The Boss Bird gets some attention...
The Boss Bird gets some attention at the starting line prior to making a pass. The blast-to-the-past nostalgia nitro-fuel-burning funny car is owned by Eric Larsen (driver) and Mike Garblik (crew chief). It later ran a blistering 7.00 e.t. at 206.32 mph.
Last month, High Performance Pontiac brought you Part 1: Car Show and Celebrities, detailing the high-intensity action and excitement of the Ames Performance Tri Power Pontiac Nationals, which was held August 5-8, 2011, at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.
This month we conclude our extensive coverage of the Pontiac Nationals with a look at the Pontiacs that populated the pits and tore up the tarmac on their way to over $24,000 in total cash prizes and the chance to become the 2011 Chief of the Pontiacs. “There were 461 race cars in attendance for our 20th anniversary,” says Super Duty Promotions’ Pete Woodruff. “The count was up from the previous year.”
Racing began on Friday with Hammer Time Racing Test & Tune, which ran from noon to 8 p.m. The time slot was also allocated to two bonus races (each required a separate entry fee of $20 and a guaranteed payout of $500 to the winner/$250 to the runner-up), and the first qualifying round for the Butler Performance Frantic Four and the K&M MR-1 Heads Up races.
Legendary NHRA drag racer...
Legendary NHRA drag racer Arnie Beswick performs an equally legendary burnout in his Tameless Tiger II ’64 GTO just prior to a 7-second pass.
Saturday morning roared with the sound of Pontiac thunder as race cars from six decades began time trials in four bracket classes: All Pontiac.com Super Pro, Pypes Performance Pro, Tin Indian Performance Street, and Super Duty Promotions FWD. The morning action included the second qualifying round for the Butler Performance Frantic Four and the K&M MR-1 Heads-Up races, and the first qualifying round for the Kauffman Racing Equipment Quick 16.
Saturday afternoon led off with the Pontiac Nationals’ opening ceremonies, in which Merle and Mike Greene (Merle is the owner of the Knafel Tin Indian ’66 GTO) introduced 2010 1A Auto Chief of the Pontiacs Chris Yates (’00 Grand Prix) to the audience, and awarded him a custom leather jacket.
After a crowd-pleasing exhibition show—which included Nostalgia Superstockers, the debut of the re-creation of the nitro-fuel-burning ’71 Boss Bird funny car, and Arnie “The Farmer” Beswick’s Tameless Tiger II ’64 GTO—the third qualifiers for the Frantic Four and K&M MR-1 Heads Up races heated up the track. Afterwards, eliminations for the four bracket classes kept the strip bustling with burnouts and timeslips well past sunset, until rain stopped the roar of the engines, and the racers who had not been eliminated split the cash payout.
Roger Ibbotson’s ’68 GTO is...
Roger Ibbotson’s ’68 GTO is an example of one of the wilder race cars that compete for cash and prize payouts during the Pontiac Nationals weekend.
Sunday saw one time trial for bracket classes, the third qualifier for the KRE Quick 16, the Firehawk/Comp TA race program, the exhibition show, and bracket-class eliminations. After the four bracket class winners were announced, each of them ran in final eliminations against each other to determine the new Chief of the Pontiacs.
Throughout the weekend, the dragstrip starting line was also the site of numerous ceremonies, including Editor’s Choice awards (see our last issue for the winners), Inland Empire GTO Club John DeLorean awards, and PHS Automotive Services’ Jim Mattison presenting a special trophy to Super Duty Promotions in congratulations of the Pontiac Nationals’ 20th anniversary.
No wonder Chris Shenuk’s ’72...
No wonder Chris Shenuk’s ’72 Firebird is called “Bad Bird.”
Nostalgia Super Stock continues...
Nostalgia Super Stock continues to be one of the Pontiac Nationals’ popular exhibition classes. Here Tom Keasler’s “The Chief” ’62 Tempest gets some air at the start of his battle against Larry Kauffman’s “War Chief” ’61 Catalina.
This LS- powered Fourth-Gen...
This LS- powered Fourth-Gen Trans Am owned by Rob Whitney competed against traditional Pontiac power in the Pro class.
Walt Miller’s Nostalgia Superstock...
Walt Miller’s Nostalgia Superstock “Tomahawker” ’63 Catalina goes heads up against Gerry Gostenik ’61 Chevy Bel Air, recalling the classic Pontiac-versus-Chevy contests of the swinging ’60s.
In the Super Stock pit area,...
In the Super Stock pit area, Larry Quinn’s “Blast from the Past” ’62 Catalina, Ernie Keppler’s “The White Warrior” ’63 LeMans, and Brad Shoemaker’s “Iron Indian” ’63 LeMans prepare for exhibition match races. The ’63s also show how great the Y-body Pontiacs still are, as the Tempest celebrated its 50th anniversary at this event.
With his wife, Carolyn, and...
With his wife, Carolyn, and daughter, Arianna, cheering his success, HPP Pavement Pounders Shootout alumnus Steve Ciregna steps out from his ’01 Sunset Orange Metallic Trans Am and learns he beat out 460 other hopefuls to become the 2011 Ames Performance Tri-Power Pontiac Nationals’ 1A Auto Chief of the Pontiacs.
Starter Sam Lance douses Ciregna...
Starter Sam Lance douses Ciregna with an ice cooler filled with cold water, while Super Duty Promotions’ Pete Woodruff bestows Ciregna with the top bracket-drag-racing award for the weekend.
John LaFever’s ’89 Firebird...
John LaFever’s ’89 Firebird cut a 0.000 light, and ran 9.58 on a 9.32 dial-in to win Sunday’s AllPontiac.com Super Pro class and $500. He took the runner-up in the Chief of the Pontiacs race.
A ’98 Grand Prix GTP owned...
A ’98 Grand Prix GTP owned by Bob Johnson took the class win in Pontiacs Super Duty Promotions FWD on Sunday. Shown are Bob’s son Robb; daughter-in-law Debbie; grandson Dylan; Bob; grandson Bobby; and son Steve.