[Brian Baker]

Just gauging interest on a "best 2 out of 3" style match race at any Pontiac event between a pair of mid 7-second, traditional Pontiac powered, "nostalgia" Pontiac bodied funny cars.

[slowbird]

I would like to see this but is there 2 Pontiac powered mid 7 sec. funny cars out there?

[Brian Baker]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by slowbird:
I would like to see this but is there 2 Pontiac powered mid 7 sec. funny cars out there? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

There will be.

[David Holmberg]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Brian Baker:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by slowbird:
I would like to see this but is there 2 Pontiac powered mid 7 sec. funny cars out there? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

There will be. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yup.

[rumair]

the sixth choice shoula been..."by the time both of those heaps are running i'll be retired and too senile to remember what a pontiac is".

i'd definitely pay some money to see that show.

[Brian Baker]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rumair:
the sixth choice shoula been..."by the time both of those heaps are running i'll be retired and too senile to remember what a pontiac is".

i'd definitely pay some money to see that show. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You'll see.

[rumair]

will i see you driving?

[Ron]

You should also ask how far are the willing to travel to see the show and how much are they willing to pay.

[Brian Baker]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ron:
You should also ask how far are the willing to travel to see the show and how much are they willing to pay. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

As far as payment goes, I can't dictate the gate price. General admission averages $15 a day at most of these types of events, I think. I could have just limited it to a "yes" or "no" answer but I thought I'd add a little color to the process.

As for travelling distance to see it? That's a good question. Some folks would travel several hundred miles to spend a weekend at such an event, and I've known a few that have travelled upwards of 2000 miles to spend a weekend at such an event...all to see a show (and not neccessarily participate in the show). I think for the basis of this non-scientific survey however, that this question is probably too intricate to answer.

[PONTIAC DUDE]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ron:
You should also ask how far are the willing to travel to see the show and how much are they willing to pay. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ron, A spectator traveling to see just a bracket show, ehhhhhhh........, but added with an event in general might make one's mind up. Plus, The more ya offer the more likelyhood of one attending an event and more people in attendance from a greater distance.
Would one attend to just see bracket cars? But would one go if they saw bracket cars and a F/C show. Then add a shootout. Etc. As the line up increases so should the people count.
I would think.

East Coast to the West Coast for 'one day' of racing. Lot of money.

[adeeos]

Here is my humble example of spending money just to watch. I live near St. Louis and went to the Orlando World Finals last year and will go again this year and in the future.

A rough cost estimate follows for a Saturday morning to Monday morning guy trip:

Airfare 350, tickets 50, Hotels 125 and lots of beer and food 150.

So I spend around 600 to 700 bucks, but there are four classes of 32 cars in each feild. Some classes have over 100 cars trying to qulify, most on the rear bumper.

So my point is you can get people to travel, but there has to be a great show---which this really is.

Back in the 90's when NMCA would be in Memphis, I'd drive 300 miles one way with three friends and spend the weekend just watching and hanging on Sat and Sun and spend around 250. But there were lots of cool cars, NOS explosions, wheels stands ect. The stands were packed!

Good luck with your funny cars, if you build it, they may come.

[SupergasDil]

Here's a thought as well. And I don't mean to get anyones panties in a bunch, but I'm a traditional Pontiac guy. Aftermarket Pontiac stuff is A OK with me too.

Now I think very highly of Jess Tyree and Arnie and I certainly don't intend to hurt anyones feelings. I know why they run BBC.

But wouldn't you like to see these guys match racing some guys with Poncho Power under the hood. Not to make either one look bad, but just to stir back up some excitement?

[lethal-428-lemans]

How much longer are ya looking at Brian? what will be in the mid 7's first your funny car or my lemans lol

I'm still waiting to see that baby all together

Patrick

[CH3NO2]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by SupergasDil: I know why they run BBC.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>


Why?

[Brian Baker]

I can't speak of Tyree because I've never seen any of his cars run, and the last time he ran a fuel funny car with Pontiac power, I was barely in kindergarten.

Arnie began racing a BBC in his "Tameless Tiger" for several reasons, the biggest of which being economics. I don't fault him for that, when he started with the BBC you couldn't build a reliable Pontiac powerplant that would perform on the required match race level Arnie was going to run at.

There was/is a Boss Bird funny car in the works, that purportedly will have a Pontiac engine in it. I don't know if it will be blown fuel or blown alky, but I do know that the "Bag Boys" were working on the project and Rob Bruce (of Zombie blown-nitro funny car fame) was purportedly going to build the chassis and/or the engine. I haven't heard of any progress on this in over a year, and I know Rob has been busy match racing his Zombie car. I'd love to see it come to fruition, with a blown-bitro Pontiac between the rails.

[SupergasDil]

Jess's engine was built well before IA blocks were available. I don't know the internals but he had cast iron heads, dual quads on a conservative set up and was making over 1,000 hp. He said it was virtually a hands off engine set up that he could run match race after race all year long and not even have to change the bearings. He also told me that to run the match races you need to be making at least 1,000hp to be competitive. These guys get paid to put on a show. And COST usually tends to be a factor when you're on a budget.

Personally I could not race a car with anything but a Pontiac in it. Call me old fashioned, hard headed, stubborn, whatever, just don't call me late for dinner. Honestly, I am a true Pontiac die hard freak. Kinda like Barcak , but on a 2 car level .

[CH3NO2]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by SupergasDil:
Jess's engine was built well before IA blocks were available. I don't know the internals but he had cast iron heads, dual quads on a conservative set up and was making over 1,000 hp. He said it was virtually a hands off engine set up that he could run match race after race all year long and not even have to change the bearings. He also told me that to run the match races you need to be making at least 1,000hp to be competitive. These guys get paid to put on a show. And COST usually tends to be a factor when you're on a budget.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

And it was built by Bruce Fulper.

Either way, there no longer exists any reason for these two Pontiac legends to be running Chevies. None.

[PONTIAC DUDE]

Money.
A used 6 second Pro Mod B.B.C. is 60% cheaper to buy or build.......... and maintain then a Pontiac.
Ask KRE about how much money they are spending tearing it up every event.
Ask Jim Bultler how much they have spent when they were running NOS. I have seen buckets full of tore up pistons in their shop.

It's the level you want to participate at that determines what ya run.
You don't think these other fast Pontiac racers aren't tearing stuff up????????? N/A or power adders?????

You just don't hear about it that's all.

BTW; The Other F/C has been fired. Body work and paint might be next, just depends on the interest.
Goal............. 7.50's as that's the limit of cert on the chassis. Sorta like the West Coast <span class="ev_code_RED">CIFCA</span>
Here's a link.
http://www.cifca.com/

[CH3NO2]

Of course it's about money. It costs money to run in the sixes. If you don't have it, stay home and bracket race a 10 second car for $500 every weekend.

You mentioned two well-known parties as being known for tearing stuff up, with their performances not being consistently repeatable.

And you blame these catastrophic failures on the equipment being Pontiac-based and not Chevrolet-based?

Why don't you mention the possibility of the fault being with the builder or the tuner?

Curiously, you mention N/A builders as having failures but not talking about them. Who do you know that has failures but does not talk about them?

Back East, ther are two well-known N/A racers who both post here: Bruce Maichle and Scott Rex.

Neither of them have had, to my knowledge, any catastrophic failures that have prevented them from making consistent back-to-back passes in the same day or at the same event.

Do you have information that shows otherwise?

Regarding Beswick or Tyree: they have the money to build Pontiacs. It's not about money. I'm sure Beswick probably has manufacturers willing to give them deals that the rest of the masses would never receive. Yet, they both continue to run Chevies in their Chevelles.

It's not about money.

[Tiger Paw]

When it comes down to money it's easy to speculate when talking about somebody else's money.