Through the combined efforts of Jim Zeek, VMP, and HPP, the Pontiac Pavement Pounders shootout from Virginia Motorsports was born, and it drew some serious competitors. For this installment, we assembled another group of traditional Pontiac racers plus a late-model GTP to represent the modern front wheel drive contingent.
For the local talent of our shootout, Mike Williams of Petersburg, Virginia, showed up with his alky-burning '66 Goat. Destined to be the quickest of the bunch in this installment, with a 400-based 462 engine built to the hilt and pushing a featherweight, 2,700-pound wheelstanding A-body, mid-9s were in the cards.
Rob Barhorst made the trip east from Lawrenceburg, Indiana, to participate in his 455-powered '74 GTO clone. Racing was the easy part. Getting the Ventura's engine reassembled in time for the shootout was another story. Could 10-second timeslips be in his future even with an unproven powerplant?
Why did Mark Cronk travel all the way from Melbourne, Florida, to participate? He had something to prove. Mark and his '78 T/A first competed in the Pontiac Pavement Pounders Shootout at West Virginia back in 2002, but a chassis problem sidelined the car after just two passes, so it couldn't be featured in the magazine as part of the event. Itching to get back into fray, Mark's pristine race car featuring a potent 0.030 455 with near priceless R/A-IV heads was in search of redemption and high-9-second e.t.'s. Did all of his hard work since West Virginia pay off?
Chris Yates came in from China Grove, North Carolina, to participate in our shootout with his '00 GTP. Packing a stout, rebuilt 3800 with ported heads, an upgraded cam, and a Gen-V supercharger, Chris' GTP is a solid 11-second front-driver drag car. But can the drivetrain handle the power?
With the intensity raised to a fever pitch, let's get to the action.