Pontiac Pavement Pounders Shootout - Atlanta Dragway, Part 1

Once again, lead-footed Pontiac owners offered to strut their stuff on the dragstrip for the HPP cameras, to get in the magazine and divulge all regarding their potent combinations so that fellow readers may benefit from their experience. From the Pontiacs to the thermometer readings, the action at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia, this past summer was hot, hot, hot. As always, the racers rose to the occasion.

Eagle-eyed readers will notice that for these next three installments, HPP's Pontiac Pavement Pounders shootout has a sponsor. When YearOne heard the magazine was planning to run shootouts at Atlanta Dragway during the POCI Convention held in nearby Greenville, South Carolina, the company decided it would like to get involved, given the ever-increasing popularity of these events.

Through the combined efforts of Pat Staton and Keith Maney of YearOne, the staffs at Atlanta Dragway and HPP, and the participants, the event was a great success. Let's meet our first round of contestants, most of whom perform double-duty with their Pontiacs, driving them on the street as well. For this issue you will get a break from the "all 455" shootouts as these vehicles each have an engine displacement that is different than the others

Mike Davis rolled in from Loganville, Georgia, in his stock-looking '03 NMCA/NSCA world champion '66 GTO, equipped with a 421 engine, juice, a Turbo 400, and a 3.73 rear. In the hunt for 10.80s on motor, Mike was anxious to get started. But would available traction or a lack thereof defeat his plans?

Kyle Vieira arrived with his '68 Firebird convertible to represent the 455 for this shootout (despite the "400" decal on the air cleaner). The Marietta, Georgia, resident shifting for himself via a Super T10, was hoping to get his 4.11-geared ragtop through the traps in the 11s. Was a new personal best pass in the cards on this day?

Chaplain Tom Truluck fields a successful low-buck bracket racing effort featuring a mild 428, a Turbo 400, and a 3.42 rear in a '63 Tempest that was purchased from legendary racer Arnie Beswick in 1990. Living in Canton, Georgia, Atlanta Dragway was Tom's home track for a lot of years (he has since moved to Brainerd Optimist Dragstrip). Will he be able to exploit the home track advantage and maintain consistency on this day?

Doug Cobb's '69 Judge features a street-friendly yet powerful 9.0:1 compression 400 engine, a Turbo 400, and 3.55s out back. Hailing from Spartanburg, South Carolina, Doug is an ex-NHRA Comp Eliminator racer. Will his track experience pay off, with low e.t.'s for his wife's street car?

Late-model 3800 V-6 supercharged power was provided by Gene and Gail Scheer's (Moline, Illinois) rare '99 Grand Prix GTX. Featuring SLP upgrades that go beyond the GTX package, Gene wanted to represent the front drivers well in this shootout. Would he?

Enough with the teasers--let's get to the action.