Hot Rods and Racing Cars #76

When Thumbs Down shows up with his wildly unconventional "sleeper" car, Clint Curtis and the Road Knights are skeptical—especially after he insists on proving himself at the drag races without their help. What follows is a surprising turn of events as Thumbs takes on the competition, including the regional champion Big Red Bannon, in a series of races that force everyone to reconsider what it really means to be a hot rodder. It's a fun reminder that passion for cars comes in many forms.

At the 1955 Formula One Grand Prix in Monza, reserve drivers Reggie Duncan and Mark Collins wait for their chance to prove themselves, knowing that only a regular driver's misfortune will put them behind the wheel. When driver Doug Morgan's goggles shatter, Reggie gets his shot in the powerful Vanwall—and he's soon running in second place, chasing the leader. But ambition and inexperience collide when Reggie ignores his pit crew's signal to yield the car back to the experienced Tucker, and his determination to win the race pushes him beyond his limits.

A tired driver's panic-fueled flight from a hit-and-run collision sets off a chain reaction that lands the wrong man in court—until a trash collector's discovery of crucial evidence threatens to expose the real culprit. Clint Curtis finds himself facing conviction for a crime he didn't commit, his only hope resting on his lawyer's determination to prove his innocence and uncover the truth about that fateful night on the road.

Whitey Morrison and Frank Ruyall have been rivals since childhood—racing bikes in Kansas, then hot rods, and now they're competing as soldiers in the Army, assigned to the same motor pool. When a half-day holiday gives them the chance to settle things with a jeep race through the base, the two childhood competitors discover that their rivalry might lead somewhere unexpected. A fun, fast-paced tale of two friends who just can't stop trying to outrun each other.