Flathead Fords and Nostalgia Drag Racing

All contents © Copyright James H. Marlett

The Ford Motor Company's flathead V8 was at the very root of drag racing when in 1949 a pair of Merc-powered hot rods clutched off at Goleta in the first organized drag race. Despite all odds, it's still around, but even its "modern" replacements are now out of date nostalgia pieces.

So, this site is primarily to share photographs of flatheads and other nostalgia drag racing cars and to pass on some technical information as I run across it.

Flatheads and Drag Racing

• Flathead basics
• The date your flathead was assembled
• The much talked about French flatheads
• Drag racing basics
• My current foolish projects
• Links and Sources

The Old Days

• Me and my '53 Ford from the ‘60s
• Drag racing photos from the '60s
• Ted DeTar's shirt in 2003

Races 2014

• I have decided to discontinue publishing a nostalgia race schedule. I know this was one of the most popular features of my web site, but the considerable effort required has started to outweigh the satisfaction I have received from the project. If I decide to pick it back up again some day, I suspect I will limit it to my own geographical area in the Central U.S.

Races 2013

• As usual, the 2013 High Altitude Flathead/Inline Nationals was a three day affair with parking and testing on Friday night, time trials and qualifying on Saturday, and the race on Sunday. Once again, I attempted to shoot scoreboard shots after each pair to satisfy the curious. Please realize this is high altitude, so times are slower than they would be at sea level.
• The 2013 H.A.M.B. Drags was the 11th annual. Same format - tech, cackles, and festivities on Friday night with the races on Saturday. I shot a couple of videos of the Friday night cackles - one of the Little Honker firing up on nitro and a couple of Kerry Goertzen's Chrysler-powered gas dragster test firing. No H.A.M.B. Gas Rails showed this year. I hope the class isn't dying out.
• The American Hot Rod Reunion at MoKan Dragway featured two Dick Harrel Funny Cars brought together on the starting line for the first time in who knows how many years. There are some cackling videos in this batch of pictures, with the contest winner for a seat in the cackling car in one and Dick Harrel's widow in the other. Quite the historic and emotional event. Another featured car was the Motes and Williams twin-engined Top Gas Dragster from the early '70s. MoKan had two nostalgia races this year, but I missed the spring race.

Races 2012

• The 2012 High Altitude Flathead/Inline Nationals was a three day affair with parking and testing on Friday night, time trials and qualifying on Saturday, and the race on Sunday. I had to catch a flight to Seattle on Sunday, so I missed the actual race. You'll have to settle for incomplete coverage. Because I am asked so frequently about times, I attempted to shoot scoreboard shots after each pair. Please realize this is high altitude, so times are slower than they would be at sea level. Two other things of note are shots of an Anglia underside to show the bump on the axle that had me mystified for years what with one side being drilled and the other not (turns out it is a mounting hole for mechanical brakes and which side was drilled depended on which side was the driver's side) and Wes Johnson's attempts at patching that troublesome center head bolt hole that has cracked all four ways.
• The Wheat State Nostalgia Race at Kansas International Dragway featured the Central States Superchargers and the Central States Gasser Association. A new track record for 1/8 mile was set at 4.13 and that with a 140º track temperature. Gene Krueger brought out his Pat Foster restored and updated US Mule front motored dragster. The race was in conjunction with the Automobilia car show in downtown Wichita.
• The 2012 H.A.M.B. Drags was the 10th anniversery of the race. Hard too believe it has been going that long. Same format - tech, cackles, and festivities on Friday night with the races on Saturday. Only two H.A.M.B. Gas Rails showed this year. Too bad. That is my favorite class.
• The American Hot Rod Reunion at MoKan Dragway is always a good time. It pays omage to the old American Hot Rod Association.

Races 2011

• The 2011 H.A.M.B. Drags was just as cool as ever except for the temperature. Joplin's tornado damage and the clean up for it kept the Friday night activities a little uncertain until the last minute, so no band could be schduled. However the social activities went on and the races come off without a hitch.

Races 2010

• The 2010 High Altitude Flathead/Inline Nationals
• H.A.M.B. Drags 2010 – Social Event and Tech on Friday night. The race was on Saturday. I dream of being able to trash more images, but until I come to my senses, you’ll have to wade through vast numbers of pictures.

Races 2009

• The 2009 High Altitude Flathead/Inline Nationals
• H.A.M.B. Drags 2009 – This year was different. The host hotel moved and tech was on Friday night. The first batch of pictures shows Friday in the parking lot. The race was on Saturday.
• Bonneville Speed Week - I know it isn't drag racing, but is it ever flathead intensive!

Races 2008

• H.A.M.B. Drags 2008 – Despite the threat of rain in a year absolutely plagued by the stuff, at least here in the Midwest, a miracle happened and the drags came off without a hitch. The race was on Saturday, but I can’t keep from shooting pictures on the morning after as well.
• The Arkansas City Tumbleweeds 33^rd Annual Last Run Nostalgia Drags – The drag race portion of this well-established car show is hosted by Mid America Dragway. It is mostly a nostalgia weekend spiced up with some Pro Mods and some more modern stuff. I can’t tell you who won what, but I can tell you I saw a ’40 Ford powered by a flathead that I hadn’t seen probably since I raced against it in 1968. The yellow isn’t as bright and there are some primer spots now, but it sure did my heart good to see that car. The pictures are my usual unedited stuff.

Races – 2007

• H.A.M.B. Drags 2007 – The biggest one yet. Races were on Saturday, but I walked around the hotel parking lot taking pictures on Sunday before heading home. One of these days I’ll have to show up on Friday for all the pre-race shenanigans. The Saturday link goes to the first of four pages of thumbnails. Once again there are a lot of pictures that should have hit the trash bin, but I’m too lazy to weed them out. That’s why you have to plow through over 1,000 images!

Races - 2006

• The 2006 High Altitude Flathead/Inline Nationals
• H.A.M.B. Drags 2006 – This just keeps getting bigger and better. Four H.A.M.B. Gas Rails (HA/GR) were in attendance this year. Unfortunately, the races themselves were cut short by lightening knocking out the power upstream of the track, but the fun continued back at the Motel. The link goes to the first of two pages of thumbnails of pretty much everything I shot that wasn’t completely messed up.

Races - 2005

• The 2005 High Altitude Flathead/Inline Nationals.
• H.A.M.B. Drags 2005 - Three years now and it just keeps getting better. This year a new feature was the HAMBster dragster. These are dragsters built in the spirit of the earliest dragsters in the days before slingshots. Motive power is restricted to flatheads or early inline sixes. The driver has to be situated between the motor and rear axle, no narrowed rear ends, bias ply tires, and so on. There are other rules, or perhaps they are better described as guidelines, but you probably get the idea. If you are into traditional hot rods, check out the H.A.M.B.
• American Hot Rod Reunion 2005 - MoKan is getting to be the king of nostalgia around this part of the country. The AHRR celebrates the old American Hot Rod Association that sanctioned a lot of strips back in the day.

Races - 2004

• The 2004 High Altitude Flathead/Inline Nationals - I missed last year's race, but I wasn't about to miss this one.
• H.A.M.B. Drags 2004 - Once again the H.A.M.B. internet group held a drag race and other festivities at Mo-Kan Dragway. This year the roast pig burned to a crisp in its pit of coals due to an air leak, but otherwise, a good time was had by all. The link will take you to the first of six pages of thumbnails. Hope you have plenty of time. You will see the good photos along with the bad. Sorry, I just didn't edit.

Races - 2003

• The 2003 High Altitude Flathead/Inline Nationals as reported by Alan Samura.
• The H.A.M.B. Drags The H.A.M.B. internet group decided to have a drag race at Mo-Kan Dragway in Asbury, MO. I figured it could be a very nostalgic race, so I went with my camera and brought back way too many pictures.

Races - 2002

• I can't believe I didn't go to a nostalgia race in 2002. I guess I'll have to search the archives to see if I just failed to post any pictures.

Races - 2001

• John "Mr. Flathead" Bradley's report on flatheads at the first ADRA race in Fallon, NV, April, 2001.
• Steve McGuiness's pictures of the High Altitude Flathead/Inline Nationals, Denver, CO, June, 2001

Races - 2000

• Heartland Hot Rod Reunion, Noble, Oklahoma, August, 2000

Races - 1999

• Bakersfield Flatheads, 1999
• Nostalgia Race, Wentzville, MO, May 1999. This is where Rick Schnell made the quickest and fastest flathead run ever and broke into the sevens. No pictures yet, but there is information about Rick's car and the event.
• Nostalgia Race, Great Bend, Kansas, June 1999
• First NNTA Flathead/Inline Nationals, Salt Lake City, Utah, July 1999
• Heartland Hot Rod Reunion, Noble, Oklahoma, August 1999

Races - 1997 & 1998

• A 1997 Flathead race in Great Bend, Kansas, including some turbocharged flatheads
• The 1998 Kenz and Leslie High Altitude Flathead/Inline Nationals
• The First Annual Slingshot Nationals, Springfield, MO, 1998
• Wichita International Raceway's 35th Year Reunion

Flatheads aren't my only interest. My wife and I like to travel and thanks to my zoo career, we have gotten to go to some interesting places. If you would like to check some of these out, click the travel link.

Travel not related to flatheads

Other Assorted Unrelated Photos

Note: I have tried to make this site work quickly at the expense of making it fancy, so if it works slowly for you, please let me know. Also, I'm always interested in additions and corrections. Contact me through this link, but please call me Jim despite the James in the copyright notice.

Jim Marlett

jmarlett@cox.net