Pontiac Car Show & Drag Race - Pontiac Heaven Drags & More VIII

What better way to wake up from a cold-winter Northeast nap than to travel down to Phoenix where the sun is warm and the Pontiacs are hot? This past April 1, 2006, HPP did just that. Opening the show season, Pontiac Heaven, an event dedicated to all Pontiacs produced up to '81, has been a stop on this magazine's must-attend list for the last four years. And with each trek to Speedworld Motorplex just outside Phoenix, we have noticed that this show has improved every year thanks to the diligent efforts of the show staff, the track staff, and the event owner, Steve Barcak.

We weren't disappointed this year either when we arrived at Steve's Pontiac slugfest in the desert to find many arrowhead-crested models racing and showing and flaunting those rust-free southwestern bodies that we in the Rustbelt drool over. As was true last year, an HPP "Pavement Pounders" shootout became part of the event as well. You can see Les Iden's '68 428 GP, Alan Monroe's '78 Trans Am, Matthew Luster's '69 GTO, and Mike Ciraolo's '66 GP run against the Speedworld timers in next month's issue.

Other event attractions included Robin Roberts' 8-second pump-gas '76 T/A, which put on a great show, piloted by racer John Langer on this day since Robin was away on business. Kauffman Racing Equipment (KRE) brought its door-slammer Firebird that made a few 11/42-track passes, marking the first time a heavy-hitter car like this has traveled this far to attend Pontiac Heaven. KRE came onboard as an event sponsor as well.

In the show area, anxious Pontiac hobbyists polished and primped their rides and awaited the decisions of the judges. Everything from a '69 Trans Am to a pink '59 Bonne could be found. Later in the day, Steve handed out the trophies at the starting line, and the recipients made a parade lap down the track so spectators could see for themselves why each Pontiac is worthy of its accolade.

After hotly contested drag racing, Alex Kadar's '64 GTO won it all in Bracket 1 and the Quick 16. Bruce Meyer's '67 GTO, Mark Batson's '68 Firebird, and Raul Meza's '70 GTO won Brackets 2, 3, and 4 respectively.

Once the racing concluded on Saturday, Steve threw a big party at the track that included a barbeque and other activities. It was a chance to celebrate the day's happenings, wind down and relax a bit, and then get recharged for Sunday's Musclecar Heaven Drags & More 4, which would pit Pontiacs against the musclecar world.

On Sunday, Steve fired up his AA/F dragster, a ritual that has become an almost annual occurrence that never fails to draw a crowd, and there was more racing and showing, this time with representatives from all the other musclecar camps. When the dust cleared, "Old Man" Jim Taylor in his '64 Tempest represented the Pontiacs well by winning Bracket 1.

After reading about all this action at the 2006 Pontiac Heaven, you may be inspired to join in the fun for 2007. If that is the case, make note of the fact that Pontiac Heaven Drags & More IX will take place on Saturday, March 31, 2007, followed as always by Musclecar Heaven Drags & More 5 on Sunday, April 1. For more information, contact Steve Barcak at steve@pontiacheaven.org or visit www.pontiacheaven.org.

Sponsors
Main Sponsors
Network Alignment
Muscle Car Garage
Alpha-Omega Surveying
W.W. Williams

Welcoming New Sponsors!
Kauffman Racing Equipment
1st Performance with Brooks Racing

Associate Sponsors
McGrew & Associates
Ken and Laurell Ondrejko
K2 Audio Video
Haskin Race Engines
Trans Am & Muscle Auto Sales
DGI Performance
Arizona Wholesale Engine Parts
Jim & Ellen Thompson
Fabcraft Metalworks

2006 Pontiac Heaven Results