Last Pontiac Laps Led, Classic Era

03/21/2017 – As has been documented on this blog, Pontiac’s decline post-1963 from Cup racing’s upper echelon’s was swift, brutal, and predictable in the wake of GM’s corporate decision to withdraw from racing to escape the potential wrath of the US government’s squadrons of anti-monopoly attorneys (it is forgotten how absolutely dominant GM was in regards to domestic auto production at the time and consequently in professional motorsports as well, making GM executives very nervous indeed).

The classic era of NASCAR is noted as 1949-1971, with the so-called modern era (with the introduction of big-money sponsor Winston and a more reduced/coherent/professional schedule) being 1972-current.

The years 1964-1980 were a barren wasteland for Pontiac, with the immediate post-1963 era showcasing the remnants of the glory years with several drivers utilizing discarded PMD equipment, followed by the later ’60’s and into the ’70’s with the occasional Pontiac appearance being the result of brand loyalty or a brief business connection/opportunity.

Long-time Pontiac campaigner (and 2-time Pontiac winner) Bobby Johns provides this blog’s historical highlight by being the last Pontiac driver to lead a lap in Cup competition in Cup’s classic era.  On September 6, 1965, at the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, South Carolina, Johns piloted one of two 1964 Pontiac Catalinas in the field (the other Pontiac fielded by another long-time Pontiac stalwart, H.B. Bailey who – by some minor miracle – managed a 6th place finish, 24 laps down to winner Ned Jarrett in Bondy Long’s 1965 Ford who was unstoppable that day having put 2nd place finisher Buck Baker 14 laps down at race’s end).

Johns started started 16th and finished 17th (retiring early due to mechanical problems), but not before leading laps 47-48; these would be the last Pontiac-led laps in Cup competition until September 4, 1972 when (believe it or not) Bailey led 6 laps in his 1971 GTO at the 1972 Southern 500 (ultimately finishing 5th, 16 laps down to winner Bobby Allison in Richard Howard’s Chevrolet).

Bobby Johns at speed, piloting the 7A Pontiac at the 1965 Southern 500.

 

 

 

1962 Catalina NASCAR-Prepped Interior

03/20/2017 – When stock wasn’t a casual reference.

Interior shot of Fireball Roberts’ 1962 Pontiac Catalina.

 

Pontiac’s First Speedway Top-10

03/19/2017 – Little-known Texas native Pat Kirkwood goes down in NASCAR history as the first Pontiac driver with a top-10 speedway finish.

Kirkwood had 9 career Cup starts in which he attained 1 pole position, 3 top-5’s, and 4 top’s; 3 of Kirkwood’s starts were in a Pontiac (all in 1956) as was 1 of his top-5’s and 2 of his top-10’s.

Kirkwood’s last race in a Pontiac was on September 3, 1956, at the Southern 500, Darlington Raceway, South Carolina.  Kirkwood qualified one of 2 Pontiacs in the field, starting 20th in a massive field of 70 entrants; Arden Mounts qualified the other Pontiac as he started 59th in his self-owned 1956 Pontiac.  Following a marathon 5+ hour torture test of man and machine, Kirkwood crossed the finish line in 10th, 17 laps down to winner Curtis Turner in Charlie Schwam’s 1956 Ford; Mounts dropped out early, finishing last due to mechanical problems.

Pat Kirkwood.

Arden Mounts in the #18 1956 Pontiac.

 

The Last Pontiac Champion

03/18/2017 – Great picture of Tony Stewart’s last Pontiac in Cup, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Home Depot Grand Prix, which Stewart wheeled to the 2002 NASCAR Cup Championship after finishing dead-last in the season-opening Daytona 500.

Most Pontiac Cup Starts, No Top-10’s

03/17/2017 – Ronnie Thomas, who was Cup Rookie of the Year for 1978, isn’t the first name that comes to mind when discussing NASCAR drivers, let alone those who wheeled a Pontiac.

Thomas competed in 197 Cup events, 137 over the course of 5 seasons which could be described as full-time.  Of Thomas’ 197 starts, 61 were in a Pontiac during which he led 1 lap (of 4 career Cup laps led) and had no top-10 finishes (while racking up 4 career Cup top-10’s driving other brands).

The highlight of Thomas’ NASCAR career would be a lead-lap 3rd place finish in the 1982 Daytona 500 consolation race after starting 6th driving a self-owned Pontiac.

1990 Pontiac Brochure

03/16/2017 – A page from the 1990 Pontiac sales brochure, highlighting their NASCAR involvement.

 

Vintage Pontiac-Bobby Labonte Cup Champion Poster

03/15/2017 – Great poster, but I wonder why they used what appears to be a short track or road course car with all the openings in the grill whereas they could have used a speedway car for a much smoother (i.e. stock) appearance.

 

Pontiac’s First Short Track Laps Led

03/14/2017 – Several short track wizards have piloted Pontiacs over the years, including NASCAR Hall of Famers Rusty Wallace and Junior Johnson who accumulated 13 and 5 short track Cup wins respectively; for Wallace – with the diminished short track schedule of the modern era – this is a notable accomplishment.

It was NASCAR’s original gentle giant, Tiny Lund, that led Pontiac’s first short track laps in Cup history on May 19, 1957, in the Virginia 500 at the legendary Martinsville Speedway.  Lund qualified 3rd in A.L. Bumgarner’s 1957 Pontiac and led laps 55-127 before retiring early due to mechanical problems and eventually finishing 20th.

Dwayne ‘Tiny’ Lund.

1957 NASCAR-prepped Pontiac similar to the one Lund piloted at Martinsville.

 

Pontiac’s Highlight for 1971

03/13/2017 – As followers of Pontiac in NASCAR are aware, the entire 1970’s were a lost decade for the brand.  Between Pontiac’s official departure in 1963 and their re-emergence in 1981, there was no factory involvement and the few Pontiacs campaigned were either done by long-time brand loyalists or part-time racers that fostered a rare (and brief) Pontiac-related business connection.

Houston native H.B. Bailey was one of the former, a long-time Pontiac campaigner who seemingly always found the time (and mustered the effort and energy) to bring one of his beloved underdog Pontiacs to the track to fight an impossible battle against the factory-backed stalwarts of the likes of Allison and Petty.

On June 23, 1971, NASCAR ventured into Texas to judge the business climate for emerging markets, scheduling the only Cup race in history at Houston’s Meyer Speedway, a 1/2-mile paved short track.  With a limited field of 14 entrants (many competitors simply skipped this race following the previous race at Riverside due to the limited purse and continued eastward, preparing for the following race at the established Greenville-Pickens Speedway), NASCAR presented the Space City 300 (a reflection of the nation’s fascination with space exploration at the time) at Meyer.  For Bailey, this was a perfect opportunity to bring a Pontiac to the track as Meyer was located in his hometown and where he operated his business (Almeda Auto Parts).

Bailey turned to long-time driver Frank Warren to wheel his 1970 Pontiac GTO around Meyer, and in doing so he soon discovered that his Pontiac was the only GM brand at the track in a sea of Ford, Dodge, and Mercury (whether Pontiac/GM was aware of this is doubtful).  Following a 2-hour short track battle (miraculously, no cautions), Warren – starting 5th – brought Bailey’s Pontiac to the finish line where he started, 11 laps down to pole/race winner Bobby Allison in his self-owned Coca Cola Dodge, but ahead of 1971 Cup Champion-to-be Richard Petty (7th).  Warren’s 5th place finish was the sole top-5 for Pontiac in 1971 (this is not including a 4th place finish with Buck Baker in a Grand Am/field filler Firebird at the Meyers Brothers 250 at Bowman Gray Stadium; the Grand Am cars like the Firebird, Camaro, and Javelin could participate for wins in Cup events but would not be credited with an official Cup win or Cup points), and was also the last Pontiac top-5/top-10 for the so-called classic Cup era (pre-1972).

Aerial shot of Meyer.

Frank Warren.

Vintage Pontiac Racing Souvenier

03/12/2017

Classic driver/car facts and track facts ‘wheel’.