The 2008 YearOne Experience - Street/Strip Challenge

Along with YearOne, HPP partnered with Corvette Fever, Mopar Muscle, and Vette magazines to enlist the talents of our respective readerships and gather them and their quick street/strip cars at Atlanta Dragway on the first day of the '08 YearOne Experience. There were just two rules for the inaugural YearOne Street-Strip Challenge: Each car had to be street-legal, as well as NHRA-legal for its e.t. Desired entrants should be lightning quick on the track and able to devour large chunks of interstate and scenic byways in a single 25-mile bound, without incident, to solidify their duality.

What was on the line at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia, besides bragging rights? The winners from each magazine took home a $250 gift certificate from YearOne. The King of the Hill winner received a $500 gift certificate and a special plaque, and the runner-up received a $250 gift certificate. If that wasn't enough, all participants received two passes to the YearOne Experience entitling them to run in the autocross, race on Road Atlanta, and participate in the 0-100-0 competition for free.

The call went out in multiple issues of the participating mags. What follows is a synopsis of how our five Pontiacs fared on the road and on the dragstrip, and how their performances compared with the best of the Mopars and Corvettes.

You may question why 10- to 13-second Pontiacs were included in this all-out competition that will likely see 8- or 9-second e.t.'s in the winner's circle. The amount of discomfort one is willing to endure on the street in the name of speed at the track varies from person to person. A mountain motor, a 4,500-stall converter, a two-speed Glide, 4.56 gears, and a spool do not a street car make for many, yet it may be fine for some. Therefore, our group offers varied combinations at different performance and comfort levels to cover a broader range of hobbyists' interests.

Nevertheless, if you're incensed by the fact that there were quicker Mopars and Vettes, then you're encouraged to do something about it for 2009. Enter your 8- or 9-second Pontiac street car for the May '09 event (the exact date has yet to be determined). If you don't have one, then contact your friends who do. Email a brief description of the technical aspects of your Pontiac, a few low-res photos, and a daytime phone number to tom.demauro@sourceinterlink.com.

In the meantime, please don't diminish the contributions of this year's participants based on e.t.'s alone. Even if they weren't built to be Pro Stockers with license plates, most of them represent potent and efficient late- and early-model combinations that don't sacrifice streetability in a quest for single-digit e.t.'s.

Let's meet our contenders:

Mike Meeks rolled in from Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, with his super-low-10-second, wheel-yanking '00 T/A. A regular on the race circuit, Mike promises his 383-cubed LS1 with its Turbo 400 and 3.73 gears will deliver on the track and survive our 25-mile test loop in 77-degree weather.

Don Dixon brought his '05 GTO from Greensboro, North Carolina. It looks stone-stock until you pop the hood and see the MagnaCharger. There are tons of other mods as well, but they're difficult to see. Will this sleeper with a huffed LS2, a 4L65E, and 3.55 gears break into the 10s? It may depend on whether the A/C is on or off.

Greg Schwindler of Auburn, Georgia, had a comfortable ride to the track in his '79 T/A with a 200-4R overdrive trans and ice-cold A/C. How low can the e.t.'s go when contending with a luxury-liner, 4,035-pound race weight? We'll have to ask the nitroused, aluminum-headed, over-bored 428 to find out.

Michael Wade and his '69 Trans Am convertible replicar hail from Hartselle, Alabama. His Pontiac is dressed like a legend and cruises like one, but can it perform substantially better than the subject of its tribute? A 462, a Turbo 400, 3.55 gears, and a nitrous system are certainly steps in the right direction. How will it fare on its first shakedown passes since its completion?

Dale Wade is Michael's brother, and he brought his '69 GTO convertible from Double Springs, Alabama. Dale wasn't here to win gift certificates, however. He was here to illustrate the virtues of a smooth-running, mild-cam, low-compression, big-cube Pontiac engine in a 4,115-pound race-weight convertible. With 462 cubes, a Turbo-400, and 3.55s out back, there was potential, but would a tuning miscalculation prior to the Challenge cost performance?

Owner Bio: Mike Meeks
Thirty-nine-year-old Mike Meeks is the CEO of Diamond Waterproofing and has been racing for three years. He bought this '00 T/A in 2005 because he's always loved Pontiacs. He also owns a '98 T/A and an '04 GTO, but "My '00 T/A is my baby. It has A/C and can be driven anywhere." Though his T/A has garnered a Third Place at S.T.A.R.S. and was the True Street 10-second class winner at the '07 LSX Shootout, Mike most enjoys "when a BMW driver stops next to me at a red light with the top down and cell phone in hand. The driver ends up with the phone in one ear and my T/A's side exhaust in the other!"

Owner Bio: Don Dixon
Don Dixon is a retired U.S. Army command sergeant major (field artillery/airborne) with over 27 years of service, who has been racing for 38 years. The 54-year-old credits "its performance, handling, comfort, and sleeper status" for buying his '05 GTO. After listing no less than six impressive accolades bestowed upon his Goat, he still says his favorite moment behind the wheel came "running the 10.84 at the HPP/YearOne Street/Strip Challenge."

Owner Bio: Greg Schwindler
Greg is a 45-year-old auto mechanic who bought this '79 T/A in 1982. "I bought it as a teenager, drove the wheels off it; then bolted them back on and drove the wheels off it again," he says. "It's been a great car." He has raced it since he was 18. Greg has also owned a '73 T/A and a '78 Formula in the past. Currently he has a '00 Grand Am.

Run Notes: 1) Engine starving for fuel, wouldn't gain rpm in high gear; 2) Same as run 1; 3) Fuel problem fixed, didn't heat tires enough, excessive converter slip; 4) 6,200 rpm at finish line, approximately 21 percent converter/trans slip; 5) Lost traction, same rpm at finish.

Owner Bio: Michael Wade
"Having owned three other '69 Firebird coupes, I always wanted a convertible," Michael says. "Considering the rarity of the '69 Trans Am convertibles, I thought it would be neat to clone one and drive something you don't see every day, so I started the project in 2005." The 42-year-old director of manufacturing for Cavalier Home Builders has been racing for 24 years. He says, "The hood (which I replaced with the T/A hood), doors, and trunk lid on this car were originally on the first '69 Firebird that I owned in 1984-1985. I've many fond memories of racing and cruising, which are kept alive just by knowing that a little of that car is still with me. And I'm making new memories with the most important people in my life-my wife, Kelly; my 12-year-old daughter, Jordan Hope; my 9-year-old son, Garrett Michael; and my 5-year-old son, Brody Dale."

Run Notes: 1) Track is good; 2) Hooked better; 3) Spun off the line; 4) Spun more; 5) Hooked well.

Owner Bio: Dale E. Wade
Dale, a 50-year-old warehouse manager, has been racing for 22 years. "There's nothing cooler than cruising in a GTO," he says, "So after my pride-and-joy '69 hardtop Goat was crashed and totaled while on loan, I decided I wouldn't be satisfied with just another GTO. A convertible would be a whole new ballgame-and, man, was I right. I bought this one after my brother discovered it sitting in the weeds in a nearby town." What's his favorite moment behind the wheel? "The 25-mile cruise at the Year One Street/Strip Challenge, with a police escort and police blocking traffic at intersections so we could pass." Along with show and bracket race wins, Dale also enjoys cruising in his convertible with his wife, Cathie; his '77 Can Am; '76 Formula; and building his '69 Judge drag car.

On The Street And At The Track
All the participants easily completed the 25-mile, on-the-road test loop without incident. Density altitude of 2,700 feett was used to calculate the Best Pass Corrected in the Strip Tuning Log. The temperature reached 77 degrees, the barometer was at 29.88 hg, humidity was 87 percent, and the wind gusted to 25 mph.

Conclusion
At the end of a long and challenging (bad pun intended) day, it was Mike Meeks and his '00 T/A who took home the gift certificate for the quickest Pontiac. Despite some of our participants having mechanical issues that cost them e.t. and trap speed, they worked through their woes and finished the day with a positive attitude. These Pontiacs proved they can be raced on the strip, driven 25 miles on public roads in moderate comfort, and live to tell the tale.

The May date for the '09 HPP/YearOne Street/Strip Challenge has yet to be determined. For more information, go to www.highperformancepontiac.com or www.yearone.com.

We hope to see more head-to-head competition this year between the four groups of magazines cars, so be ready to do your hobby proud, and come out and take on Vettes and Mopars for bragging rights and prizes.

HPP would like to thank YearOne and the management and crew of Atlanta Dragway for their assistance in making this event possible.