[muscle_collector]

thought you guys that aren't on the hamb site might enjoy this. it really is amazing and I think we take it for granted how significant Pontiac was in the performance world back then. just look at the top eight cars, 6 are Pontiac and then look at the field and see how many Pontiacs are there.

[400 4spd.]

Looks like 7 of the top 10, with a few Fords in the mix.

[lemansboy70]

Now THAT is a cool pic! I woulda loved to hear that rumble!!!

[ponyakr]

Yeah, Pontiacs were dominant in the early '60's, til the racing ban. Junior Johnson won the Daytona 500 in 1960, by drafting the leading Pontiac. With only a few laps to go, the rear window blew out of the Pontiac, causing it to spin, & giving Junior the win. Junior said that the Pontiacs were so much faster than everybody else, that the only way he could keep up was to draft a Pontiac. They won the Daytona 500 in '61 & '62. In fact, Fireball Roberts won both Daytona races in '62. But Pontiacs just couldn't continue to compete without factory sponsorship. But, a Pontiac driver, Joe Weatherly, managed to win the championship in '63, even tho he couldn't drive a Pontiac at every race.

"...He won two consecutive championships in 1962 and 1963 for Bud Moore Engineering. Moore did not have enough resources to run the full season, so Weatherly frequently "bummed a ride"..."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Moore_Engineering

https://www.google.com/search?q=joe+...vm4khVGusJ87M:

After Pontiac pulled out, most of the Pontiac guys went with Ford.

Wonder what other good stuff Pontiac would have come up with if they hadn't pulled out of racing ?

[Firedup6975]

Very cool, thanks for sharing.

[MikeNoun]

Old School pit stop.

[Big Mike]

Great pictures from a bye gone era. No PC crap. It's funny, I was listening to my Pandora music earlier today and they played the Jan & Dean "Little old lady from Pasadena". No Pontiac in that song. A super stock Dodge instead. A really cool song non the less. Ahhhh the good ol' days when cars were CARS! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7f9hsFrKUY

Lots of great Beach Boy songs about cars too! Not today sadly.

[camerjeff]

Joe Weatherly was the Man! I still cannot believe how he managed to win the championship in 63 driving something like 15 different cars, at least 3 different brands. Some of the teams cars he barrowed finished with there best ever finish. Really showed his driving ability taking what should have been a 35th place car and finishing in the top 15.
But it was 55 years ago and not many people remember or even know his name, I was very sad as a 7 year old when he died the next racing season at Riverside, I think the 1st or 2nd race of the year?
Thanks for the memories, I think that Picture in the 1st post was taken at Riverside in 63.

[Poncho60]

I remember seeing that picture when originally published. Pretty much agree that the race was Riverside

[400 4spd.]

I have a ticket stub from Riverside, 1984. I spent 10 bucks to get into the stands near the S turns. It was for the Budweiser 400 (km) race that Terry Labonte won, driving the Piedmont Airlines Monte Carlo SS. Richard Petty was driving the Grand Prix and I was pulling for him.

[sdbob]

Roger Penske in one of the 63s. Listen to Anahiem,Cucamonga,Sewing Circle,and Book Review by Jan and Dean besides My mighty GTO.

[Doug]

Songs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jrbZvOguEo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AI9qMaeNU8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Rf_teQoP2A


Picture

[mgarblik]

If you like the old car songs, another one is called "Wide Track" by the Super Stocks. Song isn't the greatest, but it is about our favorite brand.
Agree, Pontiac WAS total domination in 1962 and 1963. The only other domination of that order I can think of is when the 426 Hemi ran one year and was subsequently banned.
Once again, I think this is another reason Pontiac fans, myself included, have a chip on our shoulder and tremendous loyalty to the Pontiac V-8. The Pontiac engine was clearly superior to the Chevy's and all the other GM engines of the time. How many Chevy's were in that top 10 picture? But yet the Chevy is the greatest V-8 engine of all time and the Pontiac V-8 is a worthless boat anchor. I think that picture tells a very different story. GO PONTIAC!

Found the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzeKo4RnBhA

[400 4spd.]

In position #12 I think I spot a 62 Chevy.

[lemansboy70]

I've got a bunch of car songs featuring Pontiacs on my hard drive. Some are pretty obscure. If I can find a way to share them with y'all, I will. I'm afraid I'm not very technologically advanced.