The Red, White, and Blue Albany-Saratoga...
The Red, White, and Blue Albany-Saratoga Speedway pace truck lead a pack of Firebirds, Formulas, Trans Ams, Pace Cars, and Special Editions. In recognition of National Collector Car day and in close proximity to the Fourth of July holiday, first row duty was given to red, white, and blue First Generation Birds.
Saratoga Springs, New York, bills itself as “the August place to be!” and caters to the thoroughbred horse set. As of 2011, it can truly be said that Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, New York, is “the July place to be!” if you’re a Firebird owner, enthusiast, or aficionado.
The Saratoga Meet, as horse race fans call the August racing season in Saratoga, and the Saratoga Show, as Pontiac F-body fans call the All Firebird Lawn Show now located in Malta, have both become the premier settings for high-performance horsepower and thoroughbred lineage.
The 9th Annual All Firebird Lawn Show found itself without a 2011 venue in December 2010 when negotiations fell apart between officers of Firebird Nation of North America, the host club; Saratoga Auto Museum, the host venue; and Special Olympics Capital District Region, the beneficiary of this fund-raiser Firebird show. Albany-Saratoga Speedway rose to the occasion and made an offer that couldn’t be refused, thus a new relationship was formed between Firebird Nation of North America and Albany-Saratoga Speedway. Additional negotiations were brokered with the Fairfield Inn and Suites of Malta, and as a result, the property would continue to be the official show hotel for the 9th Annual and 10th Annual All Firebird Lawn Show, with show proceeds continuing to benefit Special Olympics.
Not to be outdone, there were...
Not to be outdone, there were also yellow birds, blue birds, red birds, silver birds, gold birds, and most other colors besides the Special Edition black birds.
A devoted legion of Firebird owners started gathering on Thursday night before the show in the hotel parking lot. The group consisted of long haulers, trailers from states beyond New York, and anti-haulers, those who believe that Firebirds are meant to be driven.
With a New York State Police escort, this year’s All Firebird Cruise on the Friday night before the show drew 50 Birds and was so long that the Saratoga Springs Police Department, Saratoga County Sheriff’s Department, Saratoga SPA Park Police, and additional units from the New York State Police aided in traffic control. The plan was to escort the Birds to the Speedway for a night of NASCAR-sanctioned racing on the paved oval track, Firebirds running laps behind a pace vehicle at half-time intermission, and then a large Fourth of July fireworks display.
FNONA member cars representing...
FNONA member cars representing all four generations of F-bodied Pontiacs were parked overlooking the show field in the “display-only” area.
Unfortunately a late-afternoon storm swept through the area and the Speedway cancelled the race program and fireworks display, so the author asked Speedway owner Bruce Richards to open the Speedway venue for Firebird Night at the Speedway. Only Firebirds would be allowed inside the gates and onto the paved oval to run laps, and the track even provided food.
There was a drivers’ meeting before the start of the laps and all drivers were told that there would be “no bump drafting, no rubbing, and no rough play.” Despite the warning, one young driver still managed to turn a few 360s, for which he was black-flagged!
A new class for the 2011 show...
A new class for the 2011 show was Best of the Best. This class consisted of all of the First Place 2010 winners from Stock and Modified classes ’67-’69, ’70-’76, ’77-’81, ’82-’92, and ’93-’02, plus the Best of Show winner from 2010. This group was out of the judges’ hands since the winner would be picked by a jury of its peers.
This ’92 Formula owned by...
This ’92 Formula owned by Larry Michael looks stock—but it’s not! The First Place winner in the ’82-’92 Modified class was packing some serious tire-shredding power from a 383 Stroker motor.
Owned by Chris Ek, this ’76...
Owned by Chris Ek, this ’76 Trans Am took First Place in the Stock ’70-’76 class. It features a 400ci engine, Turbo 350 transmission, and hood-bird delete.