Best Pontiac Powered Super Stockers

[oldskool]

OK guys, I've got a question now about GT cars. Must have help from racers on this, since I can't(or don't) always find the answers online.

Since GT cars can run engines from other brands & years, you can't always know what engine a GT car is running, by just looking at a qualifying list.

Example: There are LOTS more Pontiac body GT cars running a Chevy engine than a Pontiac engine. But, I've mentioned quite a few '82 & later Pontiac body GT cars that have run a Pontiac engine.

IIRC, I've only mentioned 2 non-Pontiac GT cars, that I know of that have run a Pontiac engine. These 2 are both Cobalts.
One belongs to Robert Cruzen. One belonged to Irvin Johns(driven some by Todd Frantz). By the way, these are 2 of the quickest Pontiac powered GT cars, ever.

My 1st question is: What other non-Pontiac GT cars do ya'll know of that runs, or has run a Pontiac V8 engine ? Would like to have owner/driver names, years run, and whether the car is still active, with Pontiac power. Pics would be great, too.

All help with this will be appreciated !

PS: As I'm sure I probably mentioned, The Robert Cruzen Cobalt run in the 8's & as far as I know is the quickest Pontiac powered GT car. And Todd Frantz won the GT/FA class @ Indy, a couple of years back. Pretty sure the Cruzen car is still active, with Pontiac power. Not sure about the Irvin Johns car.

[oldskool]

Scott Burton just won SS at the div 6 race @ Yellowstone ! He was driving his Pontiac powered 3rd gen GT Bird.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r=100#indextop

PS: It's not a SS car, but at this same race, Scott's wife, Diane, got 3rd place in Stock, in her '74 Bird. And, in the 3rd round, she beat her son, Brad, with a perfect .000 light ! OK Mom !

[oldskool]

They've got Stock/SS qualifying & class runoffs today @ Indy. After qualifying, looks like Irvin Johns & Bill Rink have a good chance to pick up their class wins.

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

BUT, with so many drivers "sandbaggin", you never know who may be able to run 2 tenths quicker than their qualifying time. I noticed that was happening in the 1st round of Stock class runs.

If the car Irvin Johns is driving is the same one Todd Frantz was driving in 2019, then both these cars have won class at Indy, before. Bill's '74 GTO has won class there, several times. He ran the same car at Indy back when it was still a Stocker. As he posted on this site, he switched to SS, because NHRA hit him with so much hp.

I'll add this as an edit.

Irvin Johns did win the GT/EA class, in the All-Pontiac powered final against Stacy McCarty. Bill Rink was RU in his class.

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

[oldskool]

This pic was posted from this year's US Nats. The car is a '78 T/A. The driver is Monte Howard.

To me, this is one of the most famous of all Pontiac SS cars.

Why ?

It was #1 qualifier at Indy in 2005.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2005#indextop

And, the Bird won it's class from '03 thru '07. That's 5 years in a row ! Won again in 2010. It 1st showed up on DRC in 1998. Ken Shawver was driving thru '06. Monte was listed as the driver in '07.

Here's an Email Monte sent me.

"The 2010 US Nationals class win was a pretty good story.

We went to Indy with a fresh engine, after our first run it was not quite as fast as I would have liked, second run it was slower. I cut the oil filter apart to find the filter full of bearing material. Not in a very good mood. I sat in the trailer thinking we were done for the weekend, I came up with a idea. Thinking my first qualifying run would get us qualified for the show. I decided to head home and put our spare short block in the car. Left the track at noon on Thursday thinking I could have it back together for first round of the eliminator on Sunday. With the help of good friend Dean Davies we started pulling the engine around 2:00 pm Thursday afternoon. By midnight we had the engine and trans out, pulled the heads, Intake, Cam & Lifters, timing chain, oil pan and pump off the hurt engine. My friend was tired and went home at midnight. He asked how long are you gonna work on it. I said well I am gonna work as late as I could. Knowing that if things went smooth that I might be able to make it back to Indy the next morning for class eliminations . I drug out the spare short block that consisted of a block, crank, rods and pistons. Cleaned up all the parts, degreed the cam in, assembled the rest of the engine and had it in the car and fired up at 3:00 am. Loaded the car and all the tools, went in the house took a shower and slept for 45 minutes and then left for Indy. With only 45 minutes sleep we ended up winning class on Friday with a spare short block that I had to scotch brite the rust out of the cylinder walls.
My friends that I parked with at Indy knew when we left Thursday that our plan was to be back Saturday night or Sunday morning. They where shocked when we pulled back in our pit spot Friday Morning. Bill Rink walked over and asked where I went. I told him the story and he said “you are nuts”. "

[oldskool]

Today at the Mopar Nats, John Agnetta got the GT/LA class win, in the Pickett & Agneta Pontiac powered 4th gen Bird. I think it has "Hatari" power, from Phil Monteith.

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

After 3 rounds of qualifying, he's in #17 position.

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

[oldskool]

Just noticed that the Mike Morgan 350 Pontiac powered '77 Formula Super Stocker is for sale.

This is the car that Sal Piacentini raced. It has won class at Indy, & was RU to Bill Rink a couple of times.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2016#indextop

Has run more than a sec under. Was 1.233 under @ Indy in 2018, good enuff for the #11 position.

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

$35,000.

http://classracer.com/classforum/sho...39&postcount=1

That's a lot of money to me. But, considering what lots of guys are spending on competitive SS cars nowadays, I suppose this is actually a really good price.

[oldskool]

Well ya'll, Robert Cruzen just made it into the SS final of the Midwest Nats !

For any who don't know, Robert's little Cobalt is 428 Pontiac powered. It's the quickest Pontiac powered SS car I know of, having turned an 8.90, in the GT/AA class final @ Indy, a few years back.

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

He won the Wally !

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

[oldskool]

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

It was converted to a 74 400 car. Phil Monteith owned it, I believe, and Sal Biondo won a race or two with it
I don't think it's one of the few that are still out there.

I somehow missed this. I'd seen pics of a Sal Biondo win. There wasn't a real good pic of the entire car. But, I'd figured out that it was a '74(or at least LOOKED like a '74).

Therefore, I would have never guessed it to be the old H&M '73 car. Did Phil Monteith buy it from Phil Szupka, or ?

Decided to compare the #1 pic to this #3 pic I have of the car when Phil Szupka had it. I can see one sign that this is indeed the same car. The "NHRA" just over the door is in exactly the same place & at the same angle. Looks like they changed the contingency decals & lots of other stuff, but retained the NHRA nat record holder words over the doors. Have no idea what happened to it after that.

[oldskool]

Irvin Johns just made an 8.782 pass in his 428 powered Cobalt. If that time is correct, I think it is the quickest ET ever, for a Pontiac powered SS car, in competition.

http://classracer.com/classforum/sho...80&postcount=7

The previous quickest pass I'm aware of was 8.90, made by Robert Cruzen, in his 428 powered Cobalt, in his GT/AA class win @ Indy, back in 2016.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2016#indextop

[Tatr]

I ran my 3rd gen. IN GT/FA,GT/GA and GT/KA for a few years with 6x 400. Ran some 10.20s in GT/HA IN 1999-2004. Also ran 425 caddy for a few races.set GT/KA & GT/LA records with caddy power. Now owned by John Frech. Can’t seem to be able to download photo.