Jim Yates describes 400 races as an amazing run.

“We’ve been here for 18 years, almost 19 years straight running NHRA Pro Stock,” Yates said, following qualifying at the NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals. “We’ve attempted to qualify every race in a Pontiac car. No one has ever done that; no one has ever done that with one professional car. To try and stay in one class and try and qualify one brand of car for 400 years is unbelievable. That’s a pretty amazing thing.”

Yates, of Alexandria, Va., is a two-time NHRA Pro Stock champion with 25 career national event victories to his credit.

Jim Yates describes 400 races as an amazing run.

“We’ve been here for 18 years, almost 19 years straight running NHRA Pro Stock,” Yates said, following qualifying at the NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals. “We’ve attempted to qualify every race in a Pontiac car. No one has ever done that; no one has ever done that with one professional car. To try and stay in one class and try and qualify one brand of car for 400 years is unbelievable. That’s a pretty amazing thing.”

Yates, of Alexandria, Va., is a two-time NHRA Pro Stock champion with 25 career national event victories to his credit.

“I have to give the credit to Pontiac,” Yates said. “They’ve been able to stay competitive for all of these years. They were competitive in the mid-90s, they are competitive in 2000, and they are competitive still today. We’re not the fastest Pontiac out there but we’re still out there competing. That’s just a credit to the engineers and all those people at Pontiac for all of their hard work over the years. It’s just great to be a part of it and I’m pretty sure they have contributed greatly to our success over the years.”

In the interest of full disclosure, Yates drove a Ford Pro Stocker in the late-1980s but once he made the conversion he’s never looked back.

“I have had an allegiance to them; they’ve been great to me over the years. I’m not talking about money; I’m talking moral support and just all around backing,” Yates admitted. “Being there for you, being fair and square and treating me right and that’s what they’ve always done. That’s a big part of it, that’s where you build your allegiance. They build a great car because they listen to us, we listen to them.”

That’s why amidst rumored major cutbacks at GM, Yates says he’s sticking with the manufacturer, support or no support.

“I believe Pontiac has the best car out here,” Yates said. “If I wasn’t getting any money from anybody, I would be racing a Pontiac because I think it’s the best car right now. You have to think of it this way, things may change things may slow down next year, GM will comeback. We’d like to be there when they come back. There’s something to be said about supporting someone consistently over the years. You’ve got to do that in the sport. I’ve been around a long time, I’ve seen many people and things come and go. I’ve also seen a lot of drivers turn their back on a sponsor or a part when they weren’t the best in one week. Then the next year that part is the best then you have to go back. I think you’re better off just sitting back and maintaining a consistent relationship with a familiar product. Take what you can and know that they will come back. You can’t just jump from car manufacturer to car manufacturer and from part manufacturer to part manufacturer or from tire manufacturer to tire manufacturer.”

ADDED HELP – Pro Stock veteran Tom Martino will be a fixture in the Yates camp at least through Pomona.

Martino is filling the role of Jamie Yates, who is back at home spending time with his newborn son and Jim’s first grandson. The absence is something the team had planned for earlier in the season.

“I think Jamie has his head in the right spot and Tommy’s come in and helped us,” Yates explained. “Tommy helped us in Budd’s Creek for the race over there. He understands exactly what our program is and he knows what to bring to the party. I hope we can afford to keep him on the team; it’s really a financial issue right now.”