Let's try this one more time. That's why I'm posting early this year.
Calling all Sunfires and Sunbirds within 500 miles of Norwalk. Be there! Whether you like to race or show, it is the place to be. This remains the largest all Pontiac show and race in the world. Last year Kevin George and his Turbo 'Bird Conv., and my '93 3.1/ 5-speed were the only J's there. We were joined by 10,000 spectators, 504 race cars, and 453 show cars. Check out www.pontiacnationals.com for details. There is no other event where you get so much for so little an entry fee. That's why I have traveled 900 miles round trip to attend this event for the past 10 years. If there was only 1 event I attended during the year, this would be it. Let's see some other J's from the region show up. Email me if you have questions! Hope to see you there!


'93 Sunbird SE 3.1 5-speed
'00 Grand Prix GTP Sedan
sunbird93racer@yahoo.com

i may look into coming out to it.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/sndsgood/ https://www.facebook.com/#!/Square1Photography

You really ought to! We need more J's in the FWD race class, and on the show field. The facility is ...... well, it's Norwalk, 'nuff said. If you've never been there, it puts to shame nearly every other race track in the country (even better than IRP in my opinion). The event is terrific, and you can't beat the price for a 3-day event with so much to see and do. Pontiac people in general need to see more of the Sunbirds and Sunfires, to realize that they were more than just the disposable econoboxes that some people thought of them as. I've owned my Sunbird now for 13 1/2 years, and I enjoy it as much today as when I bought it.


'93 Sunbird SE 3.1 5-speed
'00 Grand Prix GTP Sedan
sunbird93racer@yahoo.com

What? Hatin on the Fiero? lol

Keith,
I'm confused. When did I even mention Fieros? I definitely wouldn't be "hatin" on them if I did mention them. The 2.8 V-6 cars were great, and I love the powertrains that I've seen people drop in them since (V-8s, SC V-6s, etc).

All I'm saying is that if you have a Pontiac, you should make this event!


'93 Sunbird SE 3.1 5-speed
'00 Grand Prix GTP Sedan
sunbird93racer@yahoo.com

too bad that there's no autocross set up for this event

all in all it looks like a great time! i'll try and see if i can make it down

comin from Canada

Hey Modfire,
Sharp Sunfire! You're right, this event does not have an autocross. Norwalk doesn't seem to be set up for that. Plus, there are so many cars there between racers, show cars, and spectators for this event, that there wouldn't be room even if they had a course set up. Try to make it if you can though, it's an awesome weekend for car people (especially Pontiac people!). You might want to try drag racing the Sunfire, especially if you've never tried it. It's always fun to try a new form of competition. I have been a drag racer for years, and I tried my first Autocross last year. It was a blast (plus it didn't hurt that I won my class). That just goes to show it never hurts to try something different. It would be nice to have another yellow J-Body in the FWD staging lanes!



'93 Sunbird SE 3.1 5-speed
'00 Grand Prix GTP Sedan
sunbird93racer@yahoo.com

hey Joe,

i'm no stranger to drag racing either i have been doing it for fun for the past 8 years. last year at the JCO (j-body of ontario) Bash i placed 2nd in the bracket races. i lost in the finals because i missed 3rd gear LOL it happens.

my motor is pretty much stock other than a WAI and a muffler.. and we both know that those 2 mod do next to nothing my fastest time to date is 15.42@88mph on my 17" rims

i'll know for sure if i'll be able to make it down closer to the date of the event... i hope that there is alot of camping space

I've always figured that the 2.4/5-speed third gen combo was pretty similar to the 3.1/5-speed 2nd gen combo. The proof is in comparing our best 1/4 mile runs. My ET(when my Sunbird was in it's prime) was only a tiny bit faster, but you had higher mph. When I ran my best ET, all I had was the HyperTech ThermoMaster chip and a 160 thermostat. I have more mods today, but with over 150,000 miles on the original motor, it's not as strong as in it's youth. It will still pull off a 15.6 - 15.7 at 86 mph though. I bet we'd have a blast facing off on the strip. A couple of yellow J-Bodies manually slamming gears to a couple of mid to high 15 second runs!
As for camping at Norwalk, you can camp for free in the pit area (lot's of grassy areas to pitch a tent). The hotels are too expensive around there, so camping at the track is the cheapest and easiest way to go. They do have a designated "campground area," but they charge to camp there. It fills up fast too. Hope you can make it, and bring down some other Canadian Pontiacs too!
The FWD class is dominated by W-Bodies (I won't dis the Grand Prixs though, I have a mid-13 second lightly modified 2000 GTP too). We need to add to the variety of cars in the class. Last year there were only 2 J-Bodies in class. Ken and I both went a couple of rounds, but it ended up being W-Bodies in the finals both days (I lost in the Semis to the eventual 2 day winner, when I missed a shift!).

Later!


'93 Sunbird SE 3.1 5-speed
'00 Grand Prix GTP Sedan
sunbird93racer@yahoo.com

hey Joe..

i have a question about racing and being in the car show as well.. is that possible or do i have to pick one or the other?

thanks

oh BTW i posted this thread and the Pontiac nationals site on the JCO forum there are a few people that are interested in coming as well

JCO thread

Hey Modfire,
I'm not real sure about this one, but I will take a stab at it. I believe that you can do both, but you have to pay for both then ($65 to race for weekend, $40 for judged show for the weekend, or $30 for judged show for Sunday only). I highly recommend that you contact Super Duty Promotions to get the scoop though for sure. I know that in many years they will let show participants make a couple time runs, but they weren't in the bracket racing. The issue would be in getting your car judged before you "dirty it up" on the track. Check with them and let me know what you find out.

Later!
Joe



'93 Sunbird SE 3.1 5-speed
'00 Grand Prix GTP Sedan
sunbird93racer@yahoo.com

i may come to just watch, my car isnt good enough for this stuff

Hey Emok,
If your car is as clean as the pictures look, why not enter? If you are going to be there, you might as well get the most you can out of it. Check the site for details on show and race classes. Or if you've never raced before, give it a try. You might have a blast.
Hope to see you there. Introduce yourself if you see me in the staging lanes or pits!



'93 Sunbird SE 3.1 5-speed
'00 Grand Prix GTP Sedan
sunbird93racer@yahoo.com

maybe ill try, ill atleast show up

Hey Joe, I'll be making it for my third try. I'll bring the Sunbird GT and my 16 year old son might give it a go in our Fiero in the street class. I know the FWD class is meant for those Intense Racing 3.8 cars, but I think the Sunbirds and Sunfires stand out against all those Grand Prix's. I don't think any of the other manufacturer shows offer a FWD class and I would think Intense Racing and Super Duty Promotions appreciates our support of the FWD class. It was also kind of wild to get nearly a six second head start on some of the cars. With a good start they don't catch up until the finish line. It's a bunch of fun and I think everyone should give it a try. Norwalk also has a cool Wednesday night program you can try out cheap. 12 bucks to get in AND race. Ladies free. There are street and race classes as well as Sport Compact class and a High School class. See ya in August. Someone please help me get my Turbo car down to at least the 15's where it ought to be!!

Hey Kevin!
Glad to hear that you'll be back this year. Bring your son too, the more the merrier. I'm not ready to concede FWD class to the W-Bodies just yet. The first year the class existed my buddy Jake won it in his 12-second "nitrous assisted" Quad 4 HO. We nearly made it a non-W-Body final on Saturday that year, but we both lost in the Semis. We really wanted to run each other in the final. It would have been a helluva race, plus a helluva sight (his bright orange GA running my bright yellow Sunbird). He ended up winning the class on Sunday. I think it's time for another non-W-Body winner again! Hmm, an all-J-Body final has a nice ring to it, don't you think? It won't be a cake walk, that's for sure. There are some very solid racers in the group. Chris Yates was outstanding last year, and I doubt that he will be worse this year. Then you throw Wes and Kathy in there too, along with a number of others I can't recall, and you've got a real gunfight. I'm really hoping for a 48 car field this year in FWD. If the class continues to grow it is good for everyone! If any of the rest of you like to drag race your J-Bodies join us. Let's increase the J-Body ratio in the class!


'93 Sunbird SE 3.1 5-speed
'00 Grand Prix GTP Sedan
sunbird93racer@yahoo.com

The red and blue Sunfires in this string look pretty good. I'm not a big fan of the 4 door cars, but that red one looks real sharp. If the motor is strong enough to run up a highway on ramp, you should be OK to bracket race it. You probably won't get much over 70 MPH, but it's a bunch of fun. My Sunbird needs paint bad and it's not as quick as a turbo car should be, but I still have a great time. Norwalk is a great facility and Super Duty Promotions and Ames Performance make sure everyone feels welcome. They even feed you on Saturday and have a free drawing where you can even win your entry fee back!! Not just one winner but like 1/4 or 1/5th of those entered!! The FWD class is the smallest group, but it's a bunch of good people. There are some cars knocking on the 10 second door (they may have kicked it in by now) all the way to my 16 / 17 second Sunbird. Joe Morgan welcomed me to his prime pit area last year. Even his parents are Pontiac people and they shared some stories while we relaxed in the pits. Come to Norwalk this August and meet some new friends.

Kevin George wrote:The red and blue Sunfires in this string look pretty good. I'm not a big fan of the 4 door cars, but that red one looks real sharp. If the motor is strong enough to run up a highway on ramp, you should be OK to bracket race it. You probably won't get much over 70 MPH,

18mph over

Modfire wrote:my motor is pretty much stock other than a WAI and a muffler.. and we both know that those 2 mod do next to nothing my fastest time to date is 15.42@88mph on my 17" rims

88mph.... to bad i couldn't travel through time LMAO

That's pretty quick for a near stocker. It looks pretty good too! If you look up old road test you'll see that a lot of the old cars were not as fast as us old timers want to remember them. I've driven a few V-8's that wouldn't go mid 15's at 88 without a bunch of work. The guy above was worried his cars wouldn't be fast enough. With bracket racing that doesn't matter anyway. I would rather tell him to expect 18's and 70 mph and see him pleasantly surprised with a 17 second time and 80 mph. Someone with a stock 2.2 4 door automatic might go home disappointed if they went expecting mid 15's and 88 mph. Along with my first gen Sunbird, my other son has a 2003 Calvalier LS and my daughter has a 2000 Sunfire. I'm sure her stock 2.2 automatic would be nowhere near mid 15's or 88 mph. I hope you can bring yours out to the Pontiac event at Norwalk.. I can't talk her into it.

^^^ thanks

well i'm gonna try my best to make it out there.... i hope to have my new clutch installed as well as the 2.3HO intake manifold and 62mmTB by then...

also.. my car looks a little different now i now have the pre 2k SFGT bumper... and i'm making myown fiberglass lip for it

should be good times

I'm glad to hear more talk this year about J-Body folks attending than last year. I'm starting to get excited since June is here! Only about 9 weeks to go!

I imagine the FWD class will still be primarily W-Bodies, but that's ok. That will make it nicer when one of us J's win, right?

If you are still trying to decide about coming, just do it. I promise, you won't regret it. In fact, I'm quite sure you'll be back. This is my favorite event of the year, despite the nearly 1000 mile round trip! It just keeps getting bigger and better every year!

See you all there!


'93 Sunbird SE 3.1 5-speed
'00 Grand Prix GTP Sedan
sunbird93racer@yahoo.com

My wife and I plan on going with our stock 2005 Grand Prix. We might camp there the weekend since I think it's only $25 for the whole weekend to camp. I think with the amount of cars that should be there it will be worth it even if we are coming from Baltimore, MD.

Who else is planning to attend?

Are you planning to race, show, or just spectate? The camping is $25, but if you plan to do it, I would get a site reserved in advance (i.e. book it yesterday!). They seem to fill up really fast. If you are racing you can camp in the pits for free, that's what my wife and I have done since 1996. I would say that if you like Pontiacs, the trip is well worth it, even from Baltimore. I imagine the distance from Baltimore there, is less than we drive from Madison, WI (about 450 miles each way), and I keep coming back. I really hope to see more J-Bodies there now that it isn't the same weekend as the defunct J-Body Bash. Look me up there! You can't miss the bright yellow Sunbird with "I EAT V8S" plates!


'93 Sunbird SE 3.1 5-speed
'00 Grand Prix GTP Sedan
sunbird93racer@yahoo.com

I been trying to get in touch with the coordinators to get us in free to take pictures and cover the event. We don't plan to race or show our 05 grand prix just drive it there.

Is there showers and stuff anywhere near the pits? I want to camp at the actual campground where I guess they have showers and such. My wife wouldn't camp if they didn't have clean water showers. One time we went to a car shower and camped and the water was crappy and stunk like a swamp.