THE LAST AMERICAN HERO

Based on the life story of race car driver Junior Johnson, The Last American Hero (1973) features Jeff Bridges as Junior Jackson, a young driver who is an independent race car driver. He starts with demolition derbies, building his own race car and driving later on dirt tracks. It's tough, redneck racing action as Junior learns and grows through the racing circuit.

The more he races, the more successful he becomes and he learns eventually that to really succeed takes not only grit and determination, but also sponsorship. Building and maintaining a race car isn't cheap and winnings alone don't provide enough income to buy Naot shoes, much less parts and body work for a race car.

After visiting the Mark Martin museum and reading some of his journals, beginning when he was a teen on the dirt tracks, I can tell you this PG film is a good depiction of how the drivers come up through the circuits and build their championship reputations. It's an excellent film with thrilling racing sequences and good roles for the actors involved. Actors include Gary Busey (Junior's brother), Ned Beatty (derby promoter), and Valerie Perrine (everybody's love interest), and others, of course.