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oldskool · 12-24-2019, 07:40 PM

Well ya'll, 1973 was a very traumatic year for the Pontiac A-body.

The body style was COMPLETELY changed. I don't remember ever hearing anybody say they liked the new style. I didn't like it, at all. It completely finished the GTO, on the A-body platform.

But, since the 400 & 455 engines were still available, a few brave souls raced 'em. And, there's been a few more thru the years. For this thread, I'm gonna lump all '73-'77 Pontiac A-bodies together.

It seems that the '74 models have been the most popular, for racing. I suppose that's because the 4X head 400 engine can be competitive. I like the Grand Am Nose best. But the only rear I like is the '77 Can Am. If I had plenty of money & had to choose a '74-'77 A-body to race, it would be a '77 Can Am. Have never seen a Can Am Stocker. Have ya'll ?

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...w=1920&bih=921

Ya'll gonna have to help me with names & pics here. But, I'll share the pics & info I have. I think we've already mentioned the '74 GA that Don Turk raced. He said he wanted to go a little quicker. Logan Galbraith has the car & won some races with it this season.

Tommy Brown has a '74 Lemans, out on the West coast. Don Elgin has a '75 GA, up in the great Northwest. Jack Larsen has a '77Lemans . Bob Michael also had a '77, which Dave Ribeiro has now. I have a pic of one that looks to have Danny Ashley on the side.

As far as I know, most or all these cars are competitive. Tommy Brown is consistently one of the top Pontiac qualifiers. At the Pomona Finals, in 2018, he is on the list just above Brad Burton. Randi Lyn Shipp had the only Pontiac higher than his.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2018#indextop

At the '15 US Nats, Bob Michael's Lemans & Don Turks GA both made the 128 car field, and qualified above Randi Lyn Shipp.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2015#indextop

This year, there was a driver named Wayne Larsen, listed as driving a '77 Pontiac, in div 4. I assume that since his last name is Larsen, he's driving the same car that has been listed in prior years as belonging to Jack Larsen. Assuming the 2 are kin, & it's the same car. Anybody know, for sure ? Wayne was #27 on this Q-list. And, since we're talkin about Pontiac Stockers, 2 spots down the list is another Pontiac. This one is a 2nd gen Bird, driven by Dwaine Davis. We'll take a look at his car later, when we look at competitive Birds.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...er=30#indextop

The bottom row of cars were driven by Jack Matyas, Mick Leiferman, & Kyle Riley.

12-24-2019, 07:40 PM	#1
oldskool VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: The Land of Bayous, Boudin & Crawfish Posts: 1,668 Likes: 223 Liked 747 Times in 362 Posts	Re: Best Pontiac Powered Stockers Well ya'll, 1973 was a very traumatic year for the Pontiac A-body. The body style was COMPLETELY changed. I don't remember ever hearing anybody say they liked the new style. I didn't like it, at all. It completely finished the GTO, on the A-body platform. But, since the 400 & 455 engines were still available, a few brave souls raced 'em. And, there's been a few more thru the years. For this thread, I'm gonna lump all '73-'77 Pontiac A-bodies together. It seems that the '74 models have been the most popular, for racing. I suppose that's because the 4X head 400 engine can be competitive. I like the Grand Am Nose best. But the only rear I like is the '77 Can Am. If I had plenty of money & had to choose a '74-'77 A-body to race, it would be a '77 Can Am. Have never seen a Can Am Stocker. Have ya'll ? https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...w=1920&bih=921 Ya'll gonna have to help me with names & pics here. But, I'll share the pics & info I have. I think we've already mentioned the '74 GA that Don Turk raced. He said he wanted to go a little quicker. Logan Galbraith has the car & won some races with it this season. Tommy Brown has a '74 Lemans, out on the West coast. Don Elgin has a '75 GA, up in the great Northwest. Jack Larsen has a '77Lemans . Bob Michael also had a '77, which Dave Ribeiro has now. I have a pic of one that looks to have Danny Ashley on the side. As far as I know, most or all these cars are competitive. Tommy Brown is consistently one of the top Pontiac qualifiers. At the Pomona Finals, in 2018, he is on the list just above Brad Burton. Randi Lyn Shipp had the only Pontiac higher than his. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2018#indextop At the '15 US Nats, Bob Michael's Lemans & Don Turks GA both made the 128 car field, and qualified above Randi Lyn Shipp. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2015#indextop This year, there was a driver named Wayne Larsen, listed as driving a '77 Pontiac, in div 4. I assume that since his last name is Larsen, he's driving the same car that has been listed in prior years as belonging to Jack Larsen. Assuming the 2 are kin, & it's the same car. Anybody know, for sure ? Wayne was #27 on this Q-list. And, since we're talkin about Pontiac Stockers, 2 spots down the list is another Pontiac. This one is a 2nd gen Bird, driven by Dwaine Davis. We'll take a look at his car later, when we look at competitive Birds. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...er=30#indextop The bottom row of cars were driven by Jack Matyas, Mick Leiferman, & Kyle Riley. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by oldskool; 07-11-2020 at 12:22 PM.