No one was prepared for a temperature of 74 degrees on Saturday, November 11, 2006, but none who attended the Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac Fall (B-O-P) Regional Meet were complaining, either. You may remember this event as the Pontiac Fall Nationals of previous years, but in 2006, the show and race that usually marks the last hurrah of the Northeast show season decided to share the day with Buicks and Oldsmobiles as well. Hosted by the Delaware Valley Old Goat Club at Atco Raceway in Atco, New Jersey, the event was renamed the B-O-P Fall Regional Meet, and GM's Flint and Lansing-born musclecars and luxoliners were welcomed.
The 135 show cars were judged by Delaware Valley Old Goat Club members and, to avoid any conflict, the additional 27 host club vehicles were in a separate class with the Top Ten chosen by participant balloting. This is a great concept that thwarts any questions about or the appearance of favoritism in the judging. At the same time, host club cars are not unfairly excluded from participating in the event.
On the dragstrip, 68 B-O-P racers competed for payouts that were based on the number of participants. Since the race usually draws 100+ racers, those payouts were less than usual, but the way that they were tabulated was clearly explained in the show flier. Nevertheless, the racers who did attend put on a good show of smoky burnouts and low consistent e.t.'s for the fans and family alike.
What this event lacked in overall numbers, it made up for in variety and quality of cars on hand. Not only were there some great Buick and Olds models, but the Pontiac faithful held up its end of the bargain with some stunning examples of the breed, not to mention the fact that it seemed to be a homecoming for past and future HPP feature cars.
Kenny Colacino's super-rare...
Kenny Colacino's super-rare '63 421 SD Catalina post sedan was fresh out of a multi-year restoration. It was a highlight of the event and took home the Best Pontiac award.
On the resto front, Kenny Colacino's '63 421 Super-Duty Catalina post sedan, replete with a factory-installed aluminum front end, made its first appearance at a Pontiac event after an extensive restoration. Attention to detail in this Pontiac is phenomenal and the car drew a crowd all day. It was also photographed for a future HPP feature. Mark Amodei's beautifully restored '68 GTO, which graced the June '07 HPP cover was photographed at this event as well.
Modifieds were on hands as always. Bill Bolin's '70 double-blown GTO Pro Streeter (HPP's Feb. '07 cover story) was fresh from a calendar photo session. Jason Seger's blown and multicolor-flamed '99 T/A also participated and was the Nov. '06 HPP cover story. Eddie Barra's heavily modified '86 Trans Am made the trip from upstate New York. This Pontiac was featured in HPP in the past, but has since undergone a complete transformation after a devastating accident a few years ago. It won Best of Show laurels at HPP Day in 2006 and was a winner again at this event for Best Modified.
There was even more to see than these great restorations and modifieds. Super low-mileage originals and other wild home-built combos-like a '76 Grand Prix-El Camino, a '57 Chieftain, and a '61 Tempest wagon packing a Ram Air V engine-illustrated the imagination and talent of Pontiac hobbyists.
By the end of the day, everyone was ready to see how they fared in judging, and wanted to take a chance at the auction and door prizes that awaited a few lucky participants. Despite the fact that the event was a success in the B-O-P format, it wasn't the huge draw that the track was hoping for. In fact, there were 162 cars on the show field this year, including all makes, and there were 160 Pontiacs last year. That, coupled with a drop in racer attendance, has resulted in Atco going back to the all-Pontiac format for 2007.
Mark your calendar for Saturday, November 10, so you can attend the 10th Annual Pontiac Fall Nationals Show & Go. You are guaranteed to see some of the best Pontiacs the Northeast has to offer and the organizational abilities of the Delaware Valley Old Goat Club at work to make the day run as smoothly as possible.
Pontiac racers were serious...
Pontiac racers were serious about winning--and, of course, burnouts.
Show Sponsors
Atco Raceway
Burns Pontiac GMC
Glendale Excavating
IOA Insurance Office of America
Frankford Plating
Standard Warehouse and Distribution
Antique Auto Radio Repair
MAR Automotive
Vanango Truck Rental
Prize And Gift Donations
Meguiar's
Advance Auto Parts of Magnolia
AutoZone of Magnolia
Critzas Products
Commerce Bank
Haggerty Collector Car Insurance
JC Taylor Insurance
Carquest Auto Parts
 Feast your eyes on this 12,750-mile...  Feast your eyes on this 12,750-mile '79 Formula. |  Ever see a Ram Air V engine...  Ever see a Ram Air V engine in a '61 Tempest wagon? This car has one, thanks to Jim Pickett. |  There were separate classes...  There were separate classes for Pontiac, Buick and Olds racers. Unfortunately, race results were not available for printing. |