Tag: Pontiac

1994 – Bill Elliot in a Cup Pontiac?

Posted on by Pontiac Racing

01/12/2024 – The mid 1990’s were notoriously grim time for Pontiac in Cup, and – to a degree – they appeared to be looking outside of the box for a solution to right the ship after Pontiac ace Rusty Wallace and Penske left the Pontiac camp for Ford at the end of his wildly successful 1993 campaign. This was an article from the web archives –

https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1994/rt9406/940612/06140181.htm

Alternative history image and source –

My McDonald’s Pontiac
byu/Familiar_Delivery790 inNr2003

Readers of the blog recall a similar article from the internet archives was covered by the blog regarding a possible Rudd-Pontiac connection in 1995/1996 (Rudd fans are quick to point out that he had driven a Pontiac in Cup for Richard Childress in the early 1980’s) –

When Ricky Rudd Almost Switched to Pontiac for 1996

PONTIAC TRIES TO FILL ITS GARAGE

While its five Grand Prix teams continue to struggle through a tough year in the Winston Cup series, Pontiac has been courting new teams for the 1995 season with generous offers of factory assistance.

After failing to lure Bill Elliott into the Pontiac fold (he’s contracted to Ford for another year), Pontiac has turned its sights on Ricky Rudd and Dale Jarrett, sources familiar with the discussions report.

Rudd started his own team this year with Ford, and Jarrett is in the GM camp with Chevrolet.

“We have been approached,” Jarrett said Saturday. ”But I would say right now we’re pretty happy where we’re at. Chevy has a new car [Monte Carlo] coming out and [crew chief] Jimmy [Makar] has been working hard with GM on that. So at this particular time I couldn’t foresee us making a change from where we’re at.”

Rudd said he couldn’t comment on whether he has been approached by Pontiac or what his team might do for next year, “but we’d have to have open ears, as would anybody in the sport” to any offers of assistance.

Rudd would seem to be a more likely prospect than Jarrett because he’s in a Ford. Sixth in points, Rudd also is doing the best of the new car owners. While he gets help from Ford, he’s not at the top of Ford’s pecking order.

Pontiac has Kyle Petty, Wally Dallenbach, Bobby Labonte, Michael Waltrip and Bobby Hamilton. The best finish among them in 1994 is Waltrip’s third at Talladega.

Don Taylor, the Winston Cup program manager for GM’s Motorsports Technology Group, said he could not comment on whether Pontiac is courting Rudd and Jarrett. He did say: “I don’t believe Pontiac would want to be in a situation where they’re adding teams just to add teams. Pontiac has had a small number of teams, and the MTG has been working very closely with those teams. Our first priority is working with the existing teams to optimize their performances and get them back in the winner’s circle.”

  Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, June 12, 1994                   TAG: 9406140181
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C12   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LONG POND, PA.                                LENGTH: Medium

1987-1988 Jimmy Means’ Eureka Pontiacs

Posted on by Pontiac Racing

07/22/2023 – Long-time Pontiac Racing favorite Jimmy Means was the undisputed master at finding sponsorship, and he always did his utmost to present himself and his race team as professionally as possible. For 1988, Means very well could have used previous years’ 2+2 model to save money, but instead he went with the new GM10 platform.

2004 NASCAR Grand Prix Possibility Revisited

Posted on by Pontiac Racing

05/06/2023 – Another 2004 Daytona promo using a Pontiac model. This always brings back the thought that when GM announced Pontiac was pulling out of NASCAR for 2004 in October 2003, was this a long-term strategy decision or spur-of-the-moment? The blog has covered other 2004 Daytona promotional material using a Pontiac –

…and considering these types of high-profile, big investment promotions are done well in advance, something must have triggered at GM Corporate/GM Motorsports to warrant the decision; one can only speculate what it was.

The (purported) 2004 model featured here is showing the proper 2003 Pontiac front end including the highlight decals, but the GRAND PRIX lettering is definitely not from 2003, but from the previous generation (1996-2002).