Pontiac Pavement Pounders Shootout: Against the Wind

You know those days when gale-force winds require you to walk around at a 45° angle? When garbage, dirt, and the occasional farm animal seem to be on a collision course with your newly-waxed Pontiac? When not-right-in-the-head magazine editors refuse to take heed in extreme weather forecasts and decide to schedule a shootout anyway? Well, April 9 was one of those days.

Our shootouts are usually more than a month in the making, and as the big day approached our apprehension turned to outright disgust. The Weather Channel had forecasted a wet week leading up to the big event, and it appeared that our window for wreck-free racing was a small one. Fearless leader DeMauro knew that Tuesday would be our best hope for a storm-free shindig, so the order came down to let our four contestants (down from seven due to mechanical problems) know that we were go for liftoff. Unfortunately, that term was something that could have been taken literally for some of our faster participants. When we rolled onto the sticky flat surface of Englishtown, New Jersey's Raceway Park, the temperature was around 60°, humidity was in the low 70s, and a 20-mph headwind was there to greet us.

Braving the elements on this day were Wayne Garrison, James Horton, Joe Veasy, and Joe Anderson. These four cats weren't sure about snatching a personal best time from the jaws of Mother Nature, but they gave it a shot anyway. Garrison brought a high-9-second '69 Goat in Judge trim, Horton's '66 Tempest was aiming for some high 10s, Veasy was dying to hit the 13-second zone in his '69 GTO--also in judge robes, and Anderson's '67 Goat was reaching for low, low 12s. It was going to be an interesting day, so once our photos were taken, we hit the track and gave the headwind our best shots.

OWNER BIO: Wayne Garrison
Wayne Garrison is a 45-year-old UPS driver who has always owned GTOs--and every other kind of Pontiac, it seems. His dad owns a '69 Judge, and his mom tools around in a '99 Bonneville--starting to get the picture? This Goat came along after the Pasadena Md. resident got the itch to go fast, and he picked it up less motor and trans, especially turning it into the screamer you see here. Garrison loves his wife and daughters, Pontiac car shows, and wheelstands. We can see why.

OWNER BIO: James Horton
This 11-second performer is actually the first car that New City, N.Y. resident James Horton ever owned--it has been in his possession since 1986. 34-year-old Horton owns a repair shop, which gives him a place to work on his Pontiac. But frankly, we were a little preoccupied when he was at the line: Horton's luck involving our fine, feathered friends at the racetrack is not good. He told of a day at the races where a bird flew into the window of his tow vehicle on the way to the track. He thought nothing of it and headed to the starting line. That same day, as he was going full-tilt toward the finish line, another bird flew into the front of his car! With all of the Canada geese around Raceway Park, and with the Shore and its many seagulls only miles away, we feared for his life.

OWNER BIO: Joe Veasey, Jr.
32-year-old Joe Veasey, Jr. is another victim of association. Back when he was 12, one of his father's business partners owned a '69 GTO convertible. He was hooked after his first ride in it, and he responded by buying a '69 Goat porject car and an '88 Firebird. But this GM Flame Red stunner really takes the cake: his flame-off restored '69 provides 'too many favorite moments' to list, and although this Turnersville, N. J. resident stays busy with his family, his work at Genvardi's, and his Rutgers education, he always finds time for his now 13-second Goat.

OWNER BIO: Joe Anderson
Our Connecticut connection for the day was 59-year-old Joe Anderson, who was loving spending quality time with his GTO. "I just wanted to get on the drag strip and enjoy myself," Joe quipped. This Stratford denizen is a truck driver by day and a proud grandpa by night who enjoys the Yankees and NASCAR--and, of course, fast Pontiacs. He owned a '67 LeMans a long time ago, and is carrying the musclecar torch with his quick '67 Goat.

At The Track
Our four contestants faced off with a track that is known to stay sticky, yet was unable to be "officially" prepped due to the wind. The gusts just kept coming on this 65° day, reaching 25 miles per hour and warding off some of the humidity, which was stuck in the low 70s. It was a far from perfect day to be racing, but nothing was going to curb our crew's enthusiasm.

Wayne Garrison
Wayne sent a photo of his '69 doing a huge wheelie, so we knew that his ride possessed some serious power. But two things were working against him on this day: the starting line was inconsistent, and, as he found out, his spool had given out on him. "The track was too slick," he lamented later. "The car stayed consistent, but they weren't the kind of numbers that I was looking for." And although he didn't go 9s, out of his six runs two were 10.50s and two were 10.51s--all from a naturally aspirated, muffled Pontiac. Not bad, eh?

James Horton
Horton's Tempest had deceptive speed: sure, it would pull the wheels a little when he left around 2 grand, but this thing really pulled on the top end. He has seen almost 123 mph on a 10-second pass, although the track conditions prevented him from eclipsing the 120-mph mark on this day. A slew of 11.1s and 11.0s were recorded, but when he pulled to the line to try and crack 10s, a mysterious knock resounded from the motor. It didn't seem to be too serious, so Horton pulled back to the lanes and removed the valve covers. Nothing was found, and it wasn't until a few days later that the truth was known. "I pulled the motor out and took the pan off, and I found some spun rod bearings. I don't know why that happened now--I just freshened this mill up over the winter!"

Joe Veasy
From our initial phone invitation on, Joe was totally psyched to be a part of this shootout. He had just bolted up a set of drag radials, and a quick trip to Atco Raceway the week prior got the restored '69 Goat tuned and the tires seasoned. But a tranny/shifter problem made second gear pop out, making his quest for 13s a difficult one indeed. Joe and his friend Ken shared driving duties, but neither was able to crack a big one--until the crew from Taylor Engine Service got involved. "Jim Taylor and Mark [Erney] were great; once they were like 'Do this, do that' my times started to improve. Mark told me to pull off the air cleaner and I immediately saw better times. Then Jim told me to put the ram air pan on with the foam seal and without the air cleaner, and it went 14.02 with Ken driving. Then when I drove it, I finally got my 13!"

Joe Anderson
Joe was looking for low 12s from his '67 Goat, but he wouldn't be able to beat the 12.4 that represented his all-time best. A starting line that was great one minute and slick the next made for inconsistent runs, even with the 275mm drag radials mounted out back. Joe's best 60-foot was a 1.89, but on the other five runs, it took over two seconds. "Unfortunately, I was inconsistent today. The wind was real tough and I couldn't find the right combo. But I was here to have fun, and that's exactly what I did."

Conclusion
So the mineshaft barometer and light breezes weren't in the cards on this day--the great thing was, no one really cared. We took photos, ate pizza, worked on Pontiacs, smoked cigars, and lied about women. DeMauro had a Collector Edition Trans Am on hand, and there was lots of talk about the future of performance at Pontiac. When everyone had had his fill of racing, the trailers were loaded up and we headed home. The good aspects of this job seem to be limitless, but seeing the smiles on our contestants' faces as parting handshakes were made make these track days, windy or not, that much better.