AT THE TRACK
As explained in the last issue, we had a couple of sources for weather info at the track, so some numbers are different. For example, Mark Cronk, who participated in last month's shootout, saw a high of 88 degrees on his thermometer, but we took readings of 95 degrees. He saw a high of 28 percent humidity, but the day felt very humid and it was hazy. Our barometer read 30.05 hg. As has been the case in past installments of this shootout from Virginia, despite it all, our four participants still ran well--and three more ran their best-ever e.t.'s and two their best-ever mph.
Rick Schabener
Rick had two obstacles to overcome on race day besides the heftiness of his '68 Firebird convertible--carburetion and traction. "I had ordered and received a trick carburetor for the Firebird that I was anxious to try out at the strip," he says. "But I soon found the Pontiac was running slower with the new carb than with the old one. A careful inspection revealed the carb had been damaged in shipping, and I didn't notice it when I bolted it on." Swapping back to the old carb for the fourth pass picked up performance considerably, posting a 12.60 at 107.86 compared to a 12.78 at 106.11 on the previous one. However, traction was an issue the entire day because Rick was running 275/60-15 Hoosier Quick Time DOT tires. "I considered switching to true race slicks," he says, "and a fellow shootout participant even offered to let me borrow a pair, but I have been warned by a few people that with the power the engine is producing, adding slicks may start wrinkling quarter-panels. Since it's more of a street car than a race car, I decided not to do it." As a result, he had to live with 60-foot times in the 1.80s, but on the eighth pass he did post his best e.t. and mph ever at 12.56 at 108.41--and he's been racing this Pontiac for 15 years! "I met some great people at the track and really enjoyed myself," Rick says.
Joe White
Joe tuned with tire pressure, performed a plug swap, and removed the air cleaner. His launch and shift rpm never changed, and his 60-foots were consistent between 1.73 and 1.76 over five runs, three of which were 1.75s. His best pass was the fourth with 12 psi in the tires, running 12.44 at 107.78. "The car was lazy out of the hole all day," he says, "and I think it was a tire problem. I have since changed to M/T Drag Radials, and my 60-foot times have improved to high 1.50s/low 1.60s." Regarding the shootout, he says, "I thought it was real smooth. There was plenty of time to get runs in, and nobody was yelling at us to hurry up. Toward the end, the track got slick, but it was still a good day." Joe wants to thank his parents, as well as Nicole, Alan Minor, Mark Mento, Tom Pattan Autobody, Scott, Dave, and Rob for their help and support.
Jim Ullom
"My car liked this track--as did I, thank you," Jim says. It's no wonder, given that his '70 Formula hooked consistently throughout the day, posting four identical 1.49 60-foot times. The other was a 1.48. He adjusted timing once and shift point once, and the Pontiac was still quick, running 10.62-10.60-10.57-10.60 through the first four passes, all of which are best-ever e.t.'s--a great performance. Jim says he enjoyed meeting people, seeing the cars, and realizing his lifelong dream of getting his car in a magazine.
Jeremy Benson
Jeremy was in serious tuning mode. After dialing in tire pressure for the first three runs, it was timing that was bumped 1 degree for each of the next three. At 40 degrees on the sixth pass, the LeMans was slowing down, so dialing back to 38 degrees, Jeremy then concentrated on launch rpm and shift points for the next three passes. On run number nine, it all came together, and he ran 13.27 at 102.73, marking his best e.t. and mph ever! "My car hooked up well all day except for one pass," Jeremy says. "I had a great time and made tons of passes (12 in all). It was a low-pressure event, and I met a lot of friendly people."
CONCLUSION
Three out of our four participants have owned their Pontiacs since high school, and the fourth has had his for nine years. They are certainly dedicated hobbyists. Each did their best on race day, and the results bear it out.
We actually ended up with four very different combinations--from a '68 Firebird street car with a healthy transplanted 455 to a resto mod '70 GTO street car with a stout 400 out to prove a point, to a '70 Formula 455-equipped back-halved race car that is purpose built for the strip, and finally a very mild '69 LeMans 455 street car that any hobbyist can relate to. There was something for most tastes and budgets, it would seem. Not a bad way to wrap up our final installment of the VMP shootouts. Stay tuned for more Pontiac Pavement Pounders shootouts from exotic U.S. locals in future issues.