RPM Nationals 2020

Once again, the American Hot Rod Foundation was proud to help sponsor this year’s RPM Nationals and we’re happy to say that it went off without a hitch! 

What has now become a must-do west coast event for any fan of traditional hot rodding was forced to be closed off to spectators this year but this didn’t dampen the spirits or the enthusiasm for the racing going on throughout the day. Organizers Russ Hare and Justin Bass made sure that each racer could bring their family and “pit crew” and that made for a larger turnout than one might think. The starting line was full of cheering hot rodders and the hillside seating had many a tent and blanket spread out where folks took in the action. An interesting aspect of this year’s event was the quality of car and condition of “tune.” Not that there has ever been anything but the coolest old school hot rods at each RPM Nationals event, but we have to point out the marked difference in the sound and performance of the cars going down the track. Where earlier events saw some cars attempting WOT passes down the strip without having been fully sorted, this year saw a collection of cars that had their game-faces on. In fact, we didn’t hear more than one or two cars with tuning issues throughout the entire day. One car after another rolled to the line and shot off in a fashion that perfectly demonstrated what was possible with this old technology, no matter if it was a flathead 4cyl or a supercharged Ardun V8. When combined with the setting of the event and the wonderful flag starting, a complete time-travel experience was the payoff. We couldn’t help but think of how this type of small but highly focused event will most likely be the way of the future in our slice of the old car hobby, especially years from now when the internal combustion engine becomes more relegated to “occasional” or “demonstration” use. Although we don’t even want to consider such a time, it is good to realize how lucky we are to have such an event to demonstrate and exercise our great old machines in ways that ( sadly ) stopped being commonplace many decades ago. 

Thanks again to Justin and Russ for doing such a great job for everyone who came out and for following their dream of making this event a reality. We look forward to seeing you again in 2021!