(engine rumbling)
♪ ♪
(engine revving)
(whirring)
Announcer: (over speakers) Welcome, everyone,
to Peach Tree Speedway,
where today’s race is crucial in determining
this year’s Late Model champion.
Will it be the brash newcomer and points leader
Davis McDowell?
(cheering and applause)
Or the veteran Keith Owens, in his final season,
just five points back in second place?
(cheering and applause)
The youngster McDowell has been giving Owens
more than he can handle.
There is certainly no love lost
between these two drivers.
Owens has got a lot to live up to.
His father and his grandfather were both racing legends.
on his shoulders right now.
Drivers, start your engines.
(engines revving)
Greg: (over radio) Smooth and steady, partner,
just like we talked about.
Don’t worry about that little shit.
Just race your race.
(high-pitched whine)
(cheering)
(engines revving)
Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen,
the field is stacking up behind the leader.
They’re heading for the start line.
The green flag is out.
And they’re off!
Owens finds a gap and goes for the front.
McDowell follows on the inside.
Okay, Keith, show that kid who’s boss.
Announcer: Owens takes an early lead.
That was your fastest lap of the day.
Just hold her straight.
Announcer: The white flag is out.
Owens leads, but McDowell is in hot pursuit.
(engine revving)
as they head down turn three.
(crowd cheering)
They’re heading into the final quarter.
It’s anyone’s race.
(high-pitched whine)
McDowell with a bump on the back side.
Owens in a spin, trying to come out of it.
And he’s not going to be able to.
Owens’ race is over.
(crowd cheering)
And Davis McDowell will take the checkered flag.
(cheering, applauding)
I can imagine Owens will be pretty heated after that move.
But for the moment,
it looks like McDowell secures the win
These kids, the way they’re racing today,
it’s ruining the sport.
Reporter: So are you happy to be walking away?
I’m not walking away.
Reporter 2: Wait, you’re not?
Because rumors of your retirement--
That’s all just speculation.
I’m not retiring.
-You know about this? -Nope.
You’re the one ruining the sport, old timer.
How’s it feel to be the third best Keith in the family?
I shouldn’t have called him an idiot.
There’s something dark in there. Gave me the shivers.
Just makes me seem like a sore loser.
and now you’re icing your face.
You are literally a sore loser.
That’s all just speculation. I’m not retiring.
until you work this shit out.
We had an agreement.
and then it’s my turn.
Things change.
That’s bullshit. You promised.
If I win this last race,
I know you’re anxious to get out there--
since the day I was born.
You know, Davis was right.
You need to learn to get out of the fuckin’ way.
Hey!
(tires squealing)
(engine revving)
♪ ♪
I know.
You promised her.
But an Owens can’t retire a loser.
How’s that gonna help Katy?
Don’t act like this is about Katy.
I lost my flow, Donna.
Mid-season.
I can’t get out of my own head.
I hear, "Drivers, start your engines,"
and all I can think is there’s somebody out there
that’s better than me.
I’ve lost the damn race
before they even drop the green flag.
(horn honking)
Davis: Hey, guys, Davis here.
I know the race is over,
but I felt like making one last pitstop.
-Baby... -To Keith Owens’ front yard.
Keith: ...do me a favor and go and fetch my shotgun.
Hey, no need, ma’am. I’m going.
I just planted those motherfuckers.
Keith, you fuck this flow nonsense.
You get out there and you beat that evil little shit.
♪ ♪
(phone beeping)
-Woman: (over phone) Hello. -Hey there.
Uh, can I get a tow truck on Deep Springs Road
by the bend?
Woman: You break down or somethin’?
Yeah. Car won’t start.
♪ ♪
(creaking)
Just practice. No need to take chances.
Got it.
(engine starts)
(engine revving)
(heartbeat thumping)
(all gasp)
(fire crackling)
Man: Keith!
-He alright? -Greg: No, no, no. No.
Charlie: Ah, geez.
Ah.
on the number seven car.
Shit, that ain’t nothin’. I found a whole dook once.
Oh wow. Something to look forward to.
Hey Jean,
you got to wear these around your neck or something.
Announcer: ...and around as they head down the straightaway.
I know. I’m just so nervous.
That’s my boy out there. I can’t watch.
Wait, that’s your kid racing?
Jean: Mm-hmm.
Announcer: McDowell crosses the line first
and wins the Peach Tree Speedway!
-Oh! He did it! -Hey!
Announcer: An amazing victory for the young...
-(crowd applauding) -Charlie: Jean!
Davis did it again, Jean.
-Are they going to interview him? -Yeah, I guess.
Randy: Looks like they’re doing Owens first.
Why are they interviewing the loser first?
Yeah, it’s kind of messed up.
I bet Davis is not too happy about that.
Bet Daddy wishes he named you something else.
Come on! Come on!
Randy: Yep. Not too happy at all.
Shit. Boom goes the dynamite.
Yeesh. So that’s your kid, huh?
(grunting)
(children chattering)
-Hey, no running! -Boy: I’m not!
Oh, can I have your autograph?
Sure, man.
-Y’all want some peaches? -Thanks.
-Help yourselves. -I’ve seen every race this season, Mr. McDowell.
Davis: Come on, now. Y’all call me Davis.
You smoked Keith Owens and punched him in the face.
No need for that now. I lost my cool.
Now, who wants to see my lucky charm?
Kids: Me, me, me, me.
Every race, I’ve got my grandpa Big Ed with me in the car.
He taught me what it takes to be a racecar driver and a good man.
So who wants to sit in the driver’s seat?
-Boy 1: Me, me, me, me. -Boy 2: Come on.
I’m first. I got cancer.
Bullshit.
-What did you just say? -You don’t have cancer.
-You don’t have cancer, you fucking liar. -Nice try, dipshit.
Charlie: Hey. No need for all that.
You know, if that kid did have cancer,
that could have gotten real awkward real quick.
Nah, I got this thing.
I’m like the, the dog that can smell, uh...
Cancer?
Uh, I’m like that but with bullshit.
You know, I hear it, I know it.
Could have been wrong.
Well, stunning accuracy.
Step right up.
Here, let me...
Oh. Oh no. You don’t have to, uh...
(game music plays)
Hey. Figure I’ll help out around here
until a tow call comes in.
So what, so you drive a, a tow truck, huh?
So racing isn’t paying the big bucks.
Gas money and a ceremonial bowl of peaches.
You know, it takes at least $75,000
to keep a car on the racetrack, minimum.
Keith Owens probably spends
ten times that much on his car, and I still beat him.
Good thing he can’t punch his way out of a paper bag.
-Uh, ’cause of your thing, right? -Yeah, because of that.
Davis: And now his daughter’s gonna waltz into the sport.
And sponsors are going to be falling all over themselves,
Gosh, you really got a lot of road rage bubbling
under those bright eyes of yours, huh, kid?
Yeah, I guess so.
So, uh, let me ask you something.
This whole, uh, racing thing,
Aren’t you the one with the ’69 Barracuda
in the parking lot?
An all-American muscle classic?
which is technically what a car is for.
I mean, you’re basically just turning left
That’s what you think?
(coin clinking)
Okay. So just hit the gas and turn left.
How hard could it be?
Well. Gotta say, this is very, uh, intense
with the haptics and whatnot.
I mean, it’s just an arcade game.
Did you see that? That was very close.
Now, when you get to the end of the front stretch,
-Towards the bottom of the racetrack. -Mm-hmm.
Alright.
Is your foot even on the gas?
Davis: Okay, for this next turn,
we need to do a fishhook,
but you got to trust the car.
Do you trust the car?
You’re on a dirt track, engine screaming in your ears,
Trust the car.
I don’t trust the car.
Aah.
Okay. Okay. Fuck it. It’s fake anyway.
Good. Good, good.
Faster. Faster.
-I am not. -Now!
Charlie: Ahhhh!
Ooh. Ahh.
Little bitch.
-Bad. -Bad.
-F minus. -Ah yeah.
Okay. Okay. Okay. You win. You win. You win.
You know what, fake racing is, uh,
Oh, no, no, no, man. Come on.
Listen, kid, it’s just an arcade romance.
It’s, it’s dumb. It’s, it’s messy.
It’s self-defeating.
No, you don’t want this in your life.
-Worth a shot. -Yes. I respect it.
Katy: Hey, tow truck!
I know you’re in here.
I saw your shitkicker outside.
What’s up, daddy’s girl? Shouldn’t you be, like,
painting your toenails or some shit?
Katy: What do you say we settle this shit right now
on the track?
On the little track, you mean?
’Cause we know Daddy won’t let you get in a big boy car.
I can smoke your ass on any track.
-Come on then. -Boy: Come on, guys.
Now you get to see the real thing.
(excited chatter)
Boy: Let’s go!
Go, go, go!
(engines puttering)
-(crowd cheering) -Whoa!
Again?
(engines puttering)
(cheering)
(tires squealing)
Again?
(crowd cheering)
You’re going to be losing to my family
for the rest of your life.
Ooh. Hey, Jean. You need a ride home?
Geez, what the fuck happened?
Davis: (on phone) Hey, guys, Davis here.
I know the race is over, but I felt like making
one last pitstop.
-Really? -I’m done.
I’m done taking that family’s shit.
You think about your own family.
What would Big Ed say about this?
Take those fuckers out."
Ah, ah, ah. On the track.
Big Ed had that same devil inside him,
but he put it all behind the wheel.
And that is what kept him on the track and out of jail.
Do it all but on the track.
Yes?
(door closes)
(phone ringing)
Hello.
Alright. Give me 15.
-I’m on it. I got it. -Oh no, no.
You ain’t going anywhere.
You need to cool off and sober up.
And first thing tomorrow, you’re going to fix
the Owens’ mailbox and apologize.
-(microwave beeping) -(popcorn popping)
Shit.
Greg: Smooth and steady. Just practice.
No need to take chances.
(Katy scoffs)
You’re not talking to me?
I was pissed, even though it was just go-karts.
When it comes to racing, I’ll kick your ass
anytime, anywhere.
You ain’t kicking shit until Daddy hands over
the keys to the money wagon.
we can sit here and talk shit all day long,
or we can settle this once and for all.
Last week, I went around here in 20.3 seconds.
You think you could beat it?
Be my guest.
Come on. Just a practice lap.
Better hurry and suit up before I change my mind.
(engines rumbling)
Jean: What’s happening, Randy?
He’s out there on the track, taking her easy.
And Owens is really trying to goad him.
Alright. They’re coming into the first straightaway.
(all gasp)
smash into the wall at turn one.
He doesn’t appear to be moving.
This is not looking good.
Jean: Davis!
Greg: Kate!
Keith...
Katy was in the car.
Jean: Honey! Oh, thank God.
-Oh, my God. Okay. -I’m alright, Mom. I’m alright.
♪ ♪
Jesus.
Reporter: (on TV) As many of you already know,
19-year-old Katy Owens is in a coma
at Glencoe Memorial Hospital after a horrible crash
during practice yesterday at Peach Tree Speedway.
They’re saying her seat belt failed.
Oh. What do you mean? Like, her seatbelt didn’t work?
-It failed. -What does that even mean?
In the meantime, we wish Katy a speedy recovery,
and we’re keeping the Owens family
in our thoughts and prayers.
God.
What the hell was Davis thinking
letting her drive that car?
Hey, Mom.
I just spent the last two hours
getting the third degree about Katy’s crash.
And now they’re talking about suspending me.
Jean: What?
The poor girl, yeah, but Jesus.
And now I’m going to get burned.
Well, bullshit.
Oh, I... Sorry. Sorry. It’s, uh, instinct.
I just...
That wasn’t even a lie technically,
No, what? Tell me.
It’s just when you said that she crashed
because of her own incompetence, you didn’t believe that,
so I just...
It’s instinctual. Cancer dog. Sorry. Sorry.
You’re 100 percent right.
I don’t believe it.
Something about all of this doesn’t sit right.
Sit right how?
Davis: You record all the practices, right?
-You know it. -Yesterday’s too?
Davis: Look at the line she takes.
What the hell is that?
What? So, so she made a mistake.
She’s too good of a driver to make that mistake.
-That turn. -Way too deep.
-Randy: It’s totally like. -You think?
on this grease-monkey mind meld.
Seems like there is...
Both: Something wrong with the car.
Don’t they inspect it or something?
with a fine-toothed comb.
Okay, so maybe something broke.
Well, they towed it back to my garage.
Maybe it’s worth a look, right?
What are we looking for?
Anything that looks funny.
-What the hell? -Randy: What’s that?
Does that look funny?
Do you have a fishhook in your engine?
Well, they weren’t supposed to be there either.
Somebody put that there.
Okay. How could a, a fishhook
Well, if the car was going full speed,
which it appeared to be,
carburetor would be wide open.
If the hook was attached to a gear tie,
it would catch.
Even if you took your foot off the gas,
there ain’t no way to decelerate.
Oh, my God.
That’s why Katy went into turn one so hard.
She couldn’t slow down.
That was supposed to be for me.
Huh? What?
No. No, no, no. Come on. Come on.
Uh, no. No, no, no, no, no.
He knew he couldn’t beat me, so he sabotaged my car.
-Oh no. -I have no doubt.
Am I lying?
No, you’re not lying.
But, you know, just take a breath.
You checked your car the night before,
and you were with it the whole time at the track.
We would have seen someone messing with it.
Charlie: Yeah.
A tow call came in last night before practice,
I bet it was Owens who made the call
to get me out of the house so he can sabotage my car.
That conniving little bitch.
He fucking tried to kill me!
-Randall. -Let’s roll, baby.
Okay. Nobody’s rolling.
-Try and stop me. -Charlie: Listen to me.
The man’s daughter is in a coma.
Alright? Remember last night’s candlelight prayer vigil.
And there’s going to be another one tomorrow for Keith.
Get the candles ready.
Alright? Really?
You can cancer dog him.
Well, I’m regretting settling on that metaphor,
but, yes, I can cancer dog him.
Uh, if he’s lying, I’ll know it.
Then you two can go full "Deliverance" on him. Okay?
Nothing, huh? Great movie.
Charlie: Hi.
Yes.
Oh, uh, I’m, uh,
I, uh...
I work at the, uh, the go-kart track.
She said, uh, she just wants you to know
that she’s thinking about you and your family.
Okay.
Tell her I said thanks.
Charlie: Yeah.
You can leave ’em out front.
Oh.
but I, I know that Katy’s a great driver.
she is special.
Like her grandfather.
My father.
I never had it.
I only ask because, uh,
so when Davis got his car back,
like a fishhook in the engine, uh.
That’s a funny thing, right? I, I...
Anyway, hot-headed kid that he is.
So he was saying he thinks that
maybe somebody put it there,
I mean, that’s crazy, right?
I don’t know who the hell you are
or what this is about,
So are we done?
I’ll put those out front.
I’m, uh, so sorry.
What was that?
Nothin’.
Bullshit.
So, uh, you were right.
Thank you. Thank you.
-No shit. -Charlie: Mm-hmm.
-Yeah. That’s really illegal. -Charlie: Yeah.
but, uh, if you really want to nail Keith,
we’re gonna need hard evidence, cop evidence.
We need, like, a CSI for cars.
First thing we need to do is take that fishhook, put it in a Ziploc.
Yeah, we check the garage for prints, tracks, traces--
My Uncle Raymond’s got a black light.
That ain’t what he uses it for, but it should work.
Hey. Hey. No running.
No running!
Keith: (on TV) The night before practice
-at Peachtree Speedway... -Excuse me.
Keith: ...I snuck into Davis McDowell’s garage,
and I tampered with his race car.
Yes.
I never meant for anyone to get hurt.
That it was Katy
behind the wheel of that car
was a horrible twist of fate.
And something that I will have to live with
for the rest of my days.
-Thank you. -(reporters clamoring)
(phone ringing)
Reporter: A shattering confession
from Keith Owens,
sabotaged a competitor’s car
with a fishing hook and gear tie.
Well, I guess that’s that.
Man.
I agree.
Karma is like a consequence.
Yes, sir. Yes, I’ll be there in 20.
Lots of stuff. CSI car stuff, I guess.
Yeah, well, shit, huh?
I can’t believe it. Keith did it.
And now he’s never going to race again,
which means I fuckin’ won the championship.
That means his sponsors and...
My mom won’t have to work anymore.
Hey, I know this is a complicated situation,
You didn’t do anything wrong,
and it’s alright for a part of you
to feel good right now.
(phone chimes)
-Sorry. -Yeah, no.
Do your thing. I’ll catch you later. Alright?
Hey, Curt.
What happened? You okay?
-I’m scared to race. -What? Why?
Seatbelts don’t work.
Your seatbelt’s fine, buddy.
Curt: Katy’s seatbelt didn’t work.
That’s why she’s in the hospital.
Davis: No, hey, listen to me.
Your seatbelt is safe.
Randy makes sure of that. He checks it all the time.
What happened to Katy was a fluke.
Her seatbelt malfunction was a freak accident.
Bullshit.
Hey, uh, Randy.
So what happened to Katy’s seatbelt again?
I mean, why’d it break?
Uh, it was old probably. Just wear and tear.
Huh.
Randy: Uh, no, ma’am.
Seatbelt’s not like a chassis adjustment
or, or tire pressure,
something you can adjust on the fly.
Belts are complicated as hell. Even these.
Oh.
Same thing as a late model car.
Huh.
Oh, hey, Jean, uh, you seen Davis?
You alright?
Gee, I... I didn’t think about that.
That’s intense. I’m sorry.
I, I wasn’t home.
-What? -Oh, I was out on a tow call.
-With Davis? -Oh God, no.
After what he did, I sent that boy to bed.
I can’t sit here all night.
I got to go restock the fidget spinners.
Okay.
(keys jingling)
Ah, shit.
They took it to the CSI car lab.
Shit. Shit.
(heavy sigh) Okay.
What am I looking for?
Well, seatbelt tools,
seatbelt fragments, I don’t know.
Great. Things I don’t know what they look like.
What the fuck am I doing?
Oh.
Hey, Big Ed. You got any advice for me?
Alright...
They’re in here, Mom. You left them in the garage!
Davis: Hey.
What are you doing here?
Did you mess with Katy’s seatbelt?
Did I what?
Well, geez.
Look--
Well, you told Curt that Katy’s seatbelt failing
was a freak accident,
but that was a lie.
Also, uh, I realized that,
well, when you showed me and Randy the engine,
and you said that if it was attached to a gear tie,
it would keep the carburetor open.
Yeah. And that’s what Keith did.
Right. But couldn’t it have been
a piece of wire or dental floss.
He could have used fishing line, right?
But you said gear tie.
And, and then when Keith confessed,
what do you know, I...
that’s exactly what he used.
So?
So...
you knew it was there.
Because you saw Keith do it.
You were home when he did it.
And then you messed with the seatbelts,
with the seatbelt wrenches.
Do you even... What’s a seatbelt wrench?
Tell me anything I said isn’t true.
Keith confessed!
It’s over.
You tried to kill a person, you psycho.
And for what?
You know, driving a car around in a circle.
Really?
It’s over, Charlie.
And, yeah...
I’d kill someone for what I get on that track.
I guess you really don’t understand that.
(thud)
Jean: Davis?
Honey, you’ve got my keys?
-Oh. Hey, Charlie. -Charlie: Hey, Jean.
You wanna stay for dinner?
You know what?
I really, I’d love to,
but I got to go.
Alright.
Jesus.
(engine revving)
Oh shit.
-Trust the car, trust the car, Charlie. -(engine revving)
I’m gonna trust you, you piece of shit.
(tires screeching)
Fuck!
Ahhhh!
(tires squealing)
(exhales)
Alright, baby.
Announcer: And introducing Lucas Oil’s new ambassador
Davis McDowell.
(crowd cheering)
I want to thank my new sponsor, Lucas Oil,
I hope she gets better soon.
-(crowd cheering) -Thank you. Congratulations.
You did it!
It’s everything you always wanted.
Thanks, Mom.
(thumping)
Jesus.
What the hell are you doing here? You can’t be here.
Yeah, I know. But as I was, uh, leaving town last night,
well, I remembered that I, I had something of yours.
You see, uh, when I saw
Big Ed’s smiling face on the workbench,
of gettin’ in your car that day.
Big Ed wasn’t on the dash
because you knew your car was going to crash
and you didn’t want the photo to get damaged.
You, my friend, are a fuckin’ monster.
You should leave. It’s not safe for you here.
Yeah, I realized that last night.
So today, I, uh,
well, I quit the track, I said goodbye to Jean,
and then I, uh,
I stopped by the hospital.
I had a, a good talk with Donna.
So she was telling me all this interesting stuff about Keith,
about what happens when you, uh, when you lose it.
Look at old Keith.
So he stepped up in the end,
Yeah, he’s just the man she knew he was.
Yeah.
Oh, and then I had a,
a good talk with Katy.
Oh yeah.
Sort of a miracle thing.
That doctor’s saying she’s gonna bounce back fast.
I tell you,
the way this girl talks about racing,
I finally got it.
I don’t know what it’s going to take,
but she’ll be racing again soon.
And she’s comin’ for you.
It’s just a matter of time.
Ain’t no one better than Davis McDowell.
I’m the future of the goddamn sport.
Okay?
Well, we both know that’s bullshit.
Buckle up, kid.
♪ ♪
Announcer: Drivers, start your engines!
(engine revving)
(high-pitched whine)
♪ Drivin’ on 9 ♪
♪ Beneath the streetlight ♪
♪ Behind my home ♪
♪ I sure miss you ♪
♪ Pass a motel ♪
♪ Looking in the blinds ♪
♪ Looking for the 30 ♪
♪ Maybe I passed it ♪
♪ Go another mile ♪
♪ Drivin’ on 9 ♪