Although car-themed films starring Reynolds had all previously been successes – including four made with Needham – Stroker Ace flopped.

[5] Stroker Ace is a popular race car driver from Waycross, Georgia, and a three-time champion in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series driving a #7 Ford Thunderbird.

He also has an on-track, season-long rivalry with ambitious young driver Aubrey James, who drives the #10 Four-Star Whiskey Buick Regal.

When Stroker runs afoul of his current sponsor, Jim Catty of Zenon Oil, by dumping a load of wet concrete on him, he has to find a new one.

Fried-chicken mogul Clyde Torkle, along with his chauffeur, Arnold, and newly appointed director of marketing and public relations, Pembrook Feeny, convince Stroker and his chief mechanic, Lugs Harvey, to sign up with him.

Overlooking his contract by not reading its specifics, Stroker begins a new life as the commercial face for the Chicken Pit fast-food restaurants.

Torkle is on to Stroker, though, and allows his antics because he sees the racer as his big ticket to regional fame by promoting the Chicken Pit franchise.

A ladies' man, Stroker tries to seduce the beautiful Pembrook, who is a Sunday School teacher, does not drink, and is a virgin.

At the beginning of the final race, Torkle is offered a deal to sell his franchise for a huge profit, on the condition that he drops Stroker Ace as his driver.

With the news that he is free from the contract, Stroker wins the championship in spectacular fashion by flipping his car over as he crosses the finish line.

The novel's joint authors, William Neely and Robert K. Ottum, based the book on actual events from the racing world but with their protagonist as the subject.

[citation needed] In 1977, Philip K. Feldman of First Artists Productions announced the company had bought the film rights to the novel to make a vehicle for Paul Newman.

[15] The co-stars were Jim Nabors, Loni Anderson, Ned Beatty, Parker Stevenson, and Bubba Smith, with appearances by many NASCAR drivers, such as: Neil Bonnett, Dale Earnhardt, Harry Gant (whose car was part-owned by Hal Needham), Terry Labonte, Benny Parsons, Kyle Petty, Richard Petty, Tim Richmond, Ricky Rudd, Cale Yarborough, and announcers Ken Squier, David Hobbs, and Chris Economaki.

The film was Anderson's starring feature debut (she had a small role in Vigilante Force in 1975), although she was already well known through her appearances in WKRP in Cincinnati and in TV movies.

It's a witless retread of the earlier, far funnier road-movie collaborations of Mr. Needham and Mr. Reynolds, especially of their two Smokey and the Bandit movies.

"[20] Roger Ebert gave the film 1.5 stars out of four, and wrote: "To call the movie a lightweight, bubble-headed summer entertainment is not criticism but simply description.

"[21] Gene Siskel gave the film zero stars out of four, writing: "Reynolds' reputation as a serious actor is virtually destroyed with this miserable picture.

"[22] Variety wrote that the Reynolds-Needham team were "just coasting in circles, trying to pick up whatever prize money might be attracted by their track record.