Summit Racing to Unveil First Pro Stock Grand Am at SEMA Show

26 October 2000
Summit Racing to Unveil First Pro Stock Grand Am at SEMA Show
    TALLMADGE, Ohio, Oct. 25 The Pontiac Grand Am will create
excitement in the winner's circle in 2001, when it will be Pontiac Division's
"official" vehicle for NHRA Winston Series drag racing. Representatives of
Summit Racing Equipment will unveil the 2001 Pro Stock Grand Am for the first
time at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
    On Tuesday, October 31, GM Drag Racing Marketing Director Fred Simmonds
will join Summit Racing General Manager Ray Tatko, Marketing Manager Jon
Hedges, and racer Mark "Cowboy" Pawuk in unveiling Pawuk's Grand Am. The
unveiling will take place in the Las Vegas Convention Center at 11:40 a.m.
    Summit Racing is Pawuk's primary sponsor.  Pawuk, the Pro Stock winner at
this year's Pontiac Excitement Nationals presented by Summit Racing at
National Trail Raceway in June, and runner-up at the Winston Showdown in
Bristol in July, is currently ranked fifth in the NHRA points standings, and
is eager to begin testing his new car.
    "I'm honored to be the one to help debut the new Grand Am to a group of
automotive industry people as important as those who will be in Las Vegas for
the SEMA Show," Pawuk said.  "I've been looking over this Grand Am since the
day it was completed, and I know I speak for our whole team when I say we
can't wait to start testing.
    "This is going to one very fast race car, and I think you're going to see
a whole new set of both elapsed time and speed marks set with it once the 2001
NHRA Winston series season begins in February."
    Fred Simmonds concurs, stating that, "The numbers we've seen in the GM
wind tunnel indicate the Grand Am is a superior aerodynamic race car. The
Grand Am has a relatively small frontal area, meaning there's a smaller 'box'
to push through the air. Race fans will see 200 mile per hour runs as a common
occurrence."
    The new Grand Am is a significant departure from Pawuk's current machine,
a Pontiac Firebird.  Built to meet the 2001 NHRA specifications, the Grand
Am's body is completely made of carbon fiber as opposed to a combination of
fiberglass panels and sheet metal. That means that the new body is both
lighter and stronger than current Pro Stock cars, and based on the wind tunnel
tests Simmonds referenced, it's considerably "faster" than the Firebird.
    Following its display at the SEMA Show the Summit Racing Grand Am will be
immediately shipped to Detroit where it will be displayed before the attendees
at the annual SAE Motorsports Engineering Conference & Exposition.  Mark Pawuk
will make a personal appearance with the car to answer any questions the SAE
members might have.
    "I've talked with some of the SAE people in the past, and they are all
razor sharp. I just hope they don't ask me anything too technical, because
while I know the basics, to be an SAE member you've got to be a genius," said
Pawuk.  "I just hope I can keep up with them!"
    The car to be unveiled in Las Vegas was built for Pontiac by Jerry Haas
Race Cars, while Pawuk awaits the delivery of a new car from fellow chassis
builder Jerry Bickel of St. Louis.  "We should have that car in our hands
within a few weeks, and the minute we get it our pre-season testing program
will begin," he said.
    Summit Racing is the world's largest catalog and Internet retailer of
performance automotive and truck parts and accessories, with warehouses in
Tallmadge and Sparks, Nevada.  The company was founded in 1968. To request a
free catalog, call 800-230-3030, or log onto
http://www.summitracing.com/store_bin/freecatalog/