[Sirrotica]

I know that 99% of the readers of this forum prefer drag racing...But there are other arenas that I enjoy competing in and showing the brand X what a Pontiac can do ...For those of you that enjoy the other 1% here are my dirt track racers from about 20 years ago..all Injun engine and built, owned and driven by me... These the ones that I have pictures of still ..Preceeding these I was in a partnership with another guy, we had 2 61 bubbletops , 1 Catalina and the other a Ventura..he drove them and I built the cars and maintained them...after 3 winless years, I decided the cars were fine and competitive but the driver was the weak link.. the partnership was disolved and I built my first car, the 67 GTO you see in the first picture.. I won the first night I raced it and in 2 years of campaigning it part time I won 11 more times with it .. 400 cu. in. Ram air III cam and exhaust manifolds,Turbo 400, as this class was a stock class, no aluminum manifolds, no headers, no holleys.. The next car was a step up to the next class..a 69 SJ Grand Prix ..428 4 bolt block, flat tappet solid lifter cam, headers,Q jet turbo 400 and 2, 3 core radiators this finally solved the overheating problems unconventional to be sure, as I had many people looking at the Q Jet, automatic transmission and 2 radiators and just scratching their heads, LOL.. The final car was a 72 Firebird 455 ram air III cam and exhaust manifolds,Turbo 400 and the tried and true 2 radiators again,2 features in 1 year of racing, the car was spun out and broadsided part way through the year and totaled. Due to family conditions changing ( My daughter was born) and being forced out of my business (the garage and gas station in the backround of the pictures)my racing career was over.. but these are the pictures and the memories I still have..

[wheelspin]

to the Forums.

What a rush it must be going sideways on dirt with the torque of a Pontiac hanging the tail out on that big old car . Looks like a lot more fun then making a pass every two hours @ the strip .

Les

[Sirrotica]

I love Dirt racing and ya can t believe how tired and drained ya can be after runnin 25 laps with the adrenalin flowing all the time. If I ever have the money I will have a Pontiac powered 410 Sprintcar...Yanno like the World of Outlaws..Sprintcar racing is quite big here in Ohio...Matter of fact when we go to Norwalk each year, on Saturday evening we always head over to Fremont to the 1/3 mile track with 410 ,305 Sprintcar races, anyone that wants to follow us over there this year just let me know.

[J.C.you]

nice, and welcome, i bet they didn't want to tangle with you in the big gp. you had alot of cushing in the front before they got to motor.

friend of mine used to run the stocker classes here. he would get a big body car and just knock the other smaller cars out. lol.

any pics of the indian maiden ladies tank tops....lol

[Sirrotica]

JC I ll try to get a pic of the tops up tomorrow

[Jack Gifford]

A big welcome and congratulations on your Pontiac wins!
I like the idea of your 'in the works' street-Cup car.
I also like watching the sprint cars- especially wheelstanding off the 4th turn. Certainly would like to see you in a Pontiac sprinter- I guess it's not out of the question, with the cranks/heads/blocks that are now available.

[BVR421]

really neat story and pics
not too many folks remember the days when 61 bubbletops and GTOs were just another used car

[455Grandville]

Great pics ! Thats before people spent $5,000 + on bomber engines.

[Sirrotica]

At the time the claimer on the class the GTO was in was $225. I probably had less than $500 bucks in the whole car.
To Pontiac Jack, I hope to have the 86 Cup car replica done in time for the GTO nationals, which will be in Columbus this year June 28-June 30 th...and then on to Norwalk, and during the last part of August, the T/A nationals in Dayton. The idea is to have something interesting to look at, and get people to purchase a T Shirt while they
're looking at the GP..

[84TA400]

How can i get a pure pontiac shirt like you have shown?, Billy

[Sirrotica]

Billy, You have a PM

[Bill Bolin]

Great story!! I think those pics are very cool! I had a friend who raced the Enduro class in a 76 Firebird and it had a $300 engine claimer rule. He won a race and the guy who finished in third claimed the engine......My buddy said I ain't taking the engine out for $300.....Just take the whole car!! LOL

It was the only Pontiac I had ever seen dirt racing.

[Sirrotica]

Actually at our local track in Erie Pa. there were quite a few Pontiacs being raced, and some other GM brands with Pontiac motors too... I.E.a 76 Olds Cutlass with a 455 Pontiac, that won his fair share of races, the car was very well put together and the driver was talented. I also sponsored a 68 GTO and a 73 Le Mans and a 76 Olds Omega another 69 GP and a 69 Le Mans after I retired from racing. I assembled the engines and reworked the Q jets until they came up with a 2 barrel rule, I then hogged out a 2GC Rochester 2 bbl for my guys. these cars were all winning examples of the beloved Pontiac motor .

[goatnutz]

Hartford speedway in Mich? I have a friend raced the half mile dirt track there several years, litterally giving the chevy boys fits. Was factory stock champion two or three years straight. On a budget tighter than tight. Had a lot less money but a lot more cubes, man was that a thrill to watch. It would take 3/4 down the staight before the 428-455 could get really hooked and pulling but if there was a whole in traffic he was through it. I saw him spin out in second or third position ,get restarted or lapped by ten or so cars and regain his position and finish in second (incredible) It was a few years ago now. The last few years were tougher, I guess the rules changed in certain classes and allowed headers and possibly aftermarket intakes. So the big money chevys got breathing a lot better and it was getting a lot harder to compete on such a budget. My friend is 64 years old and been running pontiacs for at least 40 of them . He built the cars and had a couple drivers, but they bailed .. other than an occational enduro. Sure miss going, its no fun watching a bunch of chevys though. GOOD LUCK.