September 2023 • By Tony Thacker •  Presented by H&H Flatheads

The RPM Nationals Flathead Drags is one of our favorite events. Billed as a drag race for pre-1936 flathead V-8 and 4-cylinder hot rods and racecars and organized by Justin Baas and Russ Hare, it’s held at the Santa Margarita Ranch, some 200 miles north of Los Angeles. It attracts people from as far away as Europe and Japan.     

This year, due to some construction, things were a little different and the strong entry raced from south to north rather than north to south. No matter, the racing was hard to the very end and what was obvious, because of the lack of smokey tires, was racers getting to grips with the track and the business of going fast over the 1/8-mile.

If there was a trophy for ‘Spirit of the Event’ it should have gone to ‘Hudson’ Joe Buffardi (below) who just a week before the event began building a new rail job. He got a Model T chassis from the Trompers Car Club, an ex-sprint car Kaiser-supercharged Model A banger from Bobby Green’s Old Crow Speed Shop and just like you do, built a car. Unfortunately, on the day, it wouldn’t run. Inspection revealed a well worn, blow-thru Carter WGD carb. Joe had parts all over his lunch-box cowl. I would have swept them into a bucket and gone home. Not Joe. Somebody had seen a carb in the excellent swap meet where Joe bought a box full of carbs for a buck-and-a-half that incredibly included a WGD. After a quick trip to a local wrecking yard, Joe soon had the rail job running and went on to win his class. Now, that’s racing.

The other obvious fact was the diversity of the participants with lots of female racers and a wide range of ages proving you are neither never to old nor never too young to get behind the wheel and burn some fossil fuel while we still can.

The RPM Nationals Flathead Drags is sponsored by sponsored by Anson Axles, American Hot Rod Foundation, Baron Racing Equipment, Biltwell Helmets, RE Borrmann Steel, Co., Carrillo Customs, CW Moss, Hanford Auto Supply, H&H Antique, Hop Up Magazine, Lee’s Iron & Metal and Red’s Headers.

And the winners were:

• Full race flathead V-8: The Carillo/Jennnings Spl.

• Flathead modified street: Dustin Scaplo

• Flathead street: Rich Roberts

• Full race 4cyl - ‘Hudson’ Joe Buffardi

• 4cyl modified street- ‘Red Bluff’ Joe

• 4cyl street: Justin Martin-Hanford

If you want to learn more visit RPMNationals.com