VMP Edition
What would you say if High Performance Pontiac invited you to have private use of an NHRA track for the day, make as many passes as you wanted, and then get your Pontiac featured in the magazine? Sound too good to be true? It's not. We've been doing it for more than a dozen years.

VMP Edition
Last month, High Performance Pontiac brought you Part II of the sizzling strip action of the 2009 Pavement Pounders Shootout at Virginia Motorsports Park. The event, held the day before the annual Pontiacs in the Park show, allowed specially selected Pontiac drag racers from across the United States to have private use of the NHRA-sponsored VMP quarter-mile track for the day, show off their engine combos, and experiment with alternate tunings and techniques to achieve their lowest e.t.inline_mediumwraptextright25731845/shootout/hppp_1001_1968_pontiac_gto_1980_pontiachppp_1001_01_z+1980_pontiac+lemans.jpgTrue

Last year, HPP published a comprehensive Pure Stock Shootout series in multiple issues. Completing the event was an arduous task because it rained out three times before we finally got a dry race day. With a change of venue to Mid-Michigan Motorplex in Stanton, Michigan, our Pure Stock Shootout ultimately came to fruition under sunny skies on a warm mid-September day, which happened to be the day before the Pure Stock Drags.

Norwalk Edition
A Trans Am And A GTO Assault The Asphalt At Norwalk

For the previous two months, HPP has brought you the high-speed, tire-shredding action of our Pavement Pounders Shootout at the Ames Performance Pontiac Tri-Power Nationals. This private, HPP-sponsored event allows invited drag racers from across the country to have exclusive use of the NHRA-sanctioned Summit Motorsports Park for the day, test their engine combos, meet and share ideas with fellow racers, and battle for bragging rights, while competing in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

A Tempest, A Trans Am, And A GTO Stampede the Traps At NorwalkLast month, HPP brought you the exciting details about our Pavement Pounders Shootout at the Ames Performance Pontiac Tri-Power Nationals. The event allows select drag racers from across the country to have private use of the NHRA-sanctioned Summit Motorsports Park for the day, test the engines they've been working on all winter, share tips with fellow racers, and compete in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

The Ames Performance Pontiac Tri-Power Nationals is the Pontiac hobby's premier spot for drag-racing action. Each year, hundreds of racers from across the country come to Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, to vie for cash, prizes, and peer recognition. The day before the Nationals, High Performance Pontiac invites select Pontiac drag racers to participate in the Pavement Pounders Shootout. In a relaxed atmosphere, drivers test and tune their cars, dial in their combinations, and make multiple passes down the NHRA-sanctioned track.

For the past few months, HPP has shared the stories behind the drag-racing Pontiacs that participated in our Shootout at Virginia Motorsports Park. To update new readers of this series, HPP was invited by Jim Zeek of Chief Pontiac Productions and Virginia Motorsports Park (VMP) to use its NHRA-sanctioned track in Petersburg, Virginia, the day before the Fifth Annual Pontiacs in the Park event. In the final installment, we present to you two '69 Firebird race cars. Keep in mind that they were paired for this story but are not competing against one another for low e.t. They're together simply because we were intrigued by the fact that their individual combos are very different, yet they share the same body.

VMP Edition
As you've read over the last three months, HPP was invited by Jim Zeek of Chief Pontiac Productions and Virginia Motorsports Park (VMP) to use its NHRA-sanctioned track in Petersburg, Virginia, the day before the Fifth Annual Pontiacs in the Park event. In Part 4, we contrast old school versus new school: One driver races a Pontiac he bought 30 years ago in high school, and the other enjoys a late-model Trans Am tuned to within an inch of its life.

Battle Of The H.O.S: 350 Vs. 455
With installment number six, we have reached the final Pure Stock Shootout of our series. But it certainly is not going out with a whimper, as we have a battle between the largest and almost smallest (don't forget the 326 H.O.) pure Pontiac V-8 engines ever to wear the H.O. moniker. Mid-Michigan Motorplex in Stanton is the stage, and a '69 350 H.O. Firebird and a '71 455 H.O.-equipped GTO are the players. Strangely enough, neither of our drivers actually own their respective rides-we'll explain that later.

HPP was invited by Jim Zeek of Chief Pontiac Productions and Virginia Motorsports Park (VMP) to use its NHRA-sanctioned track in Petersburg, Virginia, the day before the Fifth Annual Pontiacs in the Park event. In this segment, we'll focus on two drivers whose Pontiac race cars, timeslips, and driving techniques may appear to have little in common. Even though one completes the quarter-mile in the low 10s, and the other in the low 8s, both share a common bond in that they each run traditional Pontiac engine combos.

After a one-issue hiatus, we now continue with our Pure Stock Shootout Series. To briefly review, HPP hosted a large Shootout at Mid-Michigan Motorplex in Stanton, which featured a group of Pontiac Pure Stock racers who compete each year in the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race (PSMCDR or PS).

HPP was invited by Jim Zeek of Chief Pontiac Productions and Virginia Motorsports Park (VMP) to use its NHRA-sanctioned track in Petersburg, Virginia, the day before the Fifth Annual Pontiacs in the Park event. In Part 1, we will focus on a group of four drivers who run stroked iron-block Pontiac engines with carburetors and automatic transmissions. With track times ranging from the low-8s to high-12s, we hope you can find a combo that'll help you build your next Pontiac race car.

Pure Stock Series
Since this is the fourth installment, you probably know the premise of this series inside out. We held a major shootout at Mid-Michigan Motorplex in Stanton, which consisted of a group of Pontiac Pure Stock racers, who compete each year in the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race (PSMCDR or PS). The rules and setups were discussed in the past few issues, so let's suffice it to say that these Pontiacs must remain very close to factory stock, right down to the wheels and tires. Certain concessions are given to NHRA-legal-for-stock-class engine specs, aftermarket clutches, more modern exhaust systems with H- or X-type crossovers (but no headers), and some very mild suspension tweaking.

Pure Stock Series
Mid-Michigan Motorplex in Stanton, Michigan, played host to a group of very dedicated Pontiac racers, but there were no slicks, no nitrous, no headers, practically nuthin' non-stock. Because, as you know-if you've been following this series-these were all Pure Stock racers who compete in the annual Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race (PS) each year at this very same facility. The drivers knowing the ins and outs of the track and the track personnel knowing the particular needs of racers who run on bias-ply street tires would pay off for everyone as these competitors were about to produce some very impressive time slips. Let's meet our current crop of participants.

Pure Stock Series
It has been said that "the third time is the charm," and even though we had two rainouts at the track in Norwalk, Ohio, our third attempt at completing a Pure Stock Shootout was successful. After running four cars at the Ames Performance Tri-Power Pontiac Nationals the day after the second rainout, the remaining group competed at Mid-Michigan Motorplex in bucolic Stanton, Michigan, just prior to the annual Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race (PS).

Pure Stock Series
If you've ever been amazed by how Pure Stock Pontiacs are able to produce high 12-second e.t.s with stock engines and drivelines on bias-ply tires, this is the Shootout series for you. Through this installment, and the Pure Stock tech story on page 66 in this issue, you'll begin to learn how it's done. Successive issues will cover more Pure-Stockers and other Stocker secrets.

HPP was invited by Summit Motor-sports Park to hold a Pavement Pounders Shootout during the '07 Ames Tri-Power Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio. Five Pontiacs participated: Four Pure-Stockers that you will read about next month and this Pure Pontiac-powered and modified '75 Ventura.

If you recall from last month, HPP was invited by Jim Zeek, of Chief Pontiac Productions, and the Virginia Motorsports Park (VMP) staff to use the newly renovated, NHRA-sanctioned track in Petersburg, Virginia, on the day before the annual Pontiacs In The Park event. In this edition, we focus on the second group of four drivers that participated in the Pavement Pounders Shootout. All four run traditional Pontiac engine combos, carburetors, and Turbo 350/400 transmissions. With track times ranging from the high 9s to low 12s, we're sure you can find a combo that will help you in building your "perfect" Pontiac racer. Let's meet our competitors.

Once again, Chief Pontiac Productions and Virginia Motorsports Park invited HPP to use the newly-renovated NHRA-sanctioned track for our Pavement Pounders Shootout. Although the morning weather was damp, the crew of VMP quickly dried the track and the sun came out for a great afternoon of racing. Eight drivers participated, four of whom are highlighted in Part I, and the second four will be showcased in Part II.

For 2007, Speedworld Motorplex and Steve Barcak's Pontiac Heaven once again played host to HPP's Pavement Pounders Shootout. Due to a few mechanical difficulties, this year's participant list was cut to three, though each of them is certainly worthy of these pages and will provide potent combinations that you may want to try in your Pontiac.

This month, we go back to Ontario, California, for the second installment of the HPP Pavement Pounders Shootout from Auto Club Dragway at California Speedway in Fontana, California. It was held in conjunction with POCI Convention and Pontiac Drag Days, with Dave "Big Injun" Anderson organizing the racers and working with the POCI Drag Race Committee to bring it all together.

This installment of the HPP "Pontiac Pavement Pounders Shootout" should please all those who love pure-Pontiac power as we have enlisted examples of a 400, a 428, a 455, and a 400 that became a 455 to throw down on the dragstrip for your enjoyment. Unlike the last installment however, three out of four of these machines are racecars that are dialed-in to a single purpose-to get through the quarter faster than the guy in the next lane. But don't fret readers, we have a street/strip Pontiac that serves double duty as well.

SO there we were at Ohio Valley Dragway in Louisville, Kentucky, anxiously awaiting not only the start of the HPP-sponsored Jim Wangers Invitational Race, but also our HPP shootout. The only problems were that you could cut the air with a knife and it was raining on this July morning.

For all who asked for more 400s, you are certainly getting your fill of them in this shootout series-and the latest installment is no exception, as we have a 9-second 400 '65 GTO, an 11-second 400 '73 Ventura, and a 10-second 400 '69 Firebird. Just to keep all those 400s honest, we also have a 455-powered '70 GTO convertible. So let's meet this month's contestants who, thanks to Virginia Motorsports Park management and Jim Zeek at Pontiacs In the Park, had a great track on which to race in our Pontiac Pavement Pounders Shootout.

Following the success of the shootouts that we ran last year just prior to the Pontiacs in the Park event, both HPP and show promoter Jim Zeek felt it would be a great idea to do it all over again-so we did. What follows over the next few issues are the result of the endeavor.