Jim Wangers delivered a moving speech on the demise of Pontiac and gave the faithful a show with a 3/4-throttle pass down the Summit Motorsports Park quarter-mile in the original '63 Royal Pontiac "Swiss Cheese" Catalina. Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick made a perfectly-executed exhibition pass in his "Tameless Tiger II" '64 Pro Mod GTO. This year's King of the Pontiacs, the show's drag racing grand prize, went to Steven Douglas from Parkersburg, West Virginia, in an '84 Fiero (see sidebar).
As in the past, the participants were treated to catered meals during the weekend, courtesy of Ames Performance Engineering. Free coffee, doughnuts, and beverages, and even shuttle service throughout the day made sure that showgoers were being given the royal treatment all weekend.
The 2010 Ames Performance Tri-Power Pontiac Nationals will be held August 6-8 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio. For more information and event updates, please log onto www.pontiacnationals.com.
Furious Fiero Four Flattens Field For Fantastic Final Finish
Winning on the cheap has been Steven Douglas' philosophy, and his '84 Fiero proves it is the driver's skill that can win the race as much as horsepower and traction. Steven is a longtime bracket racer, and it just so happened that his regular racecar was broken, so the Fiero came out instead this year.
He waded through a seemingly endless number of rounds, taking the win for the Tin Indian Performance Street Class on Sunday over Greg Budzinski, who bulbed in his 10-second '81 Grand Prix. He continued pushing his way through, with a string of high 18-second runs at about 72 mph.
While the Fiero didn't set any hearts stirring with its less-than-ground-shaking performance, Steven nonetheless impressed everyone with his skill at the lights and his strategy of making the competition play catchup, which can usually force drivers to red-light or break out. Like the fabled tortoise and hare race, Steven kept it slow and steady and let consistency be his calling card. His efforts won him the 2009 Chief of the Pontiacs trophy. Congratulations!
When is a Firehawk not a Firebird?...
When is a Firehawk not a Firebird? When it is a super-rare G8 Firehawk, built by SLP Engineering. This ultra high-performance machine sports a supercharged 6.0L V-8 pumping out a whopping 500 hp. Specific paint and graphics lets everyone know this is no ordinary G8.
Richard Borecky of Cleveland...
Richard Borecky of Cleveland brought his '84 Fiero to Norwalk, and it is a real piece of Pontiac history. This is the very car that Pontiac supplied to Diversified Glass Products to prototype its Fiero body panels. It still draws a crowd wherever it goes.