The film stars Chuck Courtney, Melinda Byron, Robert Fuller, Tyler McVey, and Paul Bryar.

One night at the drive-in, Maurie makes a move on Betty, but she rebuffs his advances, and ends up letting Johnnie drive her home in her brother's car.

Betty refuses to lend him her brother's car again, so Johnnie asks her to take him to a used-car lot, where he persuades the salesman to let him test drive a hot rod.

After feuding with his father, Johnnie tells Betty he is leaving town and goes to the gas station and steals the hot rod.

Teenage Thunder gets a feel of the self-centered, belligerent confusion of adolescence, where battle-lines are drawn against peers and almost every adult is a possible agent of parochial control...had the film based itself around Maurie seeing the error of his ways, a different and more pertinent movie might have resulted...as it is, Teenage Thunder possesses well-staged auto set pieces and some lovely vintage film of the San Fernando raceway, a few steadfast performances, and a heart in the right place; it just doesn't really know where that place is, and like Johnnie, ends up misunderstood.

[2] This is a movie full of fast cars drag racing in the streets and raging hormones pulsing through young bodies.

While the road to fulfilment is rocky, the story line in Teenage Thunder is intent on showing how good will conquer over evil.