Hot Rod Rumble is a US, low budget, black-and-white 1957 teen-oriented drag racing crime drama produced by Norman T. Herman and directed by Leslie H. Martinson.

[1] The film tells the story of a clash within the Road Devils hot rod club when some of its members jump to a wrong conclusion following the accidental death of one of them in a car crash.

The members of the Road Devils hot rod club are having a party at their usual hangout, "The Shack."

Everyone is attired neatly - the men in button-down shirts and sports coats, the women in dresses and sweaters - except for Arny Crawford (Hartunian), the most disliked Road Devil, who is wearing a black leather biker jacket with the club's logo on the back.

Several Road Devils, who want Arny out of the club, go to the garage where he works and beat him senseless, despite his insistence that he had nothing to do with the crash.

Arny qualifies for the race, but immediately after he does, his car blows its engine, the result of sabotage by the other Road Devils.

As Arny heads back to his car to leave, Terri follows, repeatedly apologizing for not believing him the many times that he said he didn't cause the crash that killed Hank.

The anonymous reviewer writes that "Leigh Snowden is already established with teenagers and her name on the marquee should have box office value."

The review praises Hartunian's performance, saying that he "provides the real acting punch" in the film and is an actor "who is certain to remind many a teenager of James Dean in appearance, mannerisms and speech."

In overall terms, BoxOffice calls Hot Rod Rumble a "film of real story power for the teenage and slightly older segment of motion picture patronage.

[13] Avon Press in 1957 published a 25¢ paperback novelization of the film under the title "Hot Rod Gang Rumble."

[17] The LP contains 14 songs, including the main title and end title music, composed by Sandy Courage and performed by "The Hot Rod Rumble Orchestra," a group of 34 jazz musicians, including Maynard Ferguson.