As one would expect, with over 500 race cars registered for competition, a number of notable performances took place throughout the weekend, including Jim Gnadt, who piloted his new '70 GTO to victory in the Kauffman Racing Equipment Quick 16 over Todd Filson in a Pontiac-engined digger. Mark Kauffman, behind the wheel of his blown and injected '97 Firebird, took the win in the Butler Performance Frantic Four over Mike Cooper in his blown and injected '63 LeMans.
The exhibition rounds were also exciting, with Funny Car battles between Lou Sgro and his Mopar against Rob Bruce's "Zombie" Firebird. Rob was even given a surprise 30th birthday cake at the starting line on Sunday.
 The show side was jammed with...  The show side was jammed with priceless Pontiacs as evidenced by the huge winners' list. |  Firehawks were out in force...  Firehawks were out in force Fourth-Gen-wise, but this trio of super-rare Third-Gens were just too good to pass by. |  Eastbound and down...this...  Eastbound and down...this '77 T/A was fresh and faithful to the movie right down to the license plate. |
A new "King Pontiac" was crowned at Norwalk this year. Lonnie Meade Jr. waded through seemingly endless rounds of eliminations to take the top spot over runner-up Ray Loan. Interestingly, it was Ray's brother, Jerry Loan, who was "King Pontiac" last year, and he was given a limo ride through the pits and to the starting line to be introduced to the crowd. Lonnie will receive the same treatment next year.
Top End Performance returned to the APPN and set up in the midway area with its portable chassis dynamometer. Many hot Pontiacs were strapped down and rung out to see how much power they were putting to the wheels.
As has become tradition, participants were also served catered meals, as well as free coffee and doughnuts in the morning and iced tea and lemonade in the afternoon, courtesy of Steve Ames and Ames Performance Engineering. The Hospitality Tent was also used for the awards ceremony and the numerous prize drawings.
The next Ames Performance Pontiac Nationals is scheduled for August 4-6, 2006. If you're a Pontiac fan of any stripe, you owe it to yourself to come out and get in on the action. For more information and updates, please log onto www.pontiacnationals.com.
A Very Special Appearance
The Pontiac community really came together over the Internet this past spring and summer to rally behind 19-year-old Rachel Ball (bottom row, second from left), the daughter of Mark and Diana Ball, of Amanda, Ohio. Mark is a Pontiac racer who regularly competes at the Ames Performance Pontiac Nationals and is a frequent poster on the Performance Years message board.
Rachel had a long history of heart problems, including a series of heart attacks at age 14. On April 29, she suffered another series of heart attacks while on a school trip and was rushed to Children's Hospital in Columbus, where she was put on life support. Her parents were told her heart was damaged and that without a transplant, she would die. She was immediately put on the transplant list and one week later, on May 5, she received a new heart.
In a show of true solidarity, the online Pontiac community rallied behind Rachel and her family, offering prayers, encouragement, and help when possible. Mark kept everyone in the loop, posting daily updates on the Performance Years Lobby. Rachel spent a total of 84 days in the hospital and was surprised and happy to find that she had a huge support network in the Pontiac hobby.
When Rachel's long-standing goal of attending the Ames Performance Pontiac Nationals became a possibility, Pete and Andrea Woodruff jumped into action, providing Rachel and her family with VIP parking, suite passes, and transportation by golf cart. It was special treatment for a very special young lady.