The Pickett brothers Mark...
The Pickett brothers Mark and Jim go head-to-head. Mark’s high-7-second ’63 Tempest Wagon with an MR-1 535ci engine and KRE High-Port heads took the win over Jim’s 430ci MR-1 block, KRE High-Port-headed, 8-second ’63 Tempest coupe. Jim Pickett explained that these cars were lettered “Runnin Injun II” and “Runnin Injun III” as a tribute to their dad’s “Runnin Injun” ’52 Chieftain two-door sedan race car.
When Chris Casperson of Performance Years (PY) decided to host a cruise-in, open house, and car show at his place of business in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, he surmised that a race and a second car show at Maple Grove Raceway in nearby in Mohnton the following day would complement his plans for Friday, May 20, and Saturday, May 21, by providing a full weekend of Pontiac action.
There had been an annual Pontiac-specific Maple Grove event that had been ended years ago under the previous track management, so Chris decided to contact the new regime in an effort to bring it back. He also asked Jim Zeek of Chief Pontiac Productions to coordinate with Maple Grove General Manager Lex Dudas in hammering out the details of the race and show.
On Saturday, Performance Years’...
On Saturday, Performance Years’ open house and car show drew lots of Judges in a variety of colors and various years of Birds. Both the Pypes and PY trailers were on hand and open for business.
The result of the discussions was that Sunday, May 22, 2011, saw the return of a Pontiac-only race and car show to Maple Grove Raceway for the first time in nearly a decade.
When HPP arrived in Hatfield at the PY open house and car show on Saturday, the parking lot was brimming with prime Pontiacs as spectators and participants strolled the rows, toured the facility, and partook of free donuts and soft drinks.
John Labuda’s hot 10- second,...
John Labuda’s hot 10- second, “gasser-look,” 469ci-powered ’56 Pontiac flanks Arnie Brewer’s 10-second ’67 Tempest with GTO trim.
The back lot was all Pontiacs, while the smaller front lot was reserved for the multi-make portion of the show. Cars from as far as Canada came to participate, and the variety of vehicles in attendance rivaled that of some national events. Chris says, “Our first annual car show and open house exceeded our wildest expectations.”
By mid-afternoon, the car show awards were presented to 21 classes of Pontiacs. Best of Show went to Ken Colacino’s Starlight Black ’63 421 SD Catalina post coupe. We’ve lost count of how many Best of Show awards this Pontiac has won over the years. Certainly deserving of the honor, you can get the full feature story on Ken’s Cat just Click Here.
That evening, the PY Forums Reunion BBQ was held and members could meet face-to-face over burgers, dogs, and chicken.
Tony Oliveira’s ’69 GTO features...
Tony Oliveira’s ’69 GTO features a 537ci Pontiac engine and is raced regularly, but it is also street driven. Jeff Raff discusses the intricacies of his yellow ’64 GTO.
After a bright sunny Saturday, the same weather was hoped for on Sunday for the show and race at Maple Grove. However, overnight rainstorms brought with them humidity and heavy overcast skies. Those who disregarded the threat of precipitation were rewarded with exciting racing and a car show featuring interesting Pontiacs from all production eras from the ’50s forward.
On the track, everything from 7-second door- slammers to 16-second bracket cars competed for bragging rights and cash. The Heavy and Super classes paid $400 to the winner, $150 to the runner-up, and $50 to the semifinalist. The Street class paid $200/$100/$25/$25, and the Induction Solutions Pontiac Heads-Up Shootout paid $1,000.
Early on, one racer had a mishap when his Firebird hit the wall. His car was damaged but thankfully he wasn’t. After the track cleanup, the racing program continued at a brisk pace with a watchful eye on the looming gray clouds.
It wasn’t all just early Pontiacs,...
It wasn’t all just early Pontiacs, however. Check out this row of late-models, with everything from a bunch of new age GTOs, to a G8 and a very rare Bonneville GXP.
Shown are two Best of Show...
Shown are two Best of Show winners. Ken Colacino won the award at the PY car show with this ’63 421 SD Catalina post coupe (second from left), and Karl Fisher won the award at Maple Grove the next day for his gorgeous black ’65 Bonneville.
A line of pristine GP’s augmented...
A line of pristine GP’s augmented the GTOs and Firebirds that turned out in force at the PY car show.