Haute Wheels: Alexis Hocevar's 1968 Firebird 
by Stephen Faure
It’s not every day one gets to acquire a little bit of racing history, but that’s just what Madisonville resident Alexis Hocevar did when he bought this 1968 Pontiac Firebird racer at auction. “I was the guy on the phone,” he says, remembering that exciting day, the Friday before Katrina. “My buddy was there; I was on the phone going, ‘Yes. No. Yes. No.’” That the proceeds from the car’s sale were earmarked for a children’s charity sealed the deal for Hocevar.
The car he bought that day is a complete race-ready replica of a sports car racing legend: the lone Pontiac Firebird to compete in the 1969 24 Hours of Daytona. Not to be confused with NASCAR’s Daytona 500, 24 Hours of Daytona competitors try to go as far a distance as they can in the allotted 24-hour period. Although classifications have changed over the years, in 1969 the Pontiac Firebird competed in the over-two-liter touring class against a field of Camaros and Cougars. Cars in other classes included Ferrari, Porsche and Lola road-racing cars.
The Firebird finished third overall and first in its classification, losing the race to two of the Lolas, one of which was owned by actor James Garner. What made the finish legendary was that the car was built, driven and serviced during the race by two people and a small crew. Driver-builders Jerry Titus and Jon Ward finished ahead of the Porsches, Ferraris and other factory-sponsored teams. It was a classic case of David beating Goliath that would be impossible to duplicate in today’s corporate-dominated Daytona race, now called the “Rolex 24 at Daytona.”
Alexis says that Titus and Ward had a lot of work to do in order to get the car in racing shape and to keep it in the running once the race started. Contemporary newspaper clippings from the Daytona Beach Morning Journal issued after the race accompanied the car to auction and reveal its story.
Since factory Pontiac Firebird engines were larger than the allowed maximum size of five liters (302 cubic inches), Ward had to install a 302-cubic-inch engine from another manufacturer, Chevrolet.
At around midnight during the grueling race, the car’s rear end gave out and it limped into the pits. Alexis has photos that were included with the car showing Titus and Ward making the major repair during a 39-minute pit stop. The Firebird could well have finished first overall had the repairs not been necessary.
Titus came into the race as an experienced driver, having previously driven Fords in the Trans-Am race series under the legendary Carol Shelby. He was killed during practice for a race in 1970. Also an automobile journalist, Titus’ memory is honored by the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association, who annually award the Jerry Titus Memorial Trophy to the best driver of the year as selected by its members.
Alexis is a long-time fan of the Pontiac Firebird. His passion for the model extends back to his high school days at Brother Martin when he bought his first one. Although he doesn’t have that first Firebird anymore, he does still own a 1969 model he got when he was in college. He says that car is a six-cylinder model with no collectible significance. He plans on putting it in the shop for customizing—giving it a bigger engine and some more modern features. He’d like to have at least one car from each year of the Firebird’s first generation, which means he needs a 1967, a 1970 and a 1971 to round out the group.
Another special car in his collection is a 1972 Pontiac Trans Am. “1972 was a significant year. Because of a strike, only 1280 Trans Ams were built,” Alexis says. “It’s also blue; of the 1280 cars, only around 200 were blue.”
Katrina’s arrival three days after he purchased the 1968 Firebird race car caused a month-long delay in delivery. After that, Alexis was too busy to do anything with it other than keep it in the garage. “And drive it around the neighborhood a few times,” he says, chuckling, because he knows that can’t be too popular with the neighbors. The car is loud. Very loud. Eight-cylinders-440 horsepower-fueled-by-110-octane gasoline-without-mufflers loud. In fact, it’s ground shaking.
He now enjoys showing the car off when he has the opportunity. It’s been shown locally at the Madisonville Wooden Boat Festival and the Columbia Street block parties in Covington. It also appeared at a fundraiser for Children’s Hospital in New Orleans, where it won the award for best competition car. Outings with the car are family affairs—wife Debbie and daughter Olivia enjoy the social scene as much as Alexis and son Ben enjoy being around the autos.
Driving it on a track for the first time recently, Alexis donned full safety gear and climbed into the car’s safety cage, which, along with a minimal seat and harness, makes up the entirety of the interior. He took it slowly at first, but was egged on by Ben to go faster. As Alexis settled in, his lap times improved and he was soon doing over 140 mph on the straightaway. “Those guys drove for 24 hours and I don’t know how many laps. I drove about 10 laps and was covered in sweat. I don’t know how they did it,” Alexis says, in admiration of Titus and Ward’s achievement.
At the end of the day, with the track to himself, he indulged in some good old-fashioned burnt-rubber spinouts. As smoke filled the air, Ben’s delighted woo-hoos almost drowned out the tires’ squealing.
