Interview and photos by Mary Lendzion/Summit Motorsports Park
The Ames Performance Pontiac Nationals has grown to be one of the largest events of its kind in the country.
At the helm since its inception, Pete and Andrea Woodruff of Super Duty Promotions make sure the annual show at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, offers something for Pontiac enthusiasts as well as people who just want to be part of car culture and see a commendable collection of show cars and strip cars.
Considering the popularity and performance of last year’s event, the 33rd Annual Ames Performance Pontiac Nationals, this weekend, July 19-21, 2024 at Summit Motorsports Park, is set to be even bigger and better.
There will be three days of racing, an all-Pontiac show, an appearance by legendary Pontiac racer Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick, a substantial swap meet, manufacturers' midway, opportunities to buy or sell Pontiacs, Tin Indian Performance Wheelie Contest and more.
We talked with Pete Woodruff about the event that he and his wife, Andrea, or Andi, created and continue to grow at Summit Motorsports Park, and he is what he had to say.
WHAT WILL YOU TELL US ABOUT THE START OF THE AMES PERFORMANCE PONTIAC NATIONALS?
I came up with the idea and started talking about it with two other guys, Gary and Timm, in Norwalk, Ohio in 1990. We all belonged to the Pontiac Club Cleveland Chapter, and when we presented the idea to the chapter, they were not interested because it would not be in Cleveland. We all knew Bill Bader Sr., so we asked him and he agreed to let us try having the event at what was then Norwalk Raceway Park and is now Summit Motorsports Park. The first event was successful, and while Gary and Timm were only part of it for a very short time, my wife, Andrea, and I now produce the event which was called Tri-Power Sunday and is now called the Ames Performance Pontiac Nationals.
HOW HAS THE EVENT CHANGED AND GROWN OVER THE YEARS?
When Bill Bader Sr. saw how much the event was growing and how participants were coming from 20 states, he said it is a national event and that we needed to drop the Tri-Power name and call it the Pontiac Nationals and make it a three-day event. At the time, in the early 1990s, car events at drag strips were popular, but there were no Pontiac events, and our Pontiac event was popular because we were having it at Norwalk and the Baders were helping us. They are a huge part of our success and they helped grow the event. We have a lot of Canadians, and the track was taking Canadian money at face value, without a conversion, and that encouraged our Canadian participants. Having a three-day event and allowing racers to camp for the weekend also helped grow the event.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO SEE THE LEVEL OF INVOLVEMENT?
I have always been into Pontiacs, and my first car was a 1969 Pontiac Firebird, and I have had many since. I worked at various car dealerships, including Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and Chevrolet dealerships, where I made sure cars ran well and worked on emissions, and I became an NHRA tech and chassis inspector, and Andrea has worked for the NHRA doing the back computer for race control and she is now credentialing. We both love Pontiacs and the car community, and we always knew that this event would work, but what is surprising to us is that according to Bill Bader Jr., we have the largest single brand event in the country. I have to give credit to Andrea. This event would not be what it is without her. Our event is a dinosaur and we are doing what nobody else is doing. There have been no new Pontiacs since 2009 when GM cancelled the brand, but there are still a lot of Pontiac lovers out there, and even people who are not loyal to the brand but love cars and come to the event anyway. It has been a lot of work, but it is very gratifying to see how big the event is now. We get 11,000-12,000 spectators for the weekend and we have just over a thousand cars between the racing and car show, and we do not want to give up what is now obsolete.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE WEEKEND?
Andrea and I spend so much time on the swap meet and car show side of things, and Bill Bader Jr., Evan Bader and Kelli Bader run the race, which works out very well. Our favorite part of the weekend is when everything is done, because then we can take satisfaction in knowing we did our very best and hosted an event that inspired people to come from across the country to take part. They are many other things they could be doing, but they came to our event, and that means a lot.
Summit Motorsports Park is at 1300 State Route 18, Norwalk, Ohio. For more information or tickets, CLICK HERE or call 419-668-55555.
