[RA462]

Originally Posted by GTOGEORGE

Yep that was Todd Sedlmeier 1986 Grad Prix....I saw his car in line but i didnt realize he was the bump. Not a bad bump!!


GTO George

I didn't mind being the slow guy but I always feel like I'm bringing a knife to a gun fight for the quick 16. The car was consistent but I was rusty behind the wheel. My car was parked all last year and I had only made one pass before the nationals this year. I did set a new personal best in round 1 of pro Saturday. I also lost that race by .0004. Super close! Hopefully I can get the car out some more this year and hone my skills. If not I'm going to focus on my new build that is replacing the All Injun Grand Prix.

I think Norwalk should have 2 Pontiac Nationals a year. The event is so big I never have enough time to see as many people and things as I would like.

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by RA462

I didn't mind being the slow guy but I always feel like I'm bringing a knife to a gun fight for the quick 16. The car was consistent but I was rusty behind the wheel. My car was parked all last year and I had only made one pass before the nationals this year. I did set a new personal best in round 1 of pro Saturday. I also lost that race by .0004. Super close! Hopefully I can get the car out some more this year and hone my skills. If not I'm going to focus on my new build that is replacing the All Injun Grand Prix.

I think Norwalk should have 2 Pontiac Nationals a year. The event is so big I never have enough time to see as many people and things as I would like.

Todd, I went by your trailer twice on Friday but didn't stop to talk. We only had one day and only about 4 hours to get around the event so I kept going so we could at least get to see as much as possible in 4 hours. Next year I plan on 2-3 days for Norwalk, as per usual.

[69Goat1]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

Having lived in Erie the majority of my life and traveled to and from AZ many many times since 1967 I'm very familiar with the summer heat in all the states between AZ and PA, that includes OK. a 20% difference in relative humidity is pretty major. When it gets over 85% in and around the great lakes it's like walking into an oven at 90 degrees ambient air temp, when sweat doesn't evaporate due to the latent humidity in the air you're just miserable, and A/C is about the only relief.

I have moved about 150 miles away from Lake Erie for a reason, the lake has very little influence on our weather this far away from it, more sunny days and less snow and rain. 200 inches of snow in a season is an indicator of how much water evaporates from Lake Erie in a season and how high the humidity is consistently. I know OK doesn't ever get 200 inches of snow in a winter season.

I also lived in Memphis for 2 years and it is no where as humid as it is in and around the great lakes. I was able to work outside in Memphis at near 100 degrees much easier than 85-90 in Erie with humidity over 80%. Fans blowing the humid air do almost nothing to cool you when the humidity is 80% or above. Having only been to Norwalk 2 times isn't a very accurate gauge, I've stayed in OKC in the summer many more than times than twice over my lifetime. TX, NM, AZ, OK, MO, been to all of them in the summer. Also been to FL many times in my life, and FL is the only place that is hotter, with high relative humidity and more miserable outside during the summer than PA/OH great lakes area.

I'm done debating the point, I have been around the great lakes, and out in the west in August, I'd much rather be somewhere that the humidity is lower and the temp is higher, rather than the reverse.

We have a saying in this part of the country, if you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes, and it will change, it's pretty true because we have 25 degree changes in temperature within half an hour pretty consistently. Spend a year in Norwalk and I'll bet you'll change your mind about high humidity, and how it affects you outside in the summer. I'm done........

All that to tell me I don’t know what heat is...lol. I run an open cab bulldozer for a living. My wife and I left miserably high temps AND humidity in 2018 to go up and check out the race and it was extremely nice up there yet we saw people from there complaining of the heat and just absolutely looking miserable and it was just mid 80’s...we thought we were in the best temps we had ever felt in August. We went up this time and it was even nicer...my car is pretty stock so I would just sit in it with my gear on and window rolled down and it was nice. I told her on the way home it must be so nice up there because of the lake breezes.

[Ken MacNicol]

We look forward to going up there every year to enjoy the cooler and drier air, the lower humidity is awesome

[77 TRASHCAN]

Originally Posted by RA462

I didn't mind being the slow guy but I always feel like I'm bringing a knife to a gun fight for the quick 16. The car was consistent but I was rusty behind the wheel. My car was parked all last year and I had only made one pass before the nationals this year. I did set a new personal best in round 1 of pro Saturday. I also lost that race by .0004. Super close! Hopefully I can get the car out some more this year and hone my skills. If not I'm going to focus on my new build that is replacing the All Injun Grand Prix.

I think Norwalk should have 2 Pontiac Nationals a year. The event is so big I never have enough time to see as many people and things as I would like.

There is an awesome event in Great bend, Kansas, around 1st weekend in October..........Never have seen a big enough crowd, there....

[69Goat1]

Originally Posted by 77 TRASHCAN

There is an awesome event in Great bend, Kansas, around 1st weekend in October..........Never have seen a big enough crowd, there....

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[77 TRASHCAN]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

The event lived up to it's billing and had perfect weather Friday and Saturday. I had to leave Saturday night. For the first time since 1996, we were not racing a car, so I had time to just enjoy the event as a spectator. Congratulations to GTO George in the Q16. I saw your 8.13 qualifying run and it looked and sounded good. Lots of beautiful and fast cars of every Pontiac type. My friend Bill Rink who I have been badgering for decades to come to Norwalk, finally showed up with his NHRA legal stocker 74 GTO. How about a Pontiac 350 running 10.60's ?

Swap meet was huge and I managed to find a few really obscure trinkets I needed. like a turn signal switch for a 62 full size. And a NOS dipstick tube for a 63 Tempest transaxle. That's some weird stuff!

Arnie Beswick has a nice little set-up and some display cars. His daughter had her beautiful 70 Judge on display, Arnie had the Tameless Tiger on display, The Grocery Getter replica we sold a number of years ago was on display, less drive train. They are completely refurbishing it after we had raced it for nearly 20 years. Body and interior look fresh and really nice. They were able to freshen it up without a total repaint, keeping the hand lettering, which is cool. Arnie looked great, meeting and greeting hundreds of fans and seemed to be in his element. It was great to see him and spend some time in his pit area.

The number of really fast, record breaking cars may have been down a bit. The Kauffmans did not race any of their "company cars" that I saw. Likewise, Rodney Butler did not run his car. John Welter did not make the trip this year. The Frantic 4 was a little thin with Cooper setting the pace with his beautiful machine. I saw a 6.13 run @ 230 MPH That may have been his best of the weekend. Strong performance.

Unfortunately, 2 full days didn't give me the time I needed to really concentrate on the car show. Needed 3 full days to cover this event. There were hundreds of beautiful Pontiacs of every description in the car show. It's simply a can't miss event for Pontiac people, something for everyone.

Cool!!!

Bill Rink has been to Oklahoma more than once...

Which one of Arnie's daughters???

Rhonda was at Great Bend, last fall. I got to talk to her a bunch. She and her family live in Oklahoma

[GoatZillaRacing]

Next Up is INJUN WARS at Bunker Hill Dragstrip! About an hour North of Lucas Oil Raceway (Indy) in Bunker Hill Indiana. Saturday, August 14th, Gates open at 8AM or come early for Test and Tune on Friday Night and camp out for free.

[65nss4spdGTO]

Originally Posted by Gary H

I was running with the Nostalgia Super Stock guys during the event. Just prior to the last qualifying pass for Q-16 I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately I had made a few changes on the car that it didn't like on that pass. It had a bad bog off the line, then it took off. It only ran a 9.55 , but at 151 MPH. My best ET for the weekend was 8.87, best mph was 154. That would have put me well into the field. Oh well!

Car looked great and fast.

Calvin Hill
Hill Performance
708-250-7420

[65nss4spdGTO]

Originally Posted by 69Goat1

Wow...I never sweated once in Norwalk but yesterday I sweated all day at home...you somehow think Oklahoma is a dry heat...lol I have been to Norwalk twice and both times I thought I was in Alaska or something...

I’ve been going since the early days when TriPower Sunday was in September, had a few cold and rainy days back then. The early August heat typically costs the east coast guys two tenths. This week wasn’t your typical weather.

Calvin Hill
Hill Performance
708-250-7420

[Dave0421]

My first time bringing blue bottles with me, what a great track! Had a great time, everyone I spoke with was professional and then the free donuts and coffee in the morning...... the hospitality doesn't end

[johnta1]

And the ICE CREAM!



Congrats on going, the best place to be.

[form74]

My Formula ran the best it ever has this year including a 4th personal best

Great seeing all my recent friends from all over the country.

Can’t wait till next year already.

[Bob with the 66]

I really focused on thanking everyone I came across, this event by far is the best!

All the people who help make it so great need to be proud of putting on such a great time for us Pontiac fans.

[69Goat1]

A cool video from Norwalk this year...
https://youtu.be/Ag1a7Q-ENW4