Once Upon a Wheel

If you can look past the cheesy soundtrack and the ultra-raw color tones that characterize a number of late '60s films, you can catch a bit of the origin of our modern-day NASCAR mania here, complete with smokin' tires, shiny then-new Dodge Superbees sporting real Hemis (426 cubic-inch engines drinking copious amounts of cheap and plentiful pre-oil crisis fuel through a pair of extremely thirsty four-barrel carburetors), and even rocket-powered land boats that only reach their 500 MPH potential in the vast wasteland of America's salt flats. With the notable exception of a couple of the tunes (Wilson Pickett and Neil Young rock in any era) the music is bad, but the real interest here lies in seeing the likes of racers Al and Bobby Unser, Mario Andretti, Richard Petty, and others in their early days pushing the limits of the car and the track. Also doing a decent job as host is (even then) long-time racer Paul Newman, who carries the film--organized into several segments covering the drivers, the cars, the spectators, and the race--with class and style. DVD extras include text-only features such as a Newman bio, and NASCAR and INDY 500 facts and quizzes. Optional. Aud: P. (C. Block)