Shootout VMP Edition - Pontiac Pavement Pounders

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.

Owner Bio: Rick GardenRick Garden, a 55-year-old home improvement contractor, bought his Judge in 1972 after getting out of the Army. It was his daily driver and street racer. After redoing the Judge in 1990, he started attending car shows but, according to him, "that got real boring, real fast." He says he has been drag racing ever since. His amateur career highlights include winning his class at Pontiacs in the Park at VMP. One of his favorite things about the Judge is when "someone comes up to my car expecting Chevy power. Surprise, surprise. It's all Pontiac." Rick says he loves going fast in his non-tubbed, iron-headed monster.

Five most important passes listed.

Run Notes:2) 13 psi in rear tires3) Adjusted shocks to 3 o'clock position4) Adjusted shocks to 6 o'clock position5) Adjusted shocks back to 12 o'clock position.

Owner Bio:Shawn Miller
With 14 years of amateur racing under his belt, Shawn Miller, 37 years old, came to an HPP shootout for the very first time. "It was a dream come true," he says. "I really love to read about the shootouts and different combos." Shawn bought his '79 Firebird in 1992 as a parts car, then put it together as a "low-buck, burnout, competition car." In 2005, he rebuilt it for autocross/drag action, achieving eighth overall out of 75 cars in an autocross competition in the Cumberland Autocross Series (2005), and running 12.60 in the quarter-mile at the Mason Dixon Dragway in Hagerstown, Maryland. In 2006, Shawn enjoyed his first year racing with the Outlaw Pontiac Drag Series and became one of the group's directors. When Paul Spotts built him this 455, autocross was retired and his Firebird became a quarter-mile-only racer.

Five most important passes listed.

Run Notes1) Shifted too late4) Changed 1-in spacer from Moroso to 1-in HVH Super Sucker8) More launch rpm, more heat in engine.

Owner Bio:Vincent Lasher
Vincent Lasher, a 44-year-old applications engineer, says his first legal drag race was in 2000 at the GTOAA convention in Columbus, Ohio. He ended up in the semifinal with his '70 GTO and was hooked on drag racing. However, his wife had a different opinion of him racing an eight-year project car, so he found a '72 LeMans on eBay for $600. "After two years and a lot more money, it was ready to go," he says. Vincent also says his LeMans is the first car that he did all of the work on, including paint. He has been racing it for two years. Lasher has made many friends through the Pontiac hobby. He also helped start Stray Goats Across America (SGAA), a car club with-you guessed it-members across America.

Five most important passes listed.

Run Notes:1) Good run, no tire spin2) Better burn out, pulled good top end4) Felt good5) Spun tires, bad burnout6) Felt good, better burnout.

Owner Bio:Larry Puckett
Larry Puckett, age 56, is an assistant manager at an auto parts store and has always liked '65 GTOs. His current race car came from his brother, who kept the Goat looking like new with a healthy 455, No. 64 heads, and a 3.90 rear. As you can see by the specs, Larry has made a few mods since he bought the GTO 23 years ago. He has enjoyed 30 years in the Pontiac hobby and has owned a '69 Firebird, a '70 11/42 T/A, and '91 and '97 Grand Prixs. "I love my Pontiacs and I love sticky quarter-mile tracks," Larry tells HPP.

Four most important passes listed.

Run Notes:1) 36-deg timing2) Sealed hood3) Took our rpm pill, took off pan carb4) Hooked well.

At The Track
Rick Garden
Rick Garden's '69 Judge was blazingly fast and consistent throughout the day. He ran amazingly, with only a 0.07-second variance throughout the entire event. Rick tried adjusting his shocks for a slight advantage, but the tune he brought to the track turned out to be his best. His best timeslip was on his second (of five total) passes: 10.33 at 127.17 on a 1.40 60-ft time. "The passes were all good and I shifted ok," Rick says. "My Judge hooked up the best it ever did. The runs were nice and straight and the track had excellent traction." He describes the shootout as "very professional, and I had plenty of time in between passes for changes."

Shawn Miller
Shawn and his '79 Bird stayed within 0.16 second all day long. "The track was prepped great, and my car hooked hard all day," he recalls. The best pass was his eighth, posting 10.8 at 120.37 on a 1.45 60-ft time. Shawn says it was the all-time record run for his Firebird. Of the shootout and the event, he says, "I had the time of my life. The event was well organized."

Vincent Lasher
Vincent Lasher's '72 LeMans also came to the track ready to make its best pass early in the day. He tried to improve on it with timing, airbag, and tire-pressure changes as the day wore on, but his best pass was the second of eight runs, a 12.23 at 108.31 on a 1.72 60-ft time. "I had the opportunity to try a few things on the car that I don't normally get a chance to do," Vincent says. "The track was very good." Vincent comments on the shootout: "I really enjoyed the event. Next time, have one of the big engine builders here to give us advice at the track!"

Larry Puckett
Larry Puckett's technique with his '65 GTO involved modifying the air intake (using a sealed hood and then removing the pan surrounding the carb) to increase his horsepower and improve his track times. It paid off on his fourth pass, the best of four runs, a 9.98 at 132.24 on a 1.39 60-ft time. "The car reacted very well," Larry says. "It hooked really well. It didn't pull left or right, and there were no slick spots that I know of." Larry also enjoyed the shootout. "It was very, very good. I was really glad I was selected to participate."

ConclusionThe tried-and-true engine combos showcased here can be used by readers to accomplish similar results without having to worry about unknown variables.

Rick Garden illustrated the knowledge that is gained through experience. With 30 years of amateur racing, he knew his reactions and his vehicle's capabilities. Rick showed us why the 0.030 455 is still the most popular engine combo in Pontiac drag racing today and for good reason. His Judge was an incredible and consistent performer, and he is a gentleman at the track.

Shawn Miller exhibited how Bandit-era Firebirds can be built for serious strip duty. His Paul Spotts-built 455 performed without a hiccup and ran very strong. Shawn was polite and friendly at the track. He is a good representation of the younger Pontiac racer crowd.

Vincent Lasher showed us that sometimes it's better to leave your show car at home and prepare a strip car that is willing to take the abuse that quarter-mile action can occasionally dish out. He ran a mild combo that was affordable and cut plenty of weight with fiberglass body parts. It all paid off in solid timeslips. Vincent had as much fun as everybody else who attended the event, without putting a scratch on his trophy-winning '70 GTO (at home in his garage) in the process.

Larry Puckett proved there is no replacement for displacement with his '65 GTO. Running 505 cubes, he could accomplish something unlikely in 1965: turning 9-second quarter-mile times in a 3,600-pound race-weight Goat. Larry was a great participant at the event, displaying a positive and willing attitude throughout the day.

HPP would like to thank Chief Pontiac Production and the management and crew of Virginia Motorsports Park for their assistance in making this shootout possible.