A dragracing street punk, rick Bowman, concerns Famous business man Grant Willard's attention. Willard bails him out of jail and offers him as a stock car driver. Bowman accepts and enters the demolition derby-adjacent universe of"figure eight" rushing. The king of the figure eight track is hotshot Hawk Sidney. Bowman and Sidney clash. Hawk's pretty friend Jolene falls prey to Bowman's charm. Bowman's gaze shifts onto Ellen McLeod, champion racer Ed McLeod's wife. Since Bowman moves up in the positions, his regard for his friends slips- giving solution to outright obsession with becoming the very best.