High Performance Pontiac Homepage High Performance Pontiac

Pontiac Pavement Pounders Shootout - Atlanta Dragway, Part 1

YearOne and HPP Host a Three-Installment Shindig at Atlanta Dragway, Part 1: Street Cars, and a Bracket Car, of Various Desires--455 vs. 428 vs. 421 vs. 400 vs. 231 Supercharged

writer: Thomas A. DeMauro
photographer: Thomas A. DeMauro, Randall L. Allen
http://images.highperformancepontiac.com/shootout/hppp_060600_pontiac_shootout_01_1966_gto_s.jpg
http://images.highperformancepontiac.com/shootout/hppp_060600_pontiac_shootout_02_1968_firebird_s.jpg
http://images.highperformancepontiac.com/shootout/hppp_060600_pontiac_shootout_03_1963_tempest_s.jpg
http://images.highperformancepontiac.com/shootout/hppp_060600_pontiac_shootout_05_1999_grand_prix_gtx_s.jpg

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.


1  | 2  | 3  | 4  | 5  | 6  | 7  | Next
Get Adobe Flash player
Get a FREE no-hassle price quote on any new car.

Related Photos

Related Articles

 
2006 Pontiac GTO Sleeper: Please Do Not Disturb
This Understated 2006 Pontiac GTO Seems Tame But Unleashes 700 Horses... more
 
1967 Pontiac GTO - School Days
Since the last update, students at Dauphin County Technical School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,... more
 
1969 Pontiac Trans Am - Be Careful What You...Well, You Know
When Mike Genovese of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, began his search for the perfect Trans Am, in his... more
 
2004 Pontiac Southern Nationals
The Pontiac Southern Nationals hosted by the Dallas Area Pontiac Association has grown and evolved... more
 
Memories of a 1960 Bonneville are Made of Metal
For Jim Schmidt, this '60 Bonneville is more than just nuts and bolts... more
 
Why Not A 400
We build a 444-Horse Street Pontiac 440 With Room to Grow... more
 
1966 Pontiac GTO Taillights - Let There Be Light - Pontiac Tech
Got A Free Afternoon And $25? Then You Can Restore Your Taillights!... more
 
First-Gen F-Body Gen-III LS1 Engine Swap - Generation Zap Part 1
Part I: What it Takes to Bolt in an LS1-Subframe Upgrades for All First-Gen Owners... more
 
1970 Pontiac Ram Air IV Trans Am - Road-Rocket Resurrection
Rescuing A 1970 1/2 Ram Air IV T/A From The Ravages Of Time In Less Than 30 Photos... more
 
1994 Pontiac Firebird - Classic Pontiac Subterfuge
Better Look Again: It's Not Your Son's LS1 In This '94 Bird-In Fact, It's A Pontiac Engine... more

 

Get Adobe Flash player