Pure and simple, "Pit Stop" is a car crash movie that happens to have a story attached to it. The figure eight track will quickly remind you of the dirt in your face racing that used to be. Richard Davalos plays sort of an anti-hero, taking advantage of situations that could work in his favor at the expense of others. Brian Donlevy really doesn't fit here, and acts as though he would rather be somewhere else. Meanwhile, Sid Haig steals the movie, and is definitely the most interesting character. Do not come into this with expectations beyond drive in fodder, and you will be pleasantly surprised. It moves along at a nice pace, and the race scenes are well done. If you enjoy car carnage , this is definitely one to seek out. - MERK

Richard Davalos of "East of Eden" fame plays Rick Bowman, a punkish man who wrecks his car in a drag race. He's bailed out of jail by cunning businessman & race promoter Grant Willard (Brian Donlevy, in his final feature film), and groomed for a career as a driver in a series of hairy and violent figure eight races. Among Ricks' competitors is the flamboyant Hawk Sidney (Sid Haig), who's not used to losing and doesn't take it well.Clearly "Pit Stop" has become something of an underdog on the resume of low budget filmmaking legend Jack Hill. Admittedly, it's got a pretty thin, and formulaic, story. At least one plot development was patently predictable. Also, as played as a rather inexpressive Davalos, Bowman remains something of a cipher. The show really belongs to the colourful supporting players. Jack Hill regular Haig, in particular, appears to have the time of his life as the cocky veteran. Beverly Washburn of Hills' "Spider Baby" is cute as the racing junkie who ends up in Ricks' bed. Donlevy does a decent job as the man who really only cares about results. Several real life racing figures play themselves; George Washburn (Beverlys' brother), himself a stunt driver and racer, is effective as old pro Ed McLeod. Finally, "Pit Stop" features a lovely Ellen Burstyn (billed here as Ellen McRae), doing a very nice job as McLeods' wife Ellen."Pit Stop" benefits from believably intense action scenes and use of actual racing tracks. It's a thickly atmospheric, convincing, and ultimately very fun movie with a groovy blues soundtrack.You sure come to dislike Rick by the end of the story, though.Seven out of 10.

Surly, thuggishly handsome Dick Davalos superbly carries the day with plenty of rugged, growly, super-slick hipster punk attitude as Rick, a brash, hustling, opportunistic amateur drag racing young turk who willingly compromises what few teensy, faintly held on values he has in order to make it big in the harshly competitive world of professional stock car racing. Backed by pitiless rich sponsor Brian Donlevy (who's pure icy perfection as a ruthlessly avaricious jerk who strictly cares about money and winning), Rick cuts loose his savage, animalistic instincts on the track, taking "dingy," lunatic rival driver Hawk Sidney (a typically wired turn by the ever-manic Sid Haig, who appears here sans beard, but with a near complete head of hair) down a few pegs, romancing sweet, bubbly, gum-chewing wild cat groupie Jolene (an exuberant performance by the adorable Beverly Washburn, the most catty and spiteful of the Meryl family sisters in Hill's wonderfully warped "Spider Baby"), striving to best composed, always in control reigning champion Ed McCleod (the excellent George Washburn), and flirting with McCleod's forlorn, neglected wife Ellen (movingly played by Ellen McRea in her film debut, who later changed her name to Ellen Burstyn and received a Best Actress Oscar for her remarkable work in Martin Scorcese's "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore").More of a moody, incisive, stingingly critical and flatly unsentimental film noirish character study centering on the horrible spirit-crushing price fiercely aggressive macho males pay for engaging in a taxingly brutal dog-eat-dog sport like stock car racing than your usual mindless smash 'em up car racing action romp, "Pit Stop" might very well be Jack Hill's most sharply atmospheric and tautly self-contained picture to date, a starkly dramatized stunner that casually oozes a certain pungently thick, heavy, oppressively brooding no-kidding grayish and uncompromising sense of overweening moral blackness. The metal-mangling, tire-yelping, dust and dirt flying everywhere race car sequences possess a tense, kinetic, dangerously loose and truly harrowing quality, depicting the ultra-masculine confrontational world of professional stock car racing as totally crazed mondo destructo demolition derby-style pandemonium. Moreover, the burning male desire to win at any cost and be the greatest at something is boldly shown as a kind of severe, seething, deep-seated psychosis.Sumptuously shot in stark, shadowy, steely black and white by Austin McKinney, with a superlative finger-snapping, kicked-back cool hopping blistering fuzztone guitar-driven beatnik rock score by John Fridge and the Daily Flash, uniformly tops acting from a first-rate cast, and a bracingly caustic, penetrating, rough-edged script by Hill, "Pit Stop" makes many startling insights into the grim, ugly barbarism and cold-heartedness at work in male aggression and competitiveness, courageously stating that winning can come at the cost of one's soul and body. Hard, gritty and flinty, done with real guts and style by Hill, "Pit Stop" rates as a raw, nervy, very daring and unjustly overlooked winner that's well worth seeking out and deserving of substantial cult film status.

A young street punk named, Rick Bowman (Dick Davalos), arrested for drag racing. He is bailed out by racing promoter Grant Willard (Brian Donlevy), who offers to sponsor him as driver in the crazy world of figure-8 racing. Rick at first turns down his offer, but later decides to accept his offer after he sees the current figure-8 champion Hawk (Long Time Hill Regular Sid Haig). Rick sees the arrogance of Hawk and decides that he is better than him and he can beat him.Rick does awful in his first 2 races and seeks some help. He finds an old man who used to be a champ and learns his secrets. Finally, Rick is able to beat Hawk and becomes the winner, but becoming a winner comes with a price.Pit Stop without a doubt is Jack Hill's finest effort as a director. Hill who really didn't want to even do a race film, does a terrific job of creating a realistic feel of the racing circuit. The car crashes are well staged and edited, also the acting is excellent all across the board, especially by Sid Haig as the arrogant Hawk. Pit Stop comes in first place as one of the best films of the drive-in era.