2008 AMES Performance Tri-Power Pontiac Nationals

The Ames Performance Tri-Power Pontiac Nationals, the largest Pontiac show of 2008, was held August 8-10 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio. As has been tradition over the last 17 years, the event pleased racers, vehicle owners, and show-goers with another great weekend of Pontiac-themed excitement.

Despite record-high gas prices, attendance was still the second highest in Ames Tri-Power Nationals history. There were 10,600 spectators this year, 600 less than last year's record of 11,200. "The event was down slightly for the first time ever," Pete Woodruff of Super Duty Promotions says.

On Friday, the gates to Summit Motorsports Park swung wide open, and the pits quickly filled with Pontiac race cars from across the country. They were there to compete for $20,000 in cash prizes and show off their go-fast Pontiacs to peers in the hobby and spectators.

Racing began with a test and tune as more than 350 Pontiacs laid down baseline e.t.'s, and their owners considered strategies to take home some cash for the weekend. Friday featured two sponsored bonus races: the Spotts Performance Box Bonus Race and the Ram Air Restoration Enterprises No Box Bonus Race. Each of these events offered cash prizes, $500 for the winner and $250 for the runner-up.

On the other side of Summit Motorsports Park, swap-meet venders began unloading, displaying, and offering for sale their new and used Pontiac parts, accessories, and memorabilia. "We have the strongest Pontiac swap meet in the country," Pete tells HPP. "This year, we had 145 venders, 251 spaces, and almost any Pontiac part you can think of for sale." Adjacent to the swap meet, the car corral offered a wide assortment of restoration-ready, driver-quality, and concours-candidate Pontiacs for sale. "We had 55 car-corral spaces filled this year and a midway for new products and services-30 companies set up for display and sales," Pete says.

Saturday was the beginning of the two-day, professionally judged car show, and 469 Pontiacs participated. It also featured the 14th Annual Firehawk Rally that coincides with the event and includes gorgeous stock and modified Firehawks from the model's '92-'02 history.

As is also tradition, last year's Chief of the Pontiacs, Rick Cole, was presented a custom leather jacket and a limo ride through the pit area. After that, the weekend's race program for all classes began, as well as the first two qualifying rounds for the KRE Quick 16 and the Butler Performance Frantic Four.

Two rounds of exhibition racing made the afternoon worth the wait, with exciting and unforgettable performances by Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick and the Tameless Tiger II versus the Grocery Getter (with Eric Larsen driving), and Dave Anderson in Jim Wangers' GeeTO Tiger. Fans also cheered the fast-paced and furious Nostalgic Super Stock program that featured Super-Duty and H.O. Pontiacs (and other nostalgic Super Stockers) from the early '60s in heads-up competition.

Midafternoon, HPP Editor Thomas DeMauro was called to the starting line to announce his Editor's Choice Award, which went to a '69 Firebird 400 Comanche convertible owned by Steve Johns of Mt. Brydges, Ontario.

After giving out the award, Tom was surprised to learn he was the recipient of an award, too. The Inland Empire GTO Club presented him with the John DeLorean Award, given to members of the Pontiac hobby who have best embraced and promoted the products of John DeLorean's Pontiac years. Kevin Beal from Ames Performance Engineering also received the award. "Thom Trafford coming from California to present the two DeLorean awards at Norwalk stood out for me as the event of the weekend because this is the one show you can count on everybody who is anybody being here," Pete says.

"Due to the rain on Saturday night, the race was not run to completion," Pete says. "Therefore the purse money was divided equally between the remaining cars in the classes."

Sunday featured more great drag-racing action. Each racer started fresh in their bracket class, followed by the third qualifying round for the KRE Quick-16 and Butler Performance Frantic Four. Car-show judging continued, allowing Pontiacs that showed up Sunday to have a chance to compete, and trophies were awarded in the late afternoon. On the race side, by the end of the day a new Chief of the Pontiacs was announced-John Martin of Gallaway, Ohio, with his '73 GTO. John will enjoy the title until next year's event.

A total of 446 racers competed during the course of the event, but Jeff and Mark Kauffman, noted Pontiac engine builders, made news with their Kauffman Racing Equipment (KRE) Cameron dragster. As detailed in Tribal News (Jan. '09), Jeff ran the fastest Pontiac-powered quarter-mile we've heard of to date at 209.20 mph. The e.t. was 6.623 seconds.

Pete says this year's event was as good as ever, and he was pleased with the Pontiac and non-Pontiac crowds that attended. "We get a lot of spectators who come to the event because it happens at Norwalk. They're not Pontiac people, but they're amazed at the size and scope of the event. To them, it's incredible that the Pontiac community is this large and this loyal. It never ceases to amaze me the people and cars that come out: They're truly unique. Over the years, I've seen the most incredible Ponchos ever made, and every year something we hadn't seen before comes out and reminds me how exciting the Pontiac hobby is."

The 18th Annual Ames Performance Tri-Power Pontiac Nationals will be held on August 7-9, 2009, at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk. "We're planning on having a special race-car display with their original drivers, although we don't have full details yet," Pete says. He also promises, "We'll give out generous cash prizes to Pontiac racers, and give them the best weekend of the whole year."

For more information, visit www.pontiacnationals.com.

Event Sponsors
Main

• Ames Performance Engineering
• Axelrod Pontiac GMC

Associate

• Auto Custom Carpets
• Goodmark Industries
• PUI Interiors
• R.E.M. Automotive Parts
• Soff Seal
• Trim Parts

Race

• AllPontiac.com
• Butler Performance
• K&M Performance Parts
• Kauffman Racing Equipment
• On The Ground Performance
• Pypes Performance Exhaust
• Ram Air Restoration Enterprises
• Spotts Performance
• Tin Indian Performance

Drag Race Results