2008 Pontiac Fall Nationals

By early November, many hobbyists in the Northeast are in the process of putting away their Pontiacs for a long winter's hibernation. Not so for the intrepid couple-of-hundred who make the Pontiac Fall Nationals at Atco Raceway in Atco, New Jersey, the final fling of each year's show season.

The 10th annual edition, held November 1, was no different, with local and even a few long-distance Pontiacs out in force on the show side and in multiple classes on the strip. Though most would expect to see down-parka-wearing participants sipping hot chocolate on a slate-gray New Jersey November Saturday-and this event has had a few such days in the past-the the 2008 edition was more like a summer day "down-the-shore" with bright sunshine and temps in the 70s.

Hosted by the Delaware Valley Old Goat Club, the Fall Nationals has undergone some changes in show dates (it was moved to September for one year a while back) and in show format over the years. Back in 2006, the event was opened up to Buicks and Oldsmobiles in an attempt to draw a broader audience. Then renamed the B-O-P Fall Regional Meet, the event drew 162 show cars and 68 racers.

Since the turnout was little improved from the Pontiac-only event of the year before, the 2007 show-and-go reverted back to the Pontiac Fall Nationals. At least, that was the plan. Mother nature had other ideas, and the 2007 event was rained out and relegated to a makeup day.

This brings us to 2008 and the first all-Pontiac Fall Nationals since 2005. How did it go despite the economic conditions? "There were 142 show cars and approximately 70 racecars," according to Delaware Valley Old Goat Club show coordinator Tom Szymczyk.

On the show field, wildly-modified early and late-model Ponchos, and concours-gold restored ones, were glistening in the sunshine, providing tons of restoration and modification ideas. Want to check over the details of a Turbo T/A to help with your project? A low-mileage original was there to help. Need to study concours detailing for your '67 GTO? There was one on the field that had taken Gold at both the GTOAA Nats and the Eastern Regionals. Do you have questions or concerns about whether or not to go with custom paint on your modified Pontiac? Multiple custom-hued Ponchos dotted the show area with owners who were willing to share their experiences.

On the performance side, there was plenty to be gleaned from the racecars. Do you want to get into Pure Stock drag racing? There was a very quick '68 R/A-II 400 Firebird on the strip. How about other forms of drag racing? There were many racers running potent Pontiac-powered cars that offered a gaggle of go-fast ideas, all of which could be collected by simply walking through the pit area and taking a look.