Late in a fairly long line of Burt Reynolds car-chase movies, Stroker Ace was yet another collaboration with director Hal Needham aimed at wringing every last drop out of a successful formula.

First published in the October 2024 issue of Street Machine

Stroker (Reynolds) is a popular, albeit ego-driven, stock car racer, chewing through sponsors and race teams with his best mate and trusty mechanic Lugs (Jim Nabors) in tow.

When his options for a season drive start to thin dramatically, Stroker signs up with sleazy fried chicken magnate Clyde Torkle (Ned Beatty), and finds himself quickly smitten with Torkle’s promotional director, Pembrook Feeney (Loni Anderson, Reynolds’s real-life partner at the time).

Stroker quickly becomes the butt of chicken jokes from his fellow racers and fans, and soon begins to tire of his hectic, contracted ‘Chicken Hut’ promotional schedule. His poor attention to detail burns him badly when he finds his racing contract is set in stone, and his only option for release is being personally fired by Torkle himself.

Stroker, Lugs and Pembrook pool their resources and hatch a cunning plan to beat Torkle at his own game, with Stroker enlisting the help of his childhood best mate, Doc (John Byner), along with Doc’s dad (Frank Hill), to tap into Torkle’s greedy streak, aiming to set Stroker free from his obligations.

With a career-changing win on the line at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, Stroker is forced to choose between his ego and his future, all in the desperate hope to not only nab a spot on the winner’s podium and claim the season championship, but also carve out a bright and solid future for himself, his best mate and the woman of his dreams.

VERDICT: 3.5/5

Reynolds and Needham had this genre down to a fine art by the time Stroker Ace rolled around. Oddly, while it’s one of their lesser-known efforts, it’s also one of the best. Reynolds plays Stroker to his usual typecast perfection, and while the blend of movie-car action with grainy real-life NASCAR footage is a little cringey by modern standards, this flick is still entertaining and funny enough to while away a quiet Sunday afternoon.

The pop-culture fan in me loved the busty cameos by ‘Miss Hurst’ Linda Vaughn and Cassandra ‘Elvira’ Peterson, and it was refreshing to see the late Bubba ‘Hightower’ Smith in a role completely removed from the Police Academy franchise.

VEHICLES:

• 1983 Ford Thunderbird
• 1980 Ford Fairmont
• 1981 Buick Regal
• 1983 Ford Mustang
• 1971 Cadillac Fleetwood 75
• 1946 Ford Super De Luxe
• 1937 Ford pick-up
• 1982 Pontiac Grand Prix
• 1982 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
• 1981 Chevrolet C30

STARS:

• Burt Reynolds
• Jim Nabors
• Loni Anderson
• Ned Beatty
• Bubba Smith
• Parker Stevenson
• Linda Vaughn
• John Byner
• Frank Hill
• Cassandra Peterson

DIRECTOR:
Hal Needham

ACTION:
Some quirky yet random stunt sequences are injected into a mix of real-life and staged NASCAR action.

PLOT:
A popular NASCAR driver butts heads with the fried chicken mogul sponsoring his racing team, with each trying to outsmart the other.

AVAILABLE:
Streaming, DVD

COOL FLICK FACT:
This film was made with the support of some big-name NASCAR drivers of the era, several of whom make cameo appearances in the film.