For eight years, the Delaware Valley Old Goat Club (DVOGC), based in Hainesport, New Jersey, has hosted the Pontiac Fall Nationals at Atco Raceway. This club knows all too well the potential obstacles to holding an event such as this in mid-November, in New Jersey, and during football season. Freezing temps and cloudy skies could keep participants away, as could a scheduled Eagles game in nearby Philly.
Through it all--and even with some date changes over the years--the club and the show have persevered, and a quality event has been the result. For 2005, the planets aligned, the Eagles weren't playing, and the weather was a balmy 60-something degrees under sunny skies on November 13. So the Pontiacs came in force for the show side. There were 160 show cars, up from 113 for 2004, and 115 racecars, down from 125 the previous year, with vehicles from all over the Northeast and MidAtlantic states, with the Delaware Valley Old Goat Club running the show and Atco Raceway handling the racing activities.
Despite the fact that this is a one-day event, there was quite a variety on the show field. Everything from well-maintained, low-mileage classics to ultra-rare muscle like Dick Rudley's '70 Ram Air IV GTO, which is featured in this issue, could be admired there. Then there were wild modifieds with big brakes and wheel/tire combos that wouldn't have been imagined just a few years ago. And let's not forget the concours-quality, stock-restored Pontiacs that were clean enough to serve dinner on while providing a treasure trove of information for the restorer.
Perennial Fall-Nats favorite...
Perennial Fall-Nats favorite Jack Gaydosh makes a pass in his 7-second '00 Firebird door slammer.
On the strip, we witnessed passes by everything from show cars blowing out the cobwebs to frequent weekend racers dialing in their combinations and some of the usual heavy hitters like Jack Gaydosh and Tom Kilroy, among others. Though the racing took some extra time due to breakages on other-model cars (there were non-Pontiacs racing that day, too), there was plenty of Pontiac action to see, like 9-second passes by Ken Kranmer's '04 GTO that was built by Cartek and graced HPP's June '06 cover and Paul Spott's slingshot dragster that was blistering the tarmac.
After walking the rows upon rows of show cars, participants judged each based on its merits. The host club went to great lengths to keep everything as fair as possible. To that end, the host club members didn't vote and weren't eligible for "Best Of" awards. After watching the racers burn down the tree well into the evening hours, winnings, though less than in years past due to a light gate, were doled out to the triumphant combatants.
As the event drew to a close, the Delaware Valley Old Goat Club members began thinking about the 2006 event. Saturday, November 11 is the date, and the show has grown into the Buick-Olds-Pontiac Fall Regional Meet. According to Tom Szymczyk, show chairman and charter member of the DVOGC, "The car show will be judged, not Popular Vote as done previously, with the Old Goat Club vehicles in a separate class so they aren't in competition with the regular entrants." Contact Tom at (856) 439-0314 for further info on this year's show. As in the past, the racing portion will be run by Atco Raceway.
 Rich Cappellano's freshly...  Rich Cappellano's freshly restored 455 H.O.-powered '71 T/A took Best of Show laurels for the Firebird/TA class. |  Third-Gens could be found...  Third-Gens could be found in the show and on the track. Jay Neville's '87 T/A won Bracket 3. |  This Second-Gen looks like...  This Second-Gen looks like its ready for Watkins Glen. |
 Only on its second owner,...  Only on its second owner, this '69 Judge was stored for 20 years before Ron Hambrecht found and purchased it. After installing a right fender and hood, followed by a repaint and some detailing, the Judge is now Concours Gold. |  This '63 GP is owned by the...  This '63 GP is owned by the son of the late Col. Noel Pecunia. Noel, a veteran of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, purchased a GP in 1963 and had it shipped to Germany, where he was stationed in the Army. Thereafter, the car was taken everywhere the family moved. Noel gave it to his son, Noel Jr., when he came of driving age, and it remained in the family until 1983. This GP was purchased by the younger Pecunia as a tribute to his father. |  PHOTO BY BOB AXTMAN Tom Kilroy's...  PHOTO BY BOB AXTMAN
Tom Kilroy's Bird flashed its undercarriage while competing in the drag race. |