Carlisle All GM Nationals

Credit for getting the word out to Pontiac owners to make a respectable showing, at an event that is normally loaded with Chevys, goes to three Pontiac clubs. The Susquehanna Valley GTO club (svgto.com), which is the GTOAA chapter for central Pennsylvania; Capitol City GTOs (www.ccgto.com), a late-model club from the Washington, D.C. area; and the Maryland–based Mid Atlantic Fiero Owners Association (www.mafoa.com) each actively promote the All GM Nats in an effort to draw as many Pontiacs as possible, and the results of their efforts were revealed on the showfield. Susquehanna Valley GTO Club president Vic Schreck told HPP that his club had between 25 and 30 club cars in attendance. The Capitol City GTOs actually won the Club Challenge with 60 Pontiacs (63 registrations), and the Mid Atlantic Fiero Owners Association took Third place with 37 Fieros (46 registrations)! The club efforts combined with the rest of the Pontiac turnout had Ponchos far outnumbering the Buicks and Oldsmobiles on the showfield.

Drag racing was offered on Friday afternoon at the nearby eighth-mile track, Quarter Aces Drag-O-Way. Seminars were conducted Friday and Saturday. Those of interest to Pontiac owners included Car Care by Meguiar’s; GM Diagnostics & Troubleshooting Tips; Judging, Guidelines for Participants; Fuels & Ethanol —Do’s & Don’ts—What every old-car owner needs to know; and Drag Racing 101.

All-in-all, the GM Nationals provided lots of Pontiac eye candy, a large amount of parts and cars for sale, drag racing, live music, a Ms. Carlisle contest, and enough seminars to make you dizzy, but also wiser. You could even check out the cars from GM’s sister divisions.

If all that sounds like a great way to spend a weekend in June, plan to attend the 2012 event on June 22-24. For more information, log on to www.carlisleevents.com/events/gm-nationals.