If you recall from last month, HPP was invited by Jim Zeek, of Chief Pontiac Productions, and the Virginia Motorsports Park (VMP) staff to use the newly renovated, NHRA-sanctioned track in Petersburg, Virginia, on the day before the annual Pontiacs In The Park event. In this edition, we focus on the second group of four drivers that participated in the Pavement Pounders Shootout. All four run traditional Pontiac engine combos, carburetors, and Turbo 350/400 transmissions. With track times ranging from the high 9s to low 12s, we're sure you can find a combo that will help you in building your "perfect" Pontiac racer. Let's meet our competitors.
Rick Garden
Rick Gardenof Lemont Furnace, Pennsylvania, brought his '69 Judge that pounds its gavel in the low 10s. It features a 0.030-over 455 powerplant with iron No. 48 heads, a Turbo 400, and 4.10 gears.
Shawn Miller
Shawn Miller of Frostburg, Maryland, came to the track with a super-quick Second-Gen running high 10s. It packs a 0.030-over 455 with No. 6X cast-iron heads, a Turbo 350 trans, and a 3.89-geared rear. This strip-only Bird looks like a '7011/42 coming but is actually a '79 going.
Vincent Lasher
Vincent Lasher comes from West Milton, Ohio, and brings honor to the low-buck, A-body street/strip coalition with his '72 LeMans. Its 0.030-over 400 with No. 13 cast-iron heads, a Turbo 400, and 3.73 gears enable the Pontiac to produce low 12-second timeslips.
Larry Puckett
Larry Puckett of Newland, North Carolina, traveled to the event with one of Pontiac's earliest musclecars, a '65 GTO outfitted with an aftermarket 505 IA II block, E-heads, a Turbo 400, and 4.10 gears. The low-e.t. machine of this group, the Goat clocks in the high 9s.
Weather ReportThe temperature at VMP rose from the high 60s to 73.9 degrees. Density altitude was 1,435 feet, so we use a factor of 0.9848 for e.t. and 1.0157 for mph at 1,400 feet to chart the theoretical best performance at sea level. This will be done on the best-pass-only based on e.t. for each participant.