCI Drag Race Committee was very pleased with the event. We saw many new faces and received a lot of positive input. POCI, at times, has been accused of being a club of old graybeards. Even though some of us on the Drag Race Committee may be graybeards, many of us have been involved in Pontiac drag racing for decades, and we fully recognize that drag racing brings more youth and excitement into POCI."
Holding the convention inside...
Holding the convention inside made for relaxed browsing amongst the show cars. The temperature was always just right, and there wasn't a hint of rain in the building.
What's the largest obstacle to overcome to put on the POCI drag race? Dave says, "The biggest hurdle was cleared three years ago when the POCI board of directors endorsed drag racing as an official function of each annual convention. Keeping in mind that the annual POCI convention is a 'traveling road show,' scheduling of the drag day with local track availability and coordinating other convention activities with the drag day has not been an easy undertaking. Last year's event at MOKAN took place on a Wednesday, and this year's event at Atlanta Dragway was held on a Thursday. Scheduling the event midweek has made it difficult for many racers to participate, so POCI's drag race committee has made it a goal to get the event scheduled closer to the weekend in the future." Check out the photos, captions, and the winner's list for the lowdown on the race action.
Meanwhile, back at the show, the staff was hosting approximately 2,200 attendees that included 903 registrants. Car counts were 94 and 336 in Points Judged Concours and Popular Vote, respectively. So you can see there were plenty of Pontiacs to roll an eyeball over. And there were many special displays, from early '60s NASCAR replicars to a select grouping from Pontiac's historical collection. There were also outstanding examples of Super Duty Pontiacs including the '63 Pikes Peak car, a '61 SD 389 Cat with aluminum bumpers, and a '63 SD 421 Tempest wagon. Rarities found in the Concours area included not one but two '72 GTO post coupes, one a 400 and the other a 455 H.O. Then there were Milt Robson's incredibly rare and expertly restored triple-black Ram Air IV '69 Judge convertible and his '70 Cardinal Red Judge convertible. And let's not forget Bill and Mary Howell's '70 Ram Air IV Trans Am, this month's cover car. In the Popular Vote rooms were standouts like a '72 GP SSJ in Dark Green, a Fourth-Gen that looked like a shark, another Fourth-Gen with Pure Pontiac power, a '58 Pro Streeter that was a knockout in bright green, and a '70 455 Bonne that was just beautiful.
With a lot of paint and patience,...
With a lot of paint and patience, this Fourth-Gen Bird has become a shark, thanks to Scott St. Clair's creative mind. Note the dorsal fin on the roof.
At the swap meet, 68 vendors covered 260 spaces, providing everything from resto parts to T-shirts and memorabilia. If you couldn't find it in the swap meet, Pontiac probably never made it. Looking for a new project, driver, or show car? POCI's car corral had some examples to offer.
The shear size of an event such as this can be overwhelming on the organizational front, so HPP asked convention Co-Chair Richard Cook, what's the biggest problem when executing this type of event? "Normally, I would have to say the largest difficulty would be getting the volunteers to help," he said. "But our chapter is fortunate to have great people who were willing to spend a week working long hours for no pay."