(715) 529-0898 daytonajim@gmail.com

Lead Camara Car #0031 – POCI Smoke Signals – December 2023 Page 31

December 2023 Smoke Signals article about the four ‘real’ Pace Cars has some incorrect information & history.

Pontiac Historical Services continues to have inaccurate information.

I have letters from Jeff Chew @ Pontiac Racing, TDM who did the conversion for NASCAR, Pontiac Build Sheets that state they were special builds (like the ’69 COPO Camaro program) & never assigned or sold to a dealer.

Four ‘real’ 2000 Daytona 500 Grand Prix GTP’s were built.

(#0031 Lead Camara car, #0029 Split Field car – George Tuominen, #0045 & #0058) 

A 5th car was @ Daytona as a daily driver & was never converted.  I took photos in 2006 when I visited Daytona Archives with George.

Paragraph 1:  Smoke Signals fails to mention that Bobby Labonte was the highest Pontiac Driver finishing sixth, signed the dash of #0031 & went on to win the 2000 NASCAR Championship.  The Jim Smith Collection also has the 2002 GMMG Bobby Labonte Blackbird.

Paragraph 3:  Neeper Shadow wheels were used – not Enkei 18X7.5’s  –  See track photos.

Following the race……..  The four cars were returned to stock configuration….

This is totally false.  All four ‘real’ cars retained all the upgrades used @ Daytona & WERE NOT returned to stock.  George & I not only have all four cars BUT we have all the photos & supporting documentation from Daytona & Pontiac Racing.

Jim Smith

GMMG Registry

aka:  daytonajim

daytonajim@gmail.com

 

#0031 Led Camera Car (Photos from ISC Archives)

#0029 – Split-Field Car (George T)

#0043 – never converted – The car was a mess in 2006 when I took this photo @ Daytona.

Jeff Chew – Pontiac Racing letter                                                          Special Pontiac build just like the ’69 COPO built Camaro’s

2002 GMMG Bobby Labonte Blackbird      (Jim Smith Collection)

Bobby taking delivery with Matt Murphy                GMMG Brickyard Dick Harrell PE#4            GMMG Brickyard PR1 with GMMG Dick Harrell #18

 

  3 of about 30 blue SLP GTX Ram Air 1998 Pace Cars (from Jim Smith Collection)

 

2000 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX GTP
RETIRED NASCAR PACE CAR

2000 DAYTONA 500

CAR 0031 Lead Camera Car – Jim Smith Collection
CAR 0029 Real Pace Car Owned by George Tuominen
                                                                               Car 0043 Backup owned by DAYTONA SPEEDWAY
                                                                                   Car 0045 DISPLAY CAR owned by Jim Smith
                                                                                   Car 0058 DISPLAY CAR owned by Jim Smith

OF THE 2,000 DAYTONA 500 PACE CAR EDITION CARS BUILT THAT YEAR, THESE ARE THE ONLY 5 CARS BUILT WITHOUT SUNROOFS. NASCAR RULES DICTATED THAT YEAR THAT PACE CARS WOULD NOT HAVE SUNROOFS, AS A 1999 GRAND PRIX PACE CAR WAS T-BONED IN AN ARCA SERIES RACE AT DAYTONA SPEEDWAY. EVEN THOUGH THE DAYTONA 500 PACE CAR EDITION GRAND PRIXS HAD SUNROOFS AS A STANDARD OPTION IN THE 2000 MODEL YEAR, THE CARS USED FOR OFFICIAL PACE CAR DUTY COULD NOT AND SO THE FIRST FIVE DAYTONA 500 EDITIONS CARS BUILT (0029, 0031, 0043, 0045 AND 0058) WERE SPECIAL ORDERED WITHOUT SUNROOFS.

THIS WEBSITE IS ABOUT CAR 0029, THE ONLY REAL 2000 DAYTONA 500 PACE CAR EVER RELEASED BY GM TO THE PUBLIC.

https://www.angelfire.com/ill/daytona500pacecar/pacecar.html