By: Werner Communications
INDIANAPOLIS (December 10, 2024) — Project Pontiac, the passion project of NHRA media personality Joe Castello, will be featured in the Foggit booth (#2312) during the 2024 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show, December 11-14, at the Indiana Convention Center. Project Pontiac is the product of a collection of industry minds working together with Castello to return his family’s bracket race car to the track. The endeavor has grown in scope to include contributions from some of the most influential mechanics, power specialists, manufacturer technicians and product suppliers in drag racing.
“It started as a race car rehab with my family’s old bracket race car that hadn’t been on the track in years,” said Castello. “We were talking about it when I was hosting Hidden Horsepower for Total Seal Piston Rings with Lake Speed Jr. Lake and I started talking about getting the car back on track and using it to showcase some modern Total Seal technology. It has just taken off from there.”
Check out the Project Pontiac behind the scenes Dyno Testing Video.
In 2024 at the Engine Performance Expo, an online engine industry broadcast seminar, that features a collection of engine building’s greatest minds, Castello and Gary Stinnett, the four-time NHRA Super Comp world champion, really got serious about Project Pontiac. The engine went to the dyno at Stinnett Racing in Emporia, Kansas, and upon inspection nearly catastrophic engine damage was discovered and Project Pontiac nearly ended before it got off the starting line. Castello knew he was at a crossroads
“Everyone in motorsports has been there,” said Castello. “Do you build it the same way, or do you try to make things better? With this group of people involved, there was only one answer.”
Stinnett recommended a new cast iron block and things started to roll. The team at Total Seal located the engine block through Frank Gostyla at AllPontiac.com. Stinnett’s partner at Foggit, Steve Williams, stepped up to really expand the project both behind the scenes and at PRI. Williams offered to display the Project Pontiac engine and provided a professional display stand during the show. This is in addition to the incredible contribution of the revolutionary engine spray designed to protect vital parts and the cylinder finish from corrosion.
As the project progressed, even more people within the motorsports community learned of Project Pontiac’s purpose – to return a classic bracket car to the track that had tremendous personal meaning to Castello. This was the car Castello’s father, who was in poor health at the time, had raced as Castello was growing up. Castello’s goal was to get the car rehabbed and back on track in NHRA Lucas Oil Series competition, with the intention of showing others that it is possible to resurrect even the direst project cars.
The engine hit the dyno with a goal of 800 HP. It exceeded the goal by a significant amount. Castello continues to work with a variety of experts to make Project Pontiac a reality to honor his late father.
The list of contributors to the Project Pontiac is a Who’s Who of industry experts:
• Edelbrock joined in to showcase their aluminum Pontiac heads.
• Straub Technologies completed the machine work with the latest technology available from Rottler Manufacturing.
• Camshaft guru, Billy Goldbold, confirmed the selected grind of the Comp Cam.
• Keith Wilson of Wilson Manifolds worked his magic on the intake manifold.
• John Gaydosh, who is a Pontiac expert, offered a tried-and-true CNC porting job
• Harry Heads in Sioux City, Iowa, also added their hand porting expertise that increased flow an additional 26 CFM.
• Keith Jones fit Project Pontiac with Total Seal rings.
• Summit Racing Equipment providing parts necessary to get the car on track
• A complete list of all contributors will be on display with the engine in the Foggit booth at PRI.
“The people who helped are too numerous to name, but a highlight moment was a call I received one morning while installing brakes on my daily car. John Callis was on the phone offering to assist with Morel Lifters,” said Castello. “I freaked out. John, who is a wonderful person, was the Pontiac Racing manager during the 1980’s when I was a 12-year-old fan in the stands with my father, and now he’s calling me to help with Project Pontiac! It’s been a crazy ride.”
Project Pontiac has become a weekly conversation on the WFO Radio TV YouTube livestream. Castello’s hard deadline is to try and make it to the track at the NHRA season opening race in the Lucas Oil Series at Orlando Speed World Dragway in Orlando, Florida, February 21-22, 2025. Showing off the amazing collaboration at this year’s PRI Show is the first step in making that goal a reality.
Media and fans can continue to follow the progress of Project Pontiac here.
