Corky 1972

Corky Curtiss is a Texas race-car mechanic, obsessed with the sport, a portrayal brought to life by [Robert Blake]. He is allowed to drive in local races on weekends, but his costly, reckless ways soon catch up with him when his boss, Randy Dover, played by [Patrick O’Neal], replaces him.

With little money to support his wife Peggy Jo, and two kids, Corky needs his job but cannot shake his resentment. Peggy Jo, portrayed by [Charlotte Rampling], endures his temper while trying to keep the family afloat and find a path forward.

In a desperate bid to prove himself, Corky enters a figure-eight race and deliberately causes a crash that sends replacement driver Steve, played by [John Gruber], to the hospital. A furious Randy fires Corky from the shop, severing his last ties to steady work.

Corky abandons his wife and heads for Georgia in his pink Plymouth Barracuda with a friend, Billy, portrayed by [Christopher Connelly]. He manages to win a small race along the way, but the prize money slides away as he drinks and gambles at a roadhouse.

Back home, Randy realizes Peggy Jo has been left with no money and prospects, so he provides her Corky’s back wages plus a job. She also takes on a second job and begins classes to earn a high school diploma, seeking a more secure future for herself and the kids.

By the time Corky reaches Atlanta, he is almost dead broke and is not given a chance to drive at the speedway. Selling his tires, Corky gets into a confrontation with a junkyard owner, who siccs attack dogs on him and he insults bystanders who offer aid. Billy objects to Corky’s behavior, then leaves with the strangers when Corky punches him.

Back home in Texas, penniless and despondent, Corky suspects Peggy Jo has been drawn into an affair with Randy. He goes to the garage with a gun and shoots a couple of Randy’s mechanics. In a frantic attempt to flee, the pink car bursts into flames with Corky inside, and his last thoughts drift to fantasies of being a famous race driver.